Which Are The Strongest Psychedelics Out There? Brief Overview, Rankings And Practical Insights

Psychedelic substances have been used for centuries for spiritual and medicinal purposes. Following their widespread, sometimes chaotic use during the hippie era, they were outwardly and widely banned for all and every purpose. 

Nonetheless, researchers have in recent years taken up these substances to study their healing potential for treating a variety of health conditions, with some extraordinary results, particularly for MDMA, psilocybin, DMT, LSD and ibogaine.

Although virtually all psychedelics still remain illegal in most parts of the world, recreational use runs its own race, and thus many organizations have consistently been working toward educating users for harm reduction purposes.

Also Read: 30 Psychedelics Executives, Scientists & Influencers To Watch In 2024 And Beyond

While a list of the "strongest" psychedelics gives room for an interesting debate, below you'll find some guidance to the most potent, widely known and used psychedelic substances along with a short description of each.

For informational purposes, the criteria used here stick to what is largely considered a psychedelic.

Key Backdrop

Although some are similar, each psychedelic substance works through its own mechanisms and effects. These substances can be incredibly strong and potentially induce mystical experiences, transporting users to other universes. 

Certain factors contribute to their potency and effects, which are also subjective and thus difficult to measure. Also, potency is not a straightforward concept when talking psychedelics. 

For instance, Salvinorin A (salvia divinorum) is generally considered very potent, and dangerous at even small doses. Or, a minor dose of mescaline can reportedly produce considerably long trips. These two, along with DMT, often have a challenging “purge phase.”

Some say every psychedelic can induce a breakthrough experience when taken at a high enough dose -which, again, can vary from individual to individual. These experiences are strongly suggested not to be undergone alone, as they typically bring about mental and physical challenges.

General considerations can be taken for a potentially "good" trip, including knowing beforehand the drug's typical side effects, ensuring sourcing from a reliable supplier, having someone sober acting as a trip-sitter nearby, taking the substance in places where it is lawful and that one feels is a safe space, ideally not mixing with other substances -like alcohol,- and starting low and going slow.

Additionally, as trips can last hours, it's key to give oneself enough time to process the experience before resuming normal life. Trips can be challenging, and result in remarkable personal insights or traumatizing experiences.

See Alexander and Ann Shulgin's famous TIHKAL for a comprehensive list of tryptamine substances. 

Marijuana, Psilocybin, LSD, Mescaline, Salvia Divinorum, 5-MeO-DMT And MDMA

Zamnesia's list ranks psychedelics based on a subjective scale of intensity, including variables related to the onset and duration of the experience, as well as the potential visual and cognitive effects.

Marijuana

Its psychoactive component THC can be smoked, vaporized or ingested as food or tincture. Its effects typically range from relaxation to euphoria, heightened sensory perception, altered time perception, laughter and increased appetite. It can also provoke anxiety, fear, distrust or panic.

Psilocybin

It can be taken either by eating "magic" mushrooms (the most available is the Psilocybe cubensis species), or through an infused tea. Its typical effects include changes in perception, visual and mental hallucinations, distorted sense of time and spiritual experiences. 

LSD, aka acid

The synthetic chemical usually comes in the form of a pellet or as a liquid to be dropped onto the tongue or on food. Its effects are among the most feared and misunderstood, as it can induce long-lived experiences of getting trapped in thoughts. Yet it can also induce powerful visual and auditory effects; so, if approached with care, most LSD experiences are considered highly enjoyable. It usually does not produce full-blown hallucinations.

Mescaline

Found in certain cacti (most famous is the Peyote and San Pedro variety,) it can be eaten as dried cactus chips, gel caps, or drunk in a traditional brew (easier on the stomach.) The compound has been used by shamans in Central and South America (see The Teachings of Don Juan). It elicits significant mental, visual and auditory distortion, and reportedly produces a greater sense of detachment between mind and body. The experience is highly introspective and philosophical, with thoughts typically coming and going more easily than with other psychedelics. Considered a useful drug for contemplating the self, total ego-deaths are also possible.

Salvia divinorum

The leaves of the plant are typically chewed or vaporized, though there's also a sublingual tincture made of extracts. Smoked salvia reportedly produces an extremely depersonalized effect that can be quite alarming. Rather than from a joint, it is recommended to smoke from a water pipe. Also known as the Seer's sage, this legal drug is very strong, especially its extracts. The effects of salvia are reportedly similar to those of DMT -strong visuals and potentially outwardly experiences,- but generally less pleasant. It can also make users feel as if they are moving very fast, although being still. Recommended to try at very low doses first. (See DoubleBlind's guide.)

DMT

Found in various plants and animals, it has been used in several cultures for ceremonial or religious occasions, typically as part of the ayahuasca brew. Normally vaporized or taken orally in combination with an herbal MAOI for a longer and more intense trip. At the lower end, it causes powerful visual hallucinations, both closed-eye and open-eye. On the stronger end, it can transport users to entirely new universes where they may communicate with mystical, deity-like beings.

An additional list includes:  

5-MeO-DMT

Structurally similar to DMT, the compound is found in toad venom. Consumed in certain shamanic practices and also offered in retreat experiences, it causes a strange shift in perspective, often described as a near-death experience. (See Hamilton's Pharmacopeia.)

MDMA

The otherwise energizing party drug doesn't precisely fit into the psychedelic category, yet it has powerful properties like eliciting an extreme feeling of empathy, happiness and love, and producing a heightened sense of perception and susceptibility to light and sound. The compound is fairly modern as compared to other substances. At higher doses, it can cause full-blown hallucinations, which reportedly tend to be much more confusing and harder to identify as drug effects than with other substances on the list, potentially causing distress, thought loops and confusion. Additional physical effects include increased heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature; and a known challenging “comedown” -especially at higher doses or when taken regularly, it can cause physical exhaustion and even depression. If taken occasionally and at lower doses, these side effects would be fairly minimal.

Word of advice: Experiment safely with different psychedelics, looking for the one that suits you best rather than seeking "the strongest" one.

Timothy Leary's Five-Level Psychedelic Hierarchy

Another ranking, cast by Stoned Philosophy, orders the psychedelic hierarchy through levels as defined by famed researcher and advocate Timothy Leary. His proposal takes base on the intensity of experience (potency and effects combined) each provides, so five levels of psychedelic experience and a hierarchy of substances (from least potent to most potent.)

Note the hierarchy is not definitive. Substances can elicit different experiences in every person, and their effects can vary depending on things like dosage and "set and setting." Always approaching psychedelic substances with caution and after extensive research adds to a potentially good trip.  

1. Level 1, or the sensory level, is the lowest level of psychedelic experience per Leary. It involves mild sensory changes like enhanced colors and sounds, but no significant changes in perception or consciousness. This category includes cannabis, low psilocybin doses, and low LSD doses.
2. Level 2, or the emotional level, involves a heightened sense of emotions and feelings, including euphoria, happiness and well-being. There's a more significant change in perception and consciousness vs. Level 1. This category includes MDMA, higher psilocybin doses, and moderate LSD doses.
3. Level 3, or the perceptual level, entices significant changes in perception i.e. altered shapes, colors and patterns. There's a sense of unity and oneness with the universe. This category includes higher LSD doses, DMT and ayahuasca.
4. Level 4, or the archetypal level, involves a sense of transcending the physical world, and encountering archetypal beings and entities -either personal or universal. There's a sense of awe and reverence. This category includes high DMT and ayahuasca doses.
5. Level 5, or the cosmic level, involves a complete ego dissolution and a sense of oneness with the universe, an encounter with the divine and a feeling of transcendence beyond time and space. There's a sense of ultimate unity and interconnectedness. This category includes extremely high DMT and ayahuasca doses.

Somewhat lesser-known substances like salvia divinorum and ibogaine are extremely potent and match DMT and ayahuasca levels, although they are known to produce a generally less pleasant experience and require additional caution for their characteristics.

Testimonials

For some, DMT has the potential to produce the most intense trip (though short.) Others see 5-MeO-DMT as most associated with "peak" spiritual states, although one of the least visual psychedelics.

In the substance-body relation, some say LSD "takes the crown," binding more strongly to most serotonin receptors (thus why doses are very small and still produce long-lasting psychedelic effects,) and followed closely by Salvia divinorum. 

One user says DMT (either smoked or within the ayahuasca brew) or psilocybin mushrooms take you "to hyperspace" though in a slightly different manner; further adding that "pure DMT" would hold the least amount of bias and expectations surrounding it of the three.

Also, some believe mescaline can be "extremely visual" at high doses, producing encounters with entities while staying very clear-minded (as with DMT.) An opinion confronted by those who believe mescaline cannot be compared to the trips provided by tryptamines like DMT, psilocybin or 5-MeO-DMT.

For others, the three main "breakthrough" psychedelics are 5-MeO-DMT, DMT and Salvia divinorum -with the consideration that the latter can also bring about sheer confusion and terror. But also, many people have arrived to life-changing realizations on small amounts of LSD, or even a cannabis edible.

In the end, it appears to come down to how each utilizes these substances.

Disclosure: This content is created for informational and harm-reduction purposes only. It does not look to incentivize the consumption of illicit substances. Readers should consult with healthcare professionals before making any decisions and check their local regulations to ensure that all activities are legal or not criminalized in their country, state, municipality, city or town.

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Cover photo courtesy of Tumisu on Pixabay.