Ethocybin
Psychedelic drug
Ethocybin also known as 4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-diethyltryptamine (4-PO-DET) or as CEY-19, is a psychedelic drug of the tryptamine and 4-hydroxytryptamine families related to the psilocybin-containing mushroom alkaloid psilocybin. It is assumed to act as a prodrug of 4-HO-DET (CZ-74) analogously to how psilocybin (4-PO-DMT) acts as a prodrug of psilocin (4-HO-DMT). The drug was first described in the literature by Albert Hofmann and colleagues at Sandoz by 1963.
01Pharmacology
Ethocybin may be dephosphorylated in vivo to 4-HO-DET (ethocin), analogously to how psilocybin (4-PO-DMT) is metabolized to psilocin (4-HO-DMT). This chemical reaction takes place under strongly acidic conditions or enzymatically by phosphatases in the body. 4-HO-DET acts as a partial agonist of the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor.
02Chemistry
Analogues
Analogues of ethocybin include 4-HO-DET (ethocin), 4-AcO-DET (ethacetin), psilocybin (4-PO-DMT), psilocin (4-HO-DMT), baeocystin (4-PO-NMT), and aeruginascin (4-PO-TMT), among others.
03History
Albert Hofmann and colleagues working at Sandoz were the first to synthesize and describe ethocybin (CEY-19) along with 4-HO-DET (CZ-74), which shortly followed his discovery of psilocin and psilocybin. They first described the drug in a patent by 1963. Along with 4-HO-DET, ethocybin was one of the earliest structurally modified or synthetic psychedelic tryptamines to be developed.
04Society and culture
Legal status
Canada
Ethocybin is not an explicitly nor implicitly controlled substance in Canada as of 2025.
United States
Ethocybin is not an explicitly controlled substance in the United States. However, it could be considered a controlled substance under the Federal Analogue Act if intended for human consumption.
05Research
Ethocybin, under the code name CEY-19 and along with 4-HO-DET (CZ-74), has been studied in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Ethocybin”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Ethocybin.svg by Djcj, Public domain
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