Tyramine is destroyed by MAO-A enzymes in the digestive system. Food high in tyramine is dangerous to consume when taken normal MAO-A inhibitors because they permanently destroy the MAO-A enzymes allowing tyramine to pass right through for many days. That leaves your body very vulnerable and you can actually die from it.

The harmala alkaloids are a little different from the typical MAO-A inhibitors. The harmala alkaloids do not destroy MAO-A enzymes, they only temporarily bind to them, making them inactive for just a few hours. This means the harmala alkaloids are reversible MAO-A inhibitors, because they only temporarily bind to MAO-A and don’t actually destroy them like many other MAOIs do. Because of this, the harmala alkaloids are classified as RIMA compounds and not full MAOI compounds.

Tyramine is able to displace harmine, harmaline, and THH, causing them to be freed from the MAO-A enzymes, so that the tyramine is then destroyed by the MAO-A enzymes and rendered inactive. Because tyramine is still rendered inactive under the effects of harmine, harmaline, and THH, there is no need for any dietary restrictions. This is true for all RIMAs. However, complex drug interactions can occur with RIMAs and can be fatal. So while it’s safe to eat pretty much any type of normal food, taking medicinal herbs with RIMAs could be dangerous. And some foods contain drugs that normally are inactivated by MAO-A, but become active while taking a RIMA. For example, a salad made from chacruna leaves would not do anything to you normally, but if a RIMA was taken, the DMT in the leaves would become active. No one knows how many possible food items contain such drugs that might become active under the effects of a RIMA. So far, no normal food items have been shown to contain such drugs so there is no RIMA diet.