Other Memory: Ayahuasca, Harmine & the Mystery of Inherited Knowledge

What if buried within your DNA was a forgotten archive of ancestral knowledge — just waiting for the right key to unlock it?

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Feb 27, 2025

Last week, we covered the late Terence McKenna, one of the psychedelic movement's greatest visionaries. As a huge psychedelics nerd, I love McKennas’ wild theories about the passage of time, the nature of consciousness, and the origins of human evolution.

One of his more out-there theories I've been thinking a lot about lately is the idea that harmine — a key alkaloid contained in ayahuasca — could act as a biochemical key to access a hidden archive of ancestral memories stored within our DNA.

This theory was explored in-depth in The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching — a book co-authored by Terence and his brother, Dennis McKenna.

The McKenna brothers hypothesized that DNA was more than just a genetic code guiding our growth and development — but is also a vast repository of information storing ancestral memory and forgotten wisdom.

The ancestral memory theory, as presented by the McKenna brothers, overlaps with Jung's definition of the collective unconscious — which is a deep, inherited layer of the psyche that holds the experiences of our ancestors. Much like the McKennas, Jung believed we could tap into the collective unconscious to access these stored memories using altered states of consciousness and dreams.

This theory is pretty wild and science-fictiony. It reminds me of this idea of "other memory" as presented in the Dune novels by Frank Herbert. In this series, other memory is only accessible by highly-trained Bene Gesserit sisters who undergo (and survive) a dose of deadly poison. If they survive, they're able to draw from the memories of their maternal ancestors by accessing it from their DNA.😎

Here, we're going to explore some fascinating research that adds credibility to McKenna's ancestral memory hypothesis — most of which wasn't published until after Terence's untimely death.

While this research is far from conclusive, it's (at the very least), an interesting thought experiment to explore further.

Harmala Alkaloids & the Alchemy of Consciousness

When discussing ayahuasca, most people focus only on DMT (dimethyltryptamine) — but the true key to the brew's visionary experience lies in the harmala alkaloids.

Unlike DMT, these compounds aren’t overtly psychedelic on their own, yet they play a crucial role in unlocking its full potential.

There are a total of 64 compounds known as the β-carbolines (AKA "harmala alkaloids"). These alkaloids can be found throughout the plant kingdom (roughly 120 species spread across 8 families). A few examples of common plants that produce these alkaloids include coffee (Coffea arabica), passionflower (Passiflora spp.), Syrian rue (Peganum harmala), and tobacco (Nicotiana spp.).

The ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) is especially rich in harmala alkaloids, which play a crucial role in activating DMT from a companion plant — typically Mimosa hostilis or Psychotria viridis, depending on the locale.

The harmala alkaloids are a fascinating group of compounds on their own, as many offer powerful medicinal, psychoactive, and neuroprotective qualities.

Here are just 4 examples:

Harmine — Acts as an MAO inhibitor that allows DMT to become orally active. This compound is the key to the shamanic brew, ayahuasca. Without it, the DMT would be destroyed before it could induce its psychedelic effects.
Tetrahydroharmine — A mild serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that works to enhance mood and boosts the visionary qualities of ayahuasca.
Harman & Neoharmane — Present in tobacco smoke and believed to contribute some of the psychoactive properties of the plant (including its heart-opening effects as recognized in shamanic medicine).
Harmaline — Another potent MAO inhibitor similar to harmine but with stronger sedative and hypnotic effects. It is thought to contribute to the dream-like, introspective states of ayahuasca.

Harmine Binds to Human DNA

Of all the harmala alkaloids in the ayahuasca vine, the McKenna brothers focused on one in particular — harmine — which is present in the ayahuasca vine in concentrations ranging from 0.3% to 8.4%.

Terence believed this compound had a unique relationship with human DNA — speculating that it could unlock hidden ancestral memories stored within our genetic code. While this idea may sound far-fetched, recent studies have shown that harmine does, in fact, bind to human DNA, influencing gene expression in ways we still don't fully understand.

In 2016, a group of researchers set out to examine the molecular basis for harmine's impressive anti-cancer action by examining its potential to bind to human DNA (a property that's common in many anti-cancer drugs). Their findings not only supported the hypothesis that harmine can bind to human DNA, but also raised new questions about how this interaction could influence cellular function beyond the scope of cancer treatment.

Another study later that year explored the specific DNA-binding mechanisms of harmine. This study discovered that harmine binds to two different DNA structures — GQ-DNA and B-DNA.

GQ-DNA is a specialized structure found in telomeres and gene regulatory regions, which play a role in genome stability and gene expression.
B-DNA is the classic double-helix structure that encodes genetic information.

While harmine showed a binding affinity for both types of DNA, it had a clear preference for GQ-DNA. The significance of this is that it seems harmine's interaction with DNA isn't random; it targets the way specific genes are turned on and off.

This doesn't mean harmine literally "reads" stored memories — at least not in the way the McKenna brother's envisioned. However, it does suggest a mechanism by which harmine could influence brain function in ways we never thought possible — affecting memory, perception, and consciousness in mysterious ways.

If nothing else, these findings are relevant to the field of cancer therapy, as most anti-cancer agents attack DNA indiscriminately — leading to the many toxic side effects associated with chemotherapy medications. Harmine, on the other hand, appears to have more selective interactions, opening up possibilities for less toxic, targeted gene therapies in the future.

Can Memories Be Stored in DNA?

Now that we know harmine can bind to and influence our DNA (though it's still unclear if this interaction translates to reading ancestral memories, we have to ask the question — "can memories even be stored in DNA in the first place?")

People, I'm very excited to inform you that, YES, we can store information using DNA with shocking efficiency — but there are caveats.…

1. DNA Can Store Information — Just Not Like We Thought

A research group led by Fahim Farzadfard successfully converted genomic DNA into a functional memory system in living bacterial cells. The technology, which Farzadfard calls SCRIBE (Synthetic Cellular Recorders Integrating Biological Events), can even continue to accumulate information over time — acting as a sort of "biological tape recorder."

The system uses single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and recombinase enzymes to introduce precise, heritable mutations in response to external stimuli. These mutations act as a biological record of past experiences that can be retrieved later through sequencing or other methods.

If bacteria can use their DNA to record and retrieve past environmental exposures, could something similar be happening in higher organisms, including humans?

Could certain experiences leave heritable imprints on DNA through a yet-undiscovered mechanism?

If harmine interacts with DNA (as other studies confirm), could it play a role in accessing or modifying stored genetic information?

This research proves that DNA is capable of storing memory like data — even if it hasn’t been observed in humans (yet).

2. DNA's Storage Potential is Astronomical

The human genome can (theoretically) store around 215 petabytes of information per gram — that's an absolutely staggering amount of information. To date, humanity has generated an estimated 33 trillion gigabytes of digital information. The genome is so efficient at storing information, all of humanity's data could be stored in a space the size of a ping-pong ball.

That's an order of magnitude more efficient than even the most advanced solid-state storage devices available right now. Nothing even comes close.

Before we get too excited, I have to caveat that the application of DNA as a storage medium has only been proven for the purpose of artificial data storage.

Is there any evidence of actual human memories recovered from DNA?

No… but there’s still some compelling evidence worth exploring…

3. The Mystery of Junk DNA

The human genome consists of around 3.2 billion base pairs — when Terence McKenna was still alive, only 2% of it was thought to do anything at all. The remaining 98% were considered "junk" simply because scientists didn't understand their function. Since then, researchers have reduced this unknown section to around 80% — but that still leaves us with a ridiculously high portion we still don't understand.

Here's how it breaks down:

Protein-Coding DNA (~1.5–2%) — The part of the genome that directly codes for the proteins that sustain life.
Known Functional Non-Coding DNA (~10–15%) — this includes telomeres, introns, and regulatory DNA that turn on/off various genes.
Repetitive & Transposable Elements (~50%) — this includes transposons (jumping genes), microsatellites, and tandem repeats.
Completely Unknown DNA (~30–35%) — Does not fit into any of the above categories; its function remains a mystery.

Scientists have since categorized much of this "junk" DNA, but a significant portion remains enigmatic, particularly the vast stretches of repetitive sequences that make up nearly half of our genome.

Most scientists agree these repeating snippets (which can repeat hundreds of times) aren't just random junk but evolutionary relics with hidden roles. The ENCODE Project has shown that much of this so-called "junk" influences things like gene expression, cell function, and cell adaptation.

Despite these breakthroughs, 30–35% of our genome remains a mystery. Whether it holds forgotten biological functions, dormant instructions, or something stranger, one thing is clear — our DNA is far more complex than we ever imagined. Considering the vast, unknown regions of our DNA, in combination with the staggering data-like storage capacity of DNA, it’s tempting to wonder if these sequences contain an untapped biological archive.

More Than DNA: How Experience Gets Passed Down Through Generations

Very recently, researchers have confirmed that ancestral "memories" in the form of stress responses, behavioral tendencies, and even cognitive abilities can be transferred from one generation to the next through epigenetic expression.

These epigenetic modifications do not involve the permanent encoding of information into the genome itself and this form of transfer typically only lasts a couple of generations before it's lost.

Epigenetic inheritance works for both positive and negative experiences. For example, one study demonstrated that young mice (15 days old) exposed to an "enriched environment" — an environment in which the mice were most content, with plenty of things to play with and other mice to socialize with — passed on enhanced cognitive abilities to their offspring.

In another study, traumatized male mice passed on signs of trauma to their offspring, who exhibited increased stress responses, heightened anxiety, and altered metabolic function despite never experiencing the trauma firsthand. This transfer was linked to alterations in mRNA found in the father's sperm cells.

The reason why I believe this is significant is that it proves there are other ways our DNA can store and transmit information without physically altering the genetic code. These studies show that epigenetic markers regulate behavior, memory, and adaptation across generations in ways we're only just beginning to understand.

Coming back to the McKenna brother's theory — if harmine affects regulatory DNA, it's plausible that it could activate, suppress, or even modify some of these epigenetic "memory" markers.

The Shamanic Perspective: Ancestral Knowledge & Plant Teachers

Terence and Dennis McKenna were far from the first people to suggest ayahuasca acts as a bridge to the ancestral realm. Amazonian shamans have been using this plant mixture to access knowledge that extends beyond an individual's lifetime for centuries.

Within this tradition, ayahuasca is not merely a psychedelic brew but a "plant teacher" — a conscious entity that imparts wisdom, reveals hidden truths, and connects individuals to the spirits of their ancestors. Plant teachers don't create knowledge; they reveal knowledge that's already there, hidden within the individual's lineage, spirit, or subconscious mind.

It's from this tradition that the McKenna brothers likely drew inspiration for their theory. The difference is that the McKennas, a product of Western scientific thinking, were focused more on the active ingredient (harmine) than the holistic and spiritual experience of the plant.

Jung’s Collective Unconscious & the Science of Ancestral Memory

The final connection I want to touch on before we finish is the overlap between the McKenna brother's DNA memory theory and Carl Jung's concept of the collective unconscious.

Jung described three layers of consciousness:

The Conscious Mind — Our waking awareness, rational thoughts, and perceptions.
The Personal Unconscious — A storage of forgotten memories, suppressed emotions, and personal experiences.
The Collective Unconscious — A deep, inherited layer of the psyche containing universal symbols, archetypes, and ancestral knowledge shared across all of humanity.

Carl Jung’s theory suggests that all humans inherit a subconscious framework of knowledge that influences our behaviors. Unlike the personal unconscious, which is shaped by individual experiences, the collective unconscious is innate — passed down biologically rather than through learned experiences.

A lot of this theory mirrors the same ideas we've already explored — just under different terminology.

If Jung was correct that ancestral experiences are stored in a hidden layer of the mind, could the McKennas have been right that DNA acts as the biological storage device? Is ayahuasca, and subsequently harmine, a biological key to unlocking information stored in the collective unconscious?

DNA, Psychedelics & Ancestral Memory: The Investigation Continues

At this point, we’ve explored the scientific, philosophical, and shamanic perspectives surrounding the McKenna brother's ancestral DNA hypothesis.

We know harmine binds to DNA in ways that remain poorly understood. We know DNA is capable of storing and transmitting information far beyond what was previously thought possible. And we know epigenetic inheritance allows experiences — both traumatic and nourishing — to leave biochemical imprints that shape future generations.

But does any of this mean harmine, or ayahuasca more broadly, allows us to retrieve ancestral memory?

The true answer remains elusive.

If harmine influences gene expression, it’s plausible that it could activate dormant epigenetic markers, alter neural pathways, or enhance access to subconscious information in ways we don’t fully understand.

At the very least, ayahuasca seems to unlock something that changes us — whether that’s the collective unconscious, a biological mechanism for ancestral memory, or simply a deep well of personal and cultural symbolism buried in the subconscious mind.

For now, the question remains open, but I like to think there’s more to this story — that one day, we’ll discover a way to tap into our own "other memory" and unlock a wellspring of wisdom from the generations that lived before us.

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