I’ve long been intrigued by the unmistakable scent of DMT and its powerful ability to trigger vivid olfactory memories and sensory flashbacks. Scent is a potent key to unlocking altered states, and DMT’s aroma—often described as simultaneously floral, metallic, and otherworldly—seems to carry a kind of psychoactive resonance on its own. I’ve had conversations with many people who say that merely smelling it—or even something reminiscent of it—can bring on déjà vu, emotional shifts, or flashes of the visionary realms they once visited. It’s fascinating to consider how compounds like indole or even skatole, which are present in both DMT and natural perfumery, might bridge the worlds of plant medicine and scent. At one point, I even fantasized with a friend about creating a perfume that mimics the unique scent of DMT—something that could evoke memory, mystery, and perhaps even a subtle shift in consciousness. —David Jay Brown, author of The Illustrated Field Guide to DMT Entities (personal communication, July 2025)
This post explores the topic I do not usually cover, since my focus is more often on natural aromatics and the psyche. But here, I want to talk about the intersection of scent and DMT. A few days ago, while browsing Reddit, I noticed a recurring theme: people describing olfactory memories, déjà vus, flashbacks, or simply reflections on the scent of DMT. I am deeply interested in studies and literature related to psychedelics and plant medicine, in particular DMT and Salvia divinorum because they are substances that offer profound insight into consciousness and the nature of reality. I also have personal experience with psychedelics and their healing properties. Why is this worth discussing? Because many people report sensory flashbacks, often triggered by smell. Some even compare DMT's aroma to natural compounds because of the presence of indole. Indole, after all, is a well-known aromatic molecule in natural perfumery.
What is DMT?
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a powerful, fast-acting psychedelic compound found naturally in certain plants and also produced in trace amounts by the human body. It is structurally similar to serotonin and other tryptamines and has been used traditionally in Amazonian shamanic practices, especially in the form of ayahuasca. In a therapeutic context, DMT is gaining scientific interest for its potential to catalyze deep psychological insight, emotional release, spiritual and mystical experiences, and for studying the nature of reality and human consciousness. Because it induces intense but short-lived altered states of consciousness (10 to 15 minutes, compared to several hours with other psychedelics), often described as ego-dissolving or mystical, it may help individuals process trauma, reduce depressive symptoms, and foster a greater sense of connectedness. Unlike many traditional antidepressants, DMT appears to work by rapidly shifting neural connectivity and disrupting rigid patterns of thought, offering a novel approach to mental health treatment when used under professional guidance in a controlled setting.
Common Scent Descriptions
The most common scent descriptors of DMT include rubber, plastic, floral, and "old people." Many users report a distinct plastic-rubber smell, often mixed with floral or "new shoe" undertones:
“Smelt like horseshit mixed with new shoes to me” (reddit.com)
“Burnt plastic bags,” “mothballs” (reddit.com)
“Like new cars or new shoes mixed with fruity incense” (bluelight.org)
Others perceive sweeter, more floral tones:
“Most of the white ... has a fresh soft floral essence ... smells like flowers and pollen” (shroomery.org)
“It smells like jasmine to me” (bluelight.org)
At the same time, the "old people/mothball" aroma often overlaps:
“It smells like old people ... like a nursing home” (reddit.com)
Phantom Smells and Sensory Flashbacks
Users also report persistent phantom smells after DMT use.
Many describe lingering olfactory impressions, "phantom" DMT smells, that occur days or even months after a trip:
“For a few weeks after my first DMT trip I could smell DMT randomly” (reddit.com)
“I can still smell DMT about a year after smoking it” (reddit.com)
“Had my first experience ... Ever since I keep catching whiffs of DMT” (reddit.com)
These perceptions are often triggered by daily stimuli such as flossing, walking, or being in nature and can feel synesthetic or memory-driven. This parallels natural perfumery, where certain aromas powerfully evoke past memories.
The Indole Connection: Chemistry Behind the Smell
There is a scientific hypothesis that DMT’s distinctive smell may be linked to its indole structure. Indole is a ring-shaped molecule found in many organic substances including plants, mothballs, and faeces. While not studied in depth, some users speculate:
“The DMT smell is caused by the indole group ... common in organic materials” (reddit.com)
“Decaying teeth and poor dental hygiene often produce ... indoles. DMT is an alkaloid in the indole class” (reddit.com)
This might explain why users sometimes detect DMT-like smells in nature, around plants, flowers, or even potatoes. But are these traces strong enough to trigger flashbacks?
Psychological and Spiritual Associations
Beyond chemistry, many view these olfactory impressions through a psychological lens:
“Brain picking it up ... phantom, like a flash-back of a smell” (shroomery.org, reddit.com)
“I think ... you notice things that smell like DMT more now” (bluelight.org)
Others interpret them spiritually:
“It’s normal ... take it as a loving visit from the medicine” (reddit.com)
“That is my sign that I need to take it again ... DMT tells you when it’s time” (reddit.com)
Experiences vary widely, from floral nostalgia to unsettling memories of death:
“My cousin ... said that DMT had the exact same smell as when one of the elderly just had died” (reddit.com)
“DMT smells like overcooked Brussels sprouts and broccoli” (reddit.com)
“Gasoline reminds me of DMT” (reddit.com)
These variations reflect how scent perception is shaped by individual memory, biology, and the nature of the trip, whether positive, negative, or spiritual.
Smelling While on DMT: In-Trip Olfactory Experiences
A 2012 DMT-Nexus thread describes users detecting vivid smells like "rotten meat" or "musky" aromas during a trip, lasting briefly. Others describe heightened olfactory sensitivity immediately post-dosing. While not necessarily hallucinated, the line can blur:
“During the trip I smelled a pungent, rotten meat type smell ... it lasted for a minute or so then disappeared” (forum.dmt-nexus.me)
“During the whole rest of the night I kept smelling DMT everywhere ... when I concentrated, I could tell I wasn’t actually smelling anything” (reddit.com)
Why These Phenomena Might Happen
DMT may increase activity in the part of the brain that processes smells, making scents seem stronger or more vivid. At the same time, certain smells can trigger powerful emotions or memories, much like flashbacks. Additionally, some natural substances around us have chemical structures similar to DMT, so our brain might confuse their smells for the scent of DMT itself.
Olfactory Synesthesia and Entheogenic States
Some users report experiences like smelling colors or sensing other beings through scent. DMT seems to disrupt the brain’s usual filters, causing the senses to blend and overlap. This activates brain areas involved in both dreaming and smell, creating a synesthetic, otherworldly effect.
The Role of Indole in DMT vs. Perfumery
Both DMT and many perfumes share the indole molecule, but how it smells depends on context. In DMT, indole contributes to a plasticky, mothball-like scent shaped by combustion and impurities. In perfumery, indole appears in tiny amounts within jasmine, orange blossom, and neroli absolutes, adding a warm, animalic depth. While undiluted indole can smell unpleasant, fecal, or decayed, in small doses it gives flowers a “living” and sensual quality.
Natural Aromatics Similar to DMT’s Scent
Jasmine Absolute: Rich in indole; smells floral, fecal, narcotic.
Costus Root: Animalic, burnt plastic, wet hair.
Spikenard: Earthy, fermented.
Hyraceum (Africa Stone): Fecal, leathery, sacred-dirty.
Labdanum/Cistus: Resinous, plastic-amber.
Styrax/Benzoin: Sweet, medicinal-phenolic.
Mimosa: Powdery-sweet, DMT-like top notes.
Narcissus Absolute: Floral decay, green bitterness.
Choya Ral/Loban: Burnt plastic, tar, incense.
Natural Materials with High Indole Content
Jasmine Grandiflorum/Sambac: Up to 2.5% indole.
Orange Blossom Absolute: 0.5 to 1.5%.
Tuberose Absolute: 1 to 2%.
Narcissus, Osmanthus, Gardenia, Ylang Ylang, Linden Blossom, Champaca.
Indole use requires dilution because even tiny amounts shift a blend from floral to fecal.
Why These Aromatics Resemble DMT
Many of these natural materials contain nitrogen-rich compounds, such as indoles, which share a similar chemical structure with DMT. They also tend to evaporate quickly, much like the sudden, intense burst you get when DMT is smoked. Additionally, some of these scents carry a smoky or burnt aroma that echoes the smell produced when DMT breaks down under heat.
Why Recreate the Scent?
In general, there is no practical need to recreate the smell of DMT. But for post-trip integration, scent can be a powerful tool. Despite its short duration, DMT often leaves lasting impressions. Aromatic recall helps reconnect with these fleeting yet profound experiences. Facilitators stress that integration is vital and can take weeks or months. Scent can become a catalyst for reflection, reintegration, and even healing.
Even "bad trips" can be meaningful with time. Aromatic cues help re-enter the experience, remember, and learn from it.
Other Psychedelics and Smell
Psychedelics may influence our sense of smell in several ways. Some anecdotal reports suggest they can reset or enhance olfactory pathways, contributing to sensory restoration and neuroplasticity. During the experience, smells may become unusually vivid or take on surreal, dreamlike qualities. Some users even report olfactory hallucinations, scents that feel symbolic or metaphorical rather than literal. After the trip, heightened scent sensitivity can linger for days or even weeks. While these effects are widely described, no formal studies have yet explored olfactory hallucinations under DMT.
My Take on Scent and DMT
My hypothesis is that DMT draws out deep subconscious memories, shaping associations around its scent. The experience heightens the sense of smell and embeds it in memory. Since scent is so closely tied to emotion and memory, it is no surprise that users often revisit their DMT journeys through phantom aromas. Scent may be one of the most overlooked yet powerful tools for integrating the psychedelic experience.
At the same time, it is understandable that the smell of DMT, or any scent present during a psychedelic trip, can start to feel overwhelming or even unpleasant for some people. In these cases, using natural aromatics that resemble the scent can be a gentle way to reintroduce it to the body and reflect on it. It is similar, but not the same.
Since aromatherapy can also be deeply healing, combining these two powerful plant medicines, psychedelics and scent, can become a transformative experience.
Here are some classic and influential works on DMT that are widely respected in psychedelic research, ethnobotany, and experiential literature:
Rick Strassman, M.D.
Rick Strassman is a clinical psychiatrist and researcher who conducted the first FDA-approved human studies on DMT in the 1990s. His work bridges science, spirituality, and psychedelic medicine.
DMT: The Spirit Molecule
This foundational modern work documents Strassman’s groundbreaking DMT research. Combining clinical data with philosophical reflection, it is essential reading for anyone interested in the intersection of science, mysticism, and psychedelic therapy.
DMT and the Soul of Prophecy
A follow-up to The Spirit Molecule, this book explores DMT experiences through the lens of Hebrew prophetic tradition. Strassman offers a theological and spiritual framework to interpret the visionary states induced by DMT.
Andrew Gallimore
Andrew Gallimore is a neuroscientist, pharmacologist, and writer known for his cutting-edge theories on DMT, consciousness, and multidimensional reality. His work synthesizes neuroscience, information theory, and speculative metaphysics.
Alien Information Theory
Gallimore proposes that DMT provides access to higher-dimensional realities and that our universe operates as an intricate information-processing system. The book explores consciousness mechanics and the psychedelic interface with non-ordinary realms.
Reality Switch Technologies
Expanding on his earlier work, Gallimore suggests that substances like DMT, salvia, and ketamine serve as tools for shifting consciousness into parallel realities. The book merges scientific insight with philosophical speculation.
Death by Astonishment
Gallimore’s most comprehensive work to date, this book explores DMT’s cultural history, user accounts, and scientific implications. It challenges mainstream models of perception and consciousness while advocating for deeper inquiry into entheogenic experiences.
Terence McKenna (1946–2000)
Terence McKenna was an ethnobotanist, philosopher, and charismatic speaker known for his vivid interpretations of psychedelic states. He described DMT as a portal to hyperdimensional realms and called for a revival of archaic, entheogenic wisdom.
True Hallucinations
A narrative of McKenna’s journey with his brother Dennis into the Amazon rainforest, where their experiments with psychedelic plants—especially tryptamines—unfold into mythic and transformative experiences.
The Archaic Revival
A collection of essays and interviews in which McKenna explores altered states, DMT “machine elves,” the evolution of consciousness, and the necessity of re-engaging with shamanic traditions.
David Jay Brown
David Jay Brown is a writer, researcher, and psychonaut known for his explorations of consciousness, psychedelics, and the paranormal. His work often bridges scientific inquiry with visionary experience.
The Illustrated Field Guide to DMT Entities
A visually rich and conceptually adventurous book cataloging the beings reported in DMT experiences. Drawing on firsthand accounts, interviews, and speculative theory, Brown offers a taxonomy of entities, from machine elves to alien intelligences, alongside striking illustrations.