Virola theiodora, a bocanical source of intoxicating snuffs used by certain South American Indian tribes, has been shown to contain the hallucinogen 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine as well as a number of other indoles. One Indian snuff proved to be unusually high in alkaloid content (11 %). Considerable differences in the alkaloid composition of different parts of single plants were encountered, N,N-dimethyltryptamine being the major component in the leaves and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine in the bark of Virola theiodora, Of other species of Virola investigated V. rufnla contained substantial amounts of tryptamines, whereas V. multineruia and V. venosa were almost devoid of alkaloids. V. calophylla contained high amounts of alkaloids only in the leaves. Two new beta-carbolines of a type carrying the substituents in the 6-position of the beta-carboline nucleus were found in V. theiodora, V. rujula, and Anadenanthera (Piptadenia ) peregrina, By spectrometric and other data their structures have been shown to be 2-methyl-6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline and l,2-dimethyl-6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline.