It’s not sawdust per se, rather the smoke from it — more exactly, the pyrolysis products of certain amino acids: heating L-tryptophan, for example, produces var

It’s not sawdust per se, rather the smoke from it — more exactly, the pyrolysis products of certain amino acids: heating L-tryptophan, for example, produces various Harmala alkaloids. The effects are also dependent on the type of wood, as some woods do naturally contain tannins which act as MAO inhibitors. Harmala alkaloids, of course, are naturally present in Penganum harmala, one of the two traditional ingredients of Ayahuasca. The inherent psychoactivity of this family of compounds cannot be overstated.