Salsolinol is a chemical compound derived from dopamine which plays a role in neurotransmission and is neurotoxic.

[5][6] Salsolinol is found in several edible plants, most prominently bananas and cocoa products as well as beer.

[10] Salsolinol is endogenously synthesized by multiple routes, although its origin in the human body remains controversial.

There are two main routes for its production: one which is through a non-enantiospecific Pictet-Spengler reaction of dopamine and acetaldehyde, and one which is mediated by the enzyme salsolinol synthase.

As of the 2020s, it is understood that the primary contributor to levels of salsolinol in blood plasma is dietary intake, not acute ethanol consumption.

[21] Part of the challenge in studying this is that salsolinol also is produced endogenously, and in all cases its levels are very low, making it difficult to detect and quantify with precision.

[22] Further confounding the issue, there is evidence that salsolinol may be implicated in alcohol use disorder and may play a role in increasing cravings for ethanol.