A few weeks ago, I shared a deep dive into herbal smoke blends that can help ease the transition away from cannabis or tobacco.

But what I didn’t include was a blend unlike any other.

A single puff can launch you through the center of existence, dissolving everything you thought you knew.

That, my friend, is Changa.

What is Changa?

Changa is a blend of herbs infused with N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), often described as “smokable Ayahuasca.”

The mixture weaves together three essential components:

1. A DMT-containing plant: the visionary compound.
2. A Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI) plant: prolongs the DMT’s effects by slowing its breakdown.
3. Supportive herbs: smooth the smoke, enhance flavor, and subtly shape the experience.

Changa was created in the early 2000s by Julian Palmer, an Australian psychonaut who modeled it after traditional Ayahuasca — fun fact, while actually on Ayahuasca. His original formula used Chacruna (Psychotria viridis) leaf as the DMT source and the Banisteriopsis caapi vine as the MAOI.

Modern variations often substitute Mimosa hostilis or Acacia confusa for the DMT component, and Syrian Rue or Passionflower as the MAOI.

But don’t think you can simply grind these plants together and smoke them; it doesn’t work that way.

The DMT-containing plants alone don’t have enough active DMT to produce effects. The compound must first be chemically extracted and infused into the herb blend.

In essence, Changa is a smokable fusion of extracted DMT and synergistic herbs, a preparation that captures the spirit of Ayahuasca, but in a far more concentrated and ephemeral form.

What does it do?

Changa’s primary psychoactive force comes from DMT, often called the “Spirit Molecule.”

It’s the compound responsible for the profound shifts in perception, time, and consciousness that define the experience.

In traditional Amazonian cosmology, DMT is viewed as a bridge to the spirit world, a molecule that dissolves the veil between dimensions.

Modern science echoes this mysticism.

A 2018 study from Imperial College London found that DMT experiences closely mirror near-death experiences, often involving:

• Out-of-body sensations
• A deep awareness of mortality
• Feelings of peace, calm, and radiant light
• Encounters with non-ordinary entities
• Complete ego dissolution

What is Changa like?

Like I said, Changa is not for the faint of heart, and it’s definitely not a party drug.

While Changa itself is a modern invention, DMT is ancient, and it demands respect. Disregard that, and you’ll likely pay the price.

Always take the time to prepare your set, setting, and support before lift-off… because once you’re in it, the experience tends to unfold exactly as you’ve prepared for.

The Changa Experience

Common Features

• Intense, kaleidoscopic visuals — sacred geometry, colors, and fractal patterns
• Ego dissolution and a deep sense of unity or oneness
• Encounters with “entities” or “spirit beings”
• Profound peace, clarity, or existential insight after the journey

Duration of Experience

Total Duration: 6–20 minutes

• Onset: 0–1 minute
• Come Up: 0–30 seconds
• Peak / Plateau: 3–15 minutes
• Come Down: 3–5 minutes

Afterglow: 15–60 minutes

So, what does the Changa experience actually feel like?

Here’s how it usually unfolds:

🌌 1) Instant Dissolution

Within seconds of inhalation, the world disappears.

The body vanishes, the ego disintegrates, and reality seems to “break apart," like stepping through a veil or being launched out of your own mind.

🌀 2) The Chrysanthemum / Fractal Burst

A kaleidoscopic explosion of color and geometry that contains intricate, hyper-dimensional patterns that move with impossible precision and intelligence.

The famous "chrysanthemum" often appears here: a swirling, breathing mandala that seems to invite you through.

A portal to the other side.

👁️ 3) Entering the ‘Other Side’

Once through, many describe entering a space, not a hallucination, but an entire realm.

It feels more real than reality.

Time, language, and identity lose meaning.

You’re no longer observing — you are the experience.

👽 4) Encountering Entities

Many report meeting “beings," sometimes playful, sometimes alien, sometimes divine.

They may teach, communicate telepathically, or perform what feels like energetic surgery.

Common names: Machine Elves, Light Beings, Geometric Teachers, God Consciousness.

💡 5) Downloads & Revelation

Then comes the flood.

Information, insight, remembrance, as if decoding the architecture of existence itself.

People often return saying things like:

🫧 6) The Return

Within 5–10 minutes, awareness collapses back into the body.

Many describe it as being reborn.

Eyes open, tears flowing, heart pounding, struggling to comprehend what just happened.

🕊️ 7) Afterglow

What follows is profound peace and sometimes quiet bewilderment.

You see the world differently now.

More mysterious. More alive. More beautiful than you ever imagined.

Changa vs. Ayahuasca

Two doors to the same realm, yet the journey through each couldn’t be more different.

Changa is a smokable blend of herbs infused with pure DMT, combined with plants containing MAOIs—such as Banisteriopsis caapi vine or Syrian rue seeds—and supportive herbs that enhance the smoke’s smoothness, flavor, and overall effects or experience.

Ayahuasca is a brewed tea that combines DMT-containing plants, such as Chacruna (Psychotria viridis), with the MAOI-containing vine Banisteriopsis caapi. Without the MAOI, the DMT is broken down by the body too rapidly for the psychedelic effects to occur.

With Changa, the effects arrive within seconds and are fast, immersive, and cosmic. It’s often described as being shot out of a cannon into kaleidoscopic dimensions of geometry and light, where one may encounter spirit-like beings. The peak lasts 5–15 minutes, followed by a 45-minute afterglow of clarity and calm.

Ayahuasca, by contrast, unfolds slowly. Effects begin 20–60 minutes after drinking, opening into a deeply introspective journey of emotional release, revelation, and spiritual connection. Visuals ripple and evolve as the ego dissolves, stretching across 6–8+ transformative hours.

Changa is a modern creation, born in the early 2000s by Julian Palmer in Australia. Ayahuasca is an ancient, sacred Amazonian brew used for millennia in shamanic rituals.

Both are DMT gateways into the ethereal, yet their origins, durations, and depths couldn’t be more distinct.

No matter the method, both require careful preparation and intention to unlock their deepest therapeutic and spiritual benefits.

The bottom line

Today, Changa is emerging as a popular alternative to Ayahuasca, often called “smokable Ayahuasca.” It offers a shorter, faster, and more accessible gateway into the DMT realm.

But don’t let the brief duration fool you.

It’s a potent—I mean POTENT—entheogenic experience, capable of catapulting you into entirely new dimensions of existence. Time can distort so completely, it may feel like you’ve lived an entire lifetime.

I’m curious… have you ever ventured into the ethereal DMT realm, through Ayahuasca or Changa?

Do you think you’d make it through the cosmic voyage?

Hit reply and let me know.

Have a safe trip,

Onjae