Hi. Please forgive the noobness

I was just reading

https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/dmtsyn.txt

and thought that sodium cyanoborohydride would, theoretically, for a person, be hard to get. Assuming one stuck to that method (starting from tryptamine, not tryptophan), could one use an alternate like the Al/Mg method seen in mda/mdma synths for reducing?

Yes, but AFAIK that method only yeilds about 20% tops....

ouchies.

are there any other options? assuming sodium cyanoborohydride is watched heavily.

Sodium borohydride can also be used, and gives high yeilds...

Using slow concurrent addition of NaBH₄ and formaldehyde at low temp, though. A recent post in this forum explains the special techniques needed when using borohydride instead of cyanoborohydride:

Post 436291

(Lego: "What am I not seeing here?", Tryptamine Chemistry)

You can also start from indole, as posted here

Post 451545

(Chimimanie: "Thanks", Tryptamine Chemistry)    

The Indolyl-3-dimethylaminomethylketone gets reduced to DMT via NaBH4 in 1-propanol. I read it may be possible to use another solvent, but no one backed up that thought so maybe not. If you can get SnCl4 (anhdrous liquid) and NaBH4 than your good to go.    The rest is non sketch and easily obtainable.