Silene capensis / African Dream Root / Caryophyllaceae (Chickweed Family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Silene undulata, African Dream Root, Undlela Ziimphlophe (Xhosa)

Description

Silene capensis is native to the river valleys of the eastern cape province of South Africa. This obscure flowering species is regarded by local shamans as a type of "Ubulawu" or medicinal root that they call "Undlela Ziimhlophe," which translates literally as "White paths" or "White ways." Its root is traditionally used to induce vivid (and according to the Xhosa, prophetic) lucid dreaming, classifying it a naturally-occurring oneirogen similar to the more well-known dream herb Calea (Calea zacatechichi). The plant exerts only minimal alterations in waking consciousness, yet the effects upon the dream state can be profound. (1)(2)

Historical

Silene capensis has been used by Xhosa diviners of South Africa for centuries. They grind the root to prepare a thick white froth, which novice diviners consume on an empty stomach to enhance lucid dreaming. Novices consume it until they fill their stomachs, washing themselves with the remaining dregs, over a three-day period at full moon. A diviner chews a small piece of the root, which has a pungent taste and smell, and spits it out on the threshold to attract clients. Diviners and novices who ingest it regularly exude a musky scented odour, not unlike that of the flower, which is attractive and even mildly hypnotic especially when they perspire after performing any vigorous activity, such as dancing or foraging for medicines. (1)

Plant Description

Silene capensis has a white, erect, trichotomously panicled flower with obtuse lobes. In spring and autumn the flower opens in the evening to exude a scented perfume and it is cross-pollinated by moths. The stem and leaves of the plant are clothed with long spreading hairs. After good rainfall, it is found growing in grassy verges on well-watered slopes and particularly on riverbanks. (1)

References

(1) Dreams and Medicines: The Perspective of Xhosa Diviners and Novices in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, by Manton Hirst
(2) Silene capensis, Wikipedia

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

Dreams
Lucid Dreaming
Oneiromancy

Related Products

Dreamherb (Calea zacatechichi)
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa)
Sacred Blue Lily of the Nile (Nymphaea caerulea)

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Top quality "White" African Dreamroot, wildharvested from mature plants, in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Finely cut & sifted. View all African Dream Root products.

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	root (3) cut & sifted, fine South Africa, excellent quality, limited stock [details] [ view ]		5 g - $ 3.80  10 g - $ 6.80	x
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Silene capensis / African Dream Root / Caryophyllaceae (Chickweed Family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Silene undulata, African Dream Root, Undlela Ziimphlophe (Xhosa)

Description

Silene capensis is native to the river valleys of the eastern cape province of South Africa. This obscure flowering species is regarded by local shamans as a type of "Ubulawu" or medicinal root that they call "Undlela Ziimhlophe," which translates literally as "White paths" or "White ways." Its root is traditionally used to induce vivid (and according to the Xhosa, prophetic) lucid dreaming, classifying it a naturally-occurring oneirogen similar to the more well-known dream herb Calea (Calea zacatechichi). The plant exerts only minimal alterations in waking consciousness, yet the effects upon the dream state can be profound. (1)(2)

Historical

Silene capensis has been used by Xhosa diviners of South Africa for centuries. They grind the root to prepare a thick white froth, which novice diviners consume on an empty stomach to enhance lucid dreaming. Novices consume it until they fill their stomachs, washing themselves with the remaining dregs, over a three-day period at full moon. A diviner chews a small piece of the root, which has a pungent taste and smell, and spits it out on the threshold to attract clients. Diviners and novices who ingest it regularly exude a musky scented odour, not unlike that of the flower, which is attractive and even mildly hypnotic especially when they perspire after performing any vigorous activity, such as dancing or foraging for medicines. (1)

Plant Description

Silene capensis has a white, erect, trichotomously panicled flower with obtuse lobes. In spring and autumn the flower opens in the evening to exude a scented perfume and it is cross-pollinated by moths. The stem and leaves of the plant are clothed with long spreading hairs. After good rainfall, it is found growing in grassy verges on well-watered slopes and particularly on riverbanks. (1)

References

(1) Dreams and Medicines: The Perspective of Xhosa Diviners and Novices in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, by Manton Hirst
(2) Silene capensis, Wikipedia

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

Dreams
Lucid Dreaming
Oneiromancy

Related Products

Dreamherb (Calea zacatechichi)
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa)
Sacred Blue Lily of the Nile (Nymphaea caerulea)

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Shredded, top quality "White" African Dreamroot, wildharvested from mature plants, in Eastern Cape, South Africa. View all African Dream Root products.

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	root (3) shredded South Africa, excellent quality, limited stock [details] [ view ]		10 g - $ 6.40	x
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Acacia nilotica / Arabic Gum / Leguminosae (Pea family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Arabic Gum, Acacia, Acacia Gum, Acacia Syrup, Indian Gum, Turkey Gum.

Description

Derived from the sap of the African Acacia tree, Gum Arabic is one of the world's most common gums with the longest history. Also known as Gum Acacia, it was used in ancient times for purposes as varied as mummification and inks for hieroglyphics. Ancient inscriptions frequently refer to "Kami", a form of Gum Arabic used as a pigment binder and adhesive in painting. It is also used to produce a medium for applying essential oil, balsams, resins, Camphor, and Musk. Acacia gum forms strings when combined with Cherry extract.
Blends well with almost anything, and is used as a binder or fixative in all kinds of perfumery and incense preparations.

Scent

It has its own very light, typically resinous scent.

Contents

Chemically, Arabic Gum is a combination of complex polysaccharides and proteins. On the molecular level, this arabino-galactan-protein complex is a beautiful amalgamation of complex branches, trapping water inside, for the use of the plant. The gum contains 12-17% of moisture and a trace of sugar, and yields 2.7-4% of ash, consisting almost entirely of calcium, magnesium and potassium carbonates. Arabic Gum is colorless, tasteless, and soluble in cold water.

Historical

During the Middle Ages, Gum Arabic trade was carried on through ports controlled by the Turkish Empire, thus giving rise to the name "Turkey Gum". An export trade was also developed for a time around Bombay, thus, "East Indian" or "Indian Gum".
Gum Arabic is highly nutritious. During the time of the harvest, the Moors of the desert are said to live almost entirely on it, and it has been proved that 200g is sufficient to support an adult for 24 hours. It is related that the Bushman Hottentots have been known in times of scarcity to support themselves on it for days.

Plant Description

A tree with a single central stem and a dense flat-topped crown, bark without any papery peel, rough, gray or brown, with pubescent, rarely glabrous inflorescence, and pods variable in size, rounded to somewhat pointed but not rostrate or acuminate at apex. Widespread in tropical Africa from Mozambique, Zambia to Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Cultivated in India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
Strangely, Gum Arabic is only produced by trees that are in an unhealthy condition. Gum yields are improved by natural factors that lessen the vitality of the trees: Hot weather, poor soil, lack of moisture, etc.
It is important to remember that a damaged tree will give a larger yield of gum. Thus, the natives will cut and strip the bark from a tree and return later to remove the tears of gum that form in the wounds or scars. Within 3-8 weeks, the gum will start to collect in the wound, but this depends on the weather conditions. Gum droplets are about 1-2cm in diameter, and they gradually dry and harden on exposure to the atmosphere. A young tree will yield 400-7000g annually.

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

Acacia nilotica (L.) Del. (Gum Arabic)
Acacia nilotica - Wikipedia

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Excellent quality Arabic Gum from Sudan comes in roundish "tears" of various sizes, colourless or pale yellow and semi-transparent. In incense recipes, Gum Arabic is used to bind the mixture together. In powdered form it is mixed with the recipe and after liquid is added and hardened it will bind the final paste.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	resin drops (1) Sudan, excellent quality, limited stock ! [details] [ view ]		50 g - $ 3.00  100 g - $ 5.40  250 g - $ 12.25	x
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Myrcianthes sp / Arrayan / Myrtaceae (Myrtle family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Myrianthes sp., Myrtus luma Mol., Myrtus apiculata, Luma apiculata, Eugenia apiculata, Myrceugenia apiculata Niedenzu, Myrceugenella apiculata Kausel, Arrayan, Arrayán, Kelümamüll (orange-wood), Collimamol, Glanleam Gold, Chilean Myrtle, Palo Colorado, Temu.

Description

Arrayan leaves, from the Peruvian rainforest are traditionally used as a smudging incense during Ayahuasca rituals. The Arrayán has medicinal uses for the Mapuche people. The fruit is eaten as candy or used to make a drink called "Chicha". It is also grown in gardens and as bonsai as a decorative plant for its glossy evergreen foliage, in beautiful contrast to the slender red stems. It has become naturalised in parts of Ireland and western Great Britain.

Scent

The leaves have a lemon fragrance.

Aromatic Properties

Arrayan is mostly used for smudging during ceremonies and rituals.

Historical

Arrayan is an ancient tree. The tree is part of a forest called "Gondwannic" that evolved between 500 and 140 million years ago, when South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica were still part of a single supercontinent called Gondwana. Plate tectonics caused Gondwana to begin splitting apart 140 million years ago, spreading a southern beech (nothofagus) forest ecosystem to regions of southern Chile and Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and southern Africa. They are holy trees to the Araucanian Indians.

Plant Description

Arrayán trees are a strikingly beautiful variety of Myrtle with twisted, Cinnamon-colored trunks that are very smooth and cold to the touch. The trunk peels, revealing shades from reddish-brown to white. When the sun's rays filter through the branches, the effect is magical. Arrayán trees grow very slowly, reaching heights up to 55 feet, and can be up to 300 years old. It is evergreen, with small fragrant oval leaves 2-2.5 cm long and 1.5 cm broad, and profuse white flowers in early to mid summer. Its fruit is an edible black or blue berry, ripe in early autumn.

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Pure essential oil made from Arrayan leaves, from Peru. Limited stock ! View all Arrayan products.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	herb (1) essential oil Peru, excellent quality, limited stock ! [details] [ view ]		1 ml - $ 2.00  5 ml - $ 6.90  10 ml - $ 12.50	x
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Myrcianthes sp / Arrayan / Myrtaceae (Myrtle family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Myrianthes sp., Myrtus luma Mol., Myrtus apiculata, Luma apiculata, Eugenia apiculata, Myrceugenia apiculata Niedenzu, Myrceugenella apiculata Kausel, Arrayan, Arrayán, Kelümamüll (orange-wood), Collimamol, Glanleam Gold, Chilean Myrtle, Palo Colorado, Temu.

Description

Arrayan leaves, from the Peruvian rainforest are traditionally used as a smudging incense during Ayahuasca rituals. The Arrayán has medicinal uses for the Mapuche people. The fruit is eaten as candy or used to make a drink called "Chicha". It is also grown in gardens and as bonsai as a decorative plant for its glossy evergreen foliage, in beautiful contrast to the slender red stems. It has become naturalised in parts of Ireland and western Great Britain.

Scent

The leaves have a lemon fragrance.

Aromatic Properties

Arrayan is mostly used for smudging during ceremonies and rituals.

Historical

Arrayan is an ancient tree. The tree is part of a forest called "Gondwannic" that evolved between 500 and 140 million years ago, when South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica were still part of a single supercontinent called Gondwana. Plate tectonics caused Gondwana to begin splitting apart 140 million years ago, spreading a southern beech (nothofagus) forest ecosystem to regions of southern Chile and Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and southern Africa. They are holy trees to the Araucanian Indians.

Plant Description

Arrayán trees are a strikingly beautiful variety of Myrtle with twisted, Cinnamon-colored trunks that are very smooth and cold to the touch. The trunk peels, revealing shades from reddish-brown to white. When the sun's rays filter through the branches, the effect is magical. Arrayán trees grow very slowly, reaching heights up to 55 feet, and can be up to 300 years old. It is evergreen, with small fragrant oval leaves 2-2.5 cm long and 1.5 cm broad, and profuse white flowers in early to mid summer. Its fruit is an edible black or blue berry, ripe in early autumn.

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Fragrant whole leaves of Arrayan, from Peru. View all Arrayan products.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	leaves (1) whole Peru, excellent quality, limited stock ! [details] [ view ]		25 g - $ 2.70  50 g - $ 4.60  100 g - $ 8.30  250 g - $ 18.50  500 g - $ 34.50	x
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Withania somniferum / Ashwagandha / Solanaceae (Nightshade family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Ashwagandha, Indian ginseng, Winter cherry, Ajagandha, Kanaje Hindi and Samm Al Ferakh

Description

Ashwagandha has a long history of use in India where it grows in altitudes up to 5500 feet, and where there are rainy seasons divided by dry ones. It has been used both in Folk medicine and in Ayurveda, the system of traditional medicine native to India.(1)(4) In Ayurveda it is considered a "Rayasana" herb which is said to improve overall health and increase longevity and vitality.
It's most commonly used name "Ashwagandha" means "horse's smell" in Sanskrit and refers to the smell of the herb however in Ayurvedi texts it is also said to give the strength and sexual vigor of a horse to a man. (11) Some refer to Ashwagandha as "Indian ginseng" since its use in Ayurvedic medicine resembles how Panax ginseng is used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Contents

Ashwagandha contains several alkaloids and steroidal lactones. The most common alkaloids are withanine, anaferin, anahygrine, cuscohygrine, pseudotropine, somniferinine, somniferiene, tropanol, pseudo-tropine, 3-a-gloyloxytropane and choline. Ashwagandha also contains steroidal lactones including withaferin A and withanolides (A-Y). Much of Ashwagandha's pharmacological properties has been attributed to two withaloides, withaferin A and withanolide D. (1)(6)

Historical

Withania somnifera is a herb that has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda and folk medicine in India. "It is most commonly used to treat inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis, fever, tumors, and a wide range of infectious diseases." (4) It is also used as an "aphrodisiac, anti-inflammatory, liver-tonic".(6) "It has been used in rheumatism, consumption and debility".(11) The specific name "somnifera" refers to its sedative qualities and literally means "sleep inducer".

Recent studies have shown that Ashwagandha contains compounds known as withanolides that are steroidal in molecular construction and are similar to compounds found in Panax ginseng. It is for this reason that Ashwagandha has earned the nickname "Indian Ginseng" by some. Not surprisingly, Ashwagandha also shares many qualities with Panax ginseng and has been shown to "increase energy levels, improve overall health, improve the body's resistance to stress and stimulate the immune system".(5)(6)(7) It has also been shown to "help support good cognitive performance and memory while also calming the mind".(6)(7)(8)

Its rejuvenating properties are now being confirmed by scientific studies. According to a double-blind clinical trial on males between 50-59 years old "A significant improvement in hemoglobin, red blood cell count, hair melanin, and seated stature was observed" and "71.4 percent reported improvement in sexual performance".(6)

Several other studies have indicated that Ashwagandha may also have important anti-carcinogenic properties. One such study found that "A significant increase in the life span and a decrease in the cancer cell number and tumour weight were noted in the tumour-induced mice after treatment with REMS (Ashwangandha extract)".(10)

Plant Description

Withania somnifera is an evergreen, erect, woody shrub that reaches up to 170 cm in height. Its leaves are simple, petiolate, ovate and glabrous and the whole body of the plant is covered in star shaped hairs. (11) It grows in the subtropical parts of India and also in parts of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Spain, Afghanistan and many parts of Africa. Its fruit which are berry like and bright red are usually harvested in the Fall and its flowers are greenish or bright yellow in color. (1)(3)

Legal Remarks

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References

(1) Withania somnifera, Wikipedia
(2) Herbal Medicine and Botanical Medical Fads, Frank W. Hoffmann, Martin Manning
(3) The 5-minute Herb and Dietary Supplement Consult, Adriane Fugh-Berman
(4) The New Anti-aging Revolution, Ronald Klatz, Robert Klatz, Robert Goldman
(5) Document: NL E116-0-REF
(6) Document: Withania somnifera, Alternative Medicine Review
(7) The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, first edition part I, Government of India, Ministry Of Health And Family Welfare, Department of Indian Systems of Medicine & Homoeopathy
(8) Document: NL-E76-0-REF Ashwagandha
(9) Withanolides potentiate apoptosis, inhibit invasion, and abolish osteoclastogenesis through suppression of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation and NF-kappaB-regulated gene expression, Ichikawa H, Takada Y, Shishodia S, Jayaprakasam B, Nair MG, Aggarwal BB.
(10) Anticarcinogenic activity of Withania somnifera Dunal against Dalton’s Ascitic Lymphoma, A. J. M. Christina, D. Gladwin Joseph, M. Packialakshmi, R. Kothai, S. Jerry Heison Robert, N. Chidambaranathan and M. Ramasamy
(11) Rayasana, Harbans Singh Puri

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Certified powdered (40 mesh) extract of Ashwagandha from India, produced in the USA. Contains 8.25% withanolide glycosyde conjugates, 32% oligosaccharides, 2% free withanolides (Withaferin A). Extract ratio 7:1. Free of pesticides, not irradiated. New stock !

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	root (1) dry extract PE 8% India, excellent quality, limited stock ! [details] [ view ]		5 g - $ 3.20  10 g - $ 5.80  25 g - $ 13.25  50 g - $ 23.50  100 g - $ 44.50	x
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Banisteriopsis caapi / Ayahuasca / Malpighiaceae (Malpighia family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Ayahuasca, Caapi, Yage, Yaje, Natem, Datem, Pinde, Dapa, Vine of the Soul, Vine of the Dead, Spirit of the Dead, Spirit Vine.

Description

The Ayahuasca brew is considered by the Amazon's tribes as one of the masters "teacher plants". It has been used by shamans of the Peruvian Andes and Amazon jungle for centuries as an essential part of their traditional medicine, their cultural identity, and as a way of expanding consciousness. In Quechua, the term "Aya" means "Spirit" or "Soul", while "Huasca" means "rope" (the soul's rope). Banisteriopsis caapi is a vine, connecting the earth with the heavens. The plant and the usage has first been described by the botanist Richard Spruce who came across it in the Amazon in 1851 and 1853. The working-mechanisms of Ayahuasca, however, have been unclear until the 1980's.

Contents

Telepathine was originally thought to be the active chemical constituent of Banisteriopsis caapi. This isolated chemical was so named because of the reported effects of Ayahuasca among the indigenous users, including: collective contact with and/or visions of jaguars, snakes, and jeweled birds, and ancestral spirits; the ability to see future events; and as the name suggests, telepathic communication among tribal members. It was assumed to be a newly discovered chemical at the time, however, it was soon realized that Telepathine was already more widely known as "harmine" from its previous discovery in Peganum harmala (Syrian Rue).

Constituents:
Harmine: 7-methoxy,1-methyl-bC, Harmaline: 3,4-dihydroharmine, Harmine-N-oxide, Harmine acid: methylester: Methyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline-1-carboxylate, Harmilinic acid: 7-methoxy-3,4-dihydro-b-carboline1-carboxylic acid
Harmanamide: 1-carbamoyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline, Acethylnorharnine: 1-acethyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline, Keto-tetrahydronorharmine: 7-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-oxo-b-carboline.
Principal active biochemicals: the beta-carbolines harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine are present in the bark, stems, and trunk of B. caapi (B. inebrians), and other species of Banisteriopsis. Tetrahydroharmine occurs in greater concentration in B. caapi than in other plants bearing harmala alkaloids such as Peganum harmala (Syrian rue). This may account for the more profound and lasting effects produced by genuine Ayahuasca compared to "analogue" preparations.

Additional Remarks

When the Ayahuasca is used for healing purposes, the shaman is the person to take the drink, not the patient. Sometimes the patient has already tried conventional medicine. If that fails, they will turn to the shaman for treatment believing that the source of the illness may be magical. During this treatment the shaman will imbibe in the drink and translate the visions he sees while under the influence. He interprets these visions so he can discern what caused the illness and fight it symbolically. The shaman will sing to the patient about the fight and in the process is freeing him from the evil (Rivier and Lindgren 1972). This is not the only way the drinks are used medicinally. In some cultures, the shaman and the patient will ingest the drink (Bennett 1992).
Shamans, as the tribes medicinemen are sometimes called, take the Ayahuasca, Natem, or Pinde, which ever name their tribe uses, for religious and spiritual reasons and healing purposes. The shamans "drink hallucinogenic beverages to communicate with the spirit world, diagnose illnesses, determine guilt, and see the future" (Bennett 1992).

Historical

The use of Ayahuasca for visionary experiences appears to be primeval, to judge from the richness of associated mythology. Pre-Columbian rock drawings are similar to contemporary Ayahuasqueros paintings, which are said to represent Yage visions. (See page 127 of "Plants of the Gods" by Richard Evans Schultes and Albert Hofmann for a fine example of such a drawing on granite). However, the earliest known record of the practices associated with this botanical wasn't set down until the middle of the nineteenth century.
The author was Richard Spruce, a one time British schoolteacher, who was among the early explorers to make the perilous journey into the Amazon. Spruce almost died of dysentery and malaria but survived to become one of botany's greatest collectors. In 1851, while exploring the upper Rio Negro of the Brazilian Amazon, he observed the use of Yage. He came upon it twice in Peru in 1853. In his "Notes of a Botanist on the Amazon and Andes", he described its sources, its preparation and its effects upon himself. Unfortunately, Spruce's experience was characterized mainly by his getting sick.

Spruce's Notes didn't appear in print until 1908. Alfred Russel Wallace, who simultaneously with Darwin conceived the theory of evolution, edited them. Spruce suspected that additives were responsible for the psychoactivity of this beverage, although he noted that Banisteriopsis by itself was considered mentally active. The samples he sent to England for chemical analysis weren't located and assayed until more than a century later. They were still psychoactive when examined in 1966.

The first widely read description of Yage practices was published in 1858 by Manuel Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian geographer. The experience made him feel he was "flying" to most marvelous places. Describing how natives responded, he reported that natives using this drink were able to foresee and answer accurately in difficult cases, be it to reply opportunely to ambassadors from other tribes in a question of war; to decipher plans of the enemy through the medium of this magic drink and take proper steps for attack and defense; to ascertain, when a relative is sick, what sorcerer has put on the hex to carry out a friendly visit to other tribes to welcome foreign travelers or, at least to make sure of the love of their womenfolk.

Several early explorers of northwestern South America -Martius, Crevaux, Orton, Koch-Grunberg and others- also referred to Ayahuasca, Yage and Caapi. They all cited a forest liana but offered little detail. In the early twentieth century, it was learned that the use of Banisteriopsis vines for healing, initiatory and shamanic rites extended from Peru to Bolivia.

In 1923, a film of Indian Yage ceremonies was shown at the annual meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association. Other noteworthy publications drawing attention to the effects of this drink came from Rusby and White, who observed Yage practices in Bolivia in 1922, from the Russians Varnoff and Jezepezuk, who did Colombian fieldwork in 1925-1926, and from Morton, who in 1931 published "Klug's southern Colombian notes about Banisteriopsis inebrians".

Untill the middle of the eighteenth century, the use of Ayahuasca was only known by the indigenous populations on the south-American continent. But around that time, the knowledge of Ayahuasca and it's use spread. Probably rubber-tappers, increasingly penetrated the dense jungle, learned about Ayahuasca. The use of Ayahuasca as an important folkmedicine appeared also in urbanised areas of the Amazon. This use has extensively been studied by Dobkin de Rios.

One of the persons who travelled the Amazon and came across Ayahuasca was Raimundo Irineu Serra. In an Ayahuasca vision, Irineu claims he was visited by a woman whom he called both "Our Lady of Conception" and the "Forest Queen". She told him to found a spiritual doctrine in which the drinking of Ayahuasca would be central to the ritualistic worship. The Forest Queen also gave the drink a new name, "Daime". The name in Portuguese means "give me," which has been interpreted to mean both a gift and a prayer to "give me love, give me light, and give me strength." His experience appeared to be a religious revelation, and he decided to found a new religion in Rio Branco in 1930: the "Santo Daime". Along with the ritual use of Ayahuasca, the doctrine of the Santo Daime includes worship of nature, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and other icons of the Christian faith. This combination of Christianity and nature religions is common in South America, and creates a unifying belief system where all can find comfort and healing.

More churches came into existence that combine a shamanic use of Ayahuasca with the Christian faith. Today, the "Uniao do Vegetal" is the largest church. Both the Santo Daime and the Uniao do Vegetal, using Ayahuasca as a sacrament, are official churches under the Brazilian law and can be found in most Brazilian cities. Especially the Santo Daime spread around the world.

Ayahuasca might be the last traditional hallucinogenic drug increasingly becomming popular in the west. Ayahuasca is a complex brew of which Banisteriopsis is only the most important ingredient. In the past decennia, more and more research has been done, and our understanding of this complex tea slowly becomes bigger.

Plant Description

Banisteriopsis caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) Morton. Malpighiaceae, Pyramidotorea, Tribus Banisteriae. One hundred species of plants in tropical America. Three of these are known for their hallucinogenic effects in Ayahuasca. These three plants are B. inebriens, B. caapi (Schultes 1970) and B. quitensis (Schultes 1995). The best known of these three species and the main component of Ayahuasca is Banisteriopsis caapi. The geographical origin is not known because the plant is cultivated throughout the entire Amazonion region. The plant grows in Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Equador etc.
It is a shrub or extensive liana in tropical forests. Bark usually chocolate-brown, smooth. Leaves opposite, oval-shaped, green, marginally entire, 8-18 cm long, 3.5-8 cm wide, upper surface glaborous. Inflorescence axillary or terminal cymose panicles. Flowers 12-14 mm in diameter 2.5-3 mm long, 1.5 mm wide. Petals pink, 5-7 mm long, 4-5 mm wide. This liana is mainly propagated vegetatively because it rarely blossoms and sets seed. The fan-like shaped seeds are green when fresh, but turn brown with age.

Legal Remarks

Ayahuasca is not controlled by international conventions.
In the criminal procedure against the Santo Daime churches in the Netherlands, the District Attorney delivered an official letter from Mr. Herbert Schaepe, Secretary of the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board. The letter answered some questions from the Dutch Ministry of Public Health about the use of a preparation called "Ayahuasca" by religious groups in the Netherlands.
The letter says: "The above-mentioned issue was consulted by the INCB Secretariat with the Scientific Section and the Legal Advisory Section of the United National International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). It is our understanding that "Ayahuasca" is the common name for a liquid decoction prepared from plants indigenous to the Amazon basin of South America, essentially the stem bank of different species of a jungle vine (Banisteriopsis sp.) and the tryptamine-rich plant Psychotria viridis. According to the scientific literature, Ayahuasca commonly contains a number of psychoactive alkaloids, including N,N dimethyltryptamine which is a substance included in Schedule I of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.
The letter concludes with the statement: No plants (natural materials) containing N,N dimethyltryptamine are at present controlled under the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Consequently, preparations (e.g. decoctions) made of these plants, including Ayahuasca are not under international control and, therefore, not subject to any of the articles of the 1971 Convention.

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Reunion
• Lithuania
• Ukraine
• France

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances
Ayahuasca Dreams
Ayahuasca Homepage
Ayahuasca to Pharmahuasca to Anahuasca - Jonathan Ott
Banisteriopsis caapi - Vine of the Soul - taken from “Plants of the gods, their sacred, healing and hallucinogenic powers”
Harmaline
Harmine
MAO Inhibiters - Foods to Avoid
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor
Pharmahuasca, Anahuasca and Vinho da Jurema - Jonathan Ott
Santo Daime - Wikipedia
Telepathine
Tetrahydroharmine
Uniao do Vegetal
Uniao do Vegetal - Wikipedia

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Chiricaspi (Brunfelsia chiricaspi)
Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens)
Piri Piri (Cyperus articulatus)
Chaliponga (Diplopterys cabrerana)
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa)
Kajuyali Tsamani (Kajuyali Tsamani)
Jurema (Mimosa hostilis)
Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens)
Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala)
Ph indicators (Ph indicators)
Chacruna (Psychotria viridis)
Sahumerios Incense (Sahumerios Incense)
Virola (Virola peruviana)

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Liquid Ayahuasca 5:1 extract, made from *Black* Ayahuasca vines from Peru, locally called *Ayahuasca Negro*. Wildharvested. 50 kilos dried vine was used to produce 10 liters of this brew. 20 ml brew contains 100 gram vine. Brewed by a friend in the jungle near Iquitos, Peru according to our own recipe. Highly reccommended. We have a limited and infrequent supply of this brew. 10% pure 98% alcohol was added to the brew to prevent fermentation. View all Ayahuasca products.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	*Black* vine (18) liquid extract 5:1 Iquitos, Peru, excellent quality, limited stock ! [details] [ view ]		20 ml - $ 16.50  50 ml - $ 36.00	x
	Back to Top		* You are viewing prices in US Dollars ($).

Banisteriopsis caapi / Ayahuasca / Malpighiaceae (Malpighia family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Ayahuasca, Caapi, Yage, Yaje, Natem, Datem, Pinde, Dapa, Vine of the Soul, Vine of the Dead, Spirit of the Dead, Spirit Vine.

Description

The Ayahuasca brew is considered by the Amazon's tribes as one of the masters "teacher plants". It has been used by shamans of the Peruvian Andes and Amazon jungle for centuries as an essential part of their traditional medicine, their cultural identity, and as a way of expanding consciousness. In Quechua, the term "Aya" means "Spirit" or "Soul", while "Huasca" means "rope" (the soul's rope). Banisteriopsis caapi is a vine, connecting the earth with the heavens. The plant and the usage has first been described by the botanist Richard Spruce who came across it in the Amazon in 1851 and 1853. The working-mechanisms of Ayahuasca, however, have been unclear until the 1980's.

Contents

Telepathine was originally thought to be the active chemical constituent of Banisteriopsis caapi. This isolated chemical was so named because of the reported effects of Ayahuasca among the indigenous users, including: collective contact with and/or visions of jaguars, snakes, and jeweled birds, and ancestral spirits; the ability to see future events; and as the name suggests, telepathic communication among tribal members. It was assumed to be a newly discovered chemical at the time, however, it was soon realized that Telepathine was already more widely known as "harmine" from its previous discovery in Peganum harmala (Syrian Rue).

Constituents:
Harmine: 7-methoxy,1-methyl-bC, Harmaline: 3,4-dihydroharmine, Harmine-N-oxide, Harmine acid: methylester: Methyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline-1-carboxylate, Harmilinic acid: 7-methoxy-3,4-dihydro-b-carboline1-carboxylic acid
Harmanamide: 1-carbamoyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline, Acethylnorharnine: 1-acethyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline, Keto-tetrahydronorharmine: 7-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-oxo-b-carboline.
Principal active biochemicals: the beta-carbolines harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine are present in the bark, stems, and trunk of B. caapi (B. inebrians), and other species of Banisteriopsis. Tetrahydroharmine occurs in greater concentration in B. caapi than in other plants bearing harmala alkaloids such as Peganum harmala (Syrian rue). This may account for the more profound and lasting effects produced by genuine Ayahuasca compared to "analogue" preparations.

Additional Remarks

When the Ayahuasca is used for healing purposes, the shaman is the person to take the drink, not the patient. Sometimes the patient has already tried conventional medicine. If that fails, they will turn to the shaman for treatment believing that the source of the illness may be magical. During this treatment the shaman will imbibe in the drink and translate the visions he sees while under the influence. He interprets these visions so he can discern what caused the illness and fight it symbolically. The shaman will sing to the patient about the fight and in the process is freeing him from the evil (Rivier and Lindgren 1972). This is not the only way the drinks are used medicinally. In some cultures, the shaman and the patient will ingest the drink (Bennett 1992).
Shamans, as the tribes medicinemen are sometimes called, take the Ayahuasca, Natem, or Pinde, which ever name their tribe uses, for religious and spiritual reasons and healing purposes. The shamans "drink hallucinogenic beverages to communicate with the spirit world, diagnose illnesses, determine guilt, and see the future" (Bennett 1992).

Historical

The use of Ayahuasca for visionary experiences appears to be primeval, to judge from the richness of associated mythology. Pre-Columbian rock drawings are similar to contemporary Ayahuasqueros paintings, which are said to represent Yage visions. (See page 127 of "Plants of the Gods" by Richard Evans Schultes and Albert Hofmann for a fine example of such a drawing on granite). However, the earliest known record of the practices associated with this botanical wasn't set down until the middle of the nineteenth century.
The author was Richard Spruce, a one time British schoolteacher, who was among the early explorers to make the perilous journey into the Amazon. Spruce almost died of dysentery and malaria but survived to become one of botany's greatest collectors. In 1851, while exploring the upper Rio Negro of the Brazilian Amazon, he observed the use of Yage. He came upon it twice in Peru in 1853. In his "Notes of a Botanist on the Amazon and Andes", he described its sources, its preparation and its effects upon himself. Unfortunately, Spruce's experience was characterized mainly by his getting sick.

Spruce's Notes didn't appear in print until 1908. Alfred Russel Wallace, who simultaneously with Darwin conceived the theory of evolution, edited them. Spruce suspected that additives were responsible for the psychoactivity of this beverage, although he noted that Banisteriopsis by itself was considered mentally active. The samples he sent to England for chemical analysis weren't located and assayed until more than a century later. They were still psychoactive when examined in 1966.

The first widely read description of Yage practices was published in 1858 by Manuel Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian geographer. The experience made him feel he was "flying" to most marvelous places. Describing how natives responded, he reported that natives using this drink were able to foresee and answer accurately in difficult cases, be it to reply opportunely to ambassadors from other tribes in a question of war; to decipher plans of the enemy through the medium of this magic drink and take proper steps for attack and defense; to ascertain, when a relative is sick, what sorcerer has put on the hex to carry out a friendly visit to other tribes to welcome foreign travelers or, at least to make sure of the love of their womenfolk.

Several early explorers of northwestern South America -Martius, Crevaux, Orton, Koch-Grunberg and others- also referred to Ayahuasca, Yage and Caapi. They all cited a forest liana but offered little detail. In the early twentieth century, it was learned that the use of Banisteriopsis vines for healing, initiatory and shamanic rites extended from Peru to Bolivia.

In 1923, a film of Indian Yage ceremonies was shown at the annual meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association. Other noteworthy publications drawing attention to the effects of this drink came from Rusby and White, who observed Yage practices in Bolivia in 1922, from the Russians Varnoff and Jezepezuk, who did Colombian fieldwork in 1925-1926, and from Morton, who in 1931 published "Klug's southern Colombian notes about Banisteriopsis inebrians".

Untill the middle of the eighteenth century, the use of Ayahuasca was only known by the indigenous populations on the south-American continent. But around that time, the knowledge of Ayahuasca and it's use spread. Probably rubber-tappers, increasingly penetrated the dense jungle, learned about Ayahuasca. The use of Ayahuasca as an important folkmedicine appeared also in urbanised areas of the Amazon. This use has extensively been studied by Dobkin de Rios.

One of the persons who travelled the Amazon and came across Ayahuasca was Raimundo Irineu Serra. In an Ayahuasca vision, Irineu claims he was visited by a woman whom he called both "Our Lady of Conception" and the "Forest Queen". She told him to found a spiritual doctrine in which the drinking of Ayahuasca would be central to the ritualistic worship. The Forest Queen also gave the drink a new name, "Daime". The name in Portuguese means "give me," which has been interpreted to mean both a gift and a prayer to "give me love, give me light, and give me strength." His experience appeared to be a religious revelation, and he decided to found a new religion in Rio Branco in 1930: the "Santo Daime". Along with the ritual use of Ayahuasca, the doctrine of the Santo Daime includes worship of nature, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and other icons of the Christian faith. This combination of Christianity and nature religions is common in South America, and creates a unifying belief system where all can find comfort and healing.

More churches came into existence that combine a shamanic use of Ayahuasca with the Christian faith. Today, the "Uniao do Vegetal" is the largest church. Both the Santo Daime and the Uniao do Vegetal, using Ayahuasca as a sacrament, are official churches under the Brazilian law and can be found in most Brazilian cities. Especially the Santo Daime spread around the world.

Ayahuasca might be the last traditional hallucinogenic drug increasingly becomming popular in the west. Ayahuasca is a complex brew of which Banisteriopsis is only the most important ingredient. In the past decennia, more and more research has been done, and our understanding of this complex tea slowly becomes bigger.

Plant Description

Banisteriopsis caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) Morton. Malpighiaceae, Pyramidotorea, Tribus Banisteriae. One hundred species of plants in tropical America. Three of these are known for their hallucinogenic effects in Ayahuasca. These three plants are B. inebriens, B. caapi (Schultes 1970) and B. quitensis (Schultes 1995). The best known of these three species and the main component of Ayahuasca is Banisteriopsis caapi. The geographical origin is not known because the plant is cultivated throughout the entire Amazonion region. The plant grows in Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Equador etc.
It is a shrub or extensive liana in tropical forests. Bark usually chocolate-brown, smooth. Leaves opposite, oval-shaped, green, marginally entire, 8-18 cm long, 3.5-8 cm wide, upper surface glaborous. Inflorescence axillary or terminal cymose panicles. Flowers 12-14 mm in diameter 2.5-3 mm long, 1.5 mm wide. Petals pink, 5-7 mm long, 4-5 mm wide. This liana is mainly propagated vegetatively because it rarely blossoms and sets seed. The fan-like shaped seeds are green when fresh, but turn brown with age.

Legal Remarks

Ayahuasca is not controlled by international conventions.
In the criminal procedure against the Santo Daime churches in the Netherlands, the District Attorney delivered an official letter from Mr. Herbert Schaepe, Secretary of the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board. The letter answered some questions from the Dutch Ministry of Public Health about the use of a preparation called "Ayahuasca" by religious groups in the Netherlands.
The letter says: "The above-mentioned issue was consulted by the INCB Secretariat with the Scientific Section and the Legal Advisory Section of the United National International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). It is our understanding that "Ayahuasca" is the common name for a liquid decoction prepared from plants indigenous to the Amazon basin of South America, essentially the stem bank of different species of a jungle vine (Banisteriopsis sp.) and the tryptamine-rich plant Psychotria viridis. According to the scientific literature, Ayahuasca commonly contains a number of psychoactive alkaloids, including N,N dimethyltryptamine which is a substance included in Schedule I of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.
The letter concludes with the statement: No plants (natural materials) containing N,N dimethyltryptamine are at present controlled under the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Consequently, preparations (e.g. decoctions) made of these plants, including Ayahuasca are not under international control and, therefore, not subject to any of the articles of the 1971 Convention.

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Reunion
• Lithuania
• Ukraine
• France

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances
Ayahuasca Dreams
Ayahuasca Homepage
Ayahuasca to Pharmahuasca to Anahuasca - Jonathan Ott
Banisteriopsis caapi - Vine of the Soul - taken from “Plants of the gods, their sacred, healing and hallucinogenic powers”
Harmaline
Harmine
MAO Inhibiters - Foods to Avoid
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor
Pharmahuasca, Anahuasca and Vinho da Jurema - Jonathan Ott
Santo Daime - Wikipedia
Telepathine
Tetrahydroharmine
Uniao do Vegetal
Uniao do Vegetal - Wikipedia

Related Products

Yopo (Anadenanthera colubrina)
Chiricaspi (Brunfelsia chiricaspi)
Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens)
Piri Piri (Cyperus articulatus)
Chaliponga (Diplopterys cabrerana)
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa)
Kajuyali Tsamani (Kajuyali Tsamani)
Jurema (Mimosa hostilis)
Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens)
Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala)
Ph indicators (Ph indicators)
Chacruna (Psychotria viridis)
Sahumerios Incense (Sahumerios Incense)
Virola (Virola peruviana)

Back

Liquid Ayahuasca 5:1 extract, made from *Cielo* vines from Peru. 50 kilos fresh vine was used to produce 10 liters of this brew. 20 ml brew contains 100 gram vine. Brewed by a friend in the jungle near Iquitos, Peru, according to our own recipe. 10% pure (98%) alcohol was added to the brew to prevent fermentation. Highly reccommended. We have a limited and infrequent supply of this brew. (This liquid extract does NOT contain admixture. It is pure caapi) View all Ayahuasca products.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	*Cielo* vine (1) liquid extract 5:1 Iquitos, Peru, excellent quality, limited stock ! [details] [ view ]		20 ml - $ 16.50  50 ml - $ 36.00  100 ml - $ 66.00	x
	Back to Top		* You are viewing prices in US Dollars ($).

Banisteriopsis caapi / Ayahuasca / Malpighiaceae (Malpighia family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Ayahuasca, Caapi, Yage, Yaje, Natem, Datem, Pinde, Dapa, Vine of the Soul, Vine of the Dead, Spirit of the Dead, Spirit Vine.

Description

The Ayahuasca brew is considered by the Amazon's tribes as one of the masters "teacher plants". It has been used by shamans of the Peruvian Andes and Amazon jungle for centuries as an essential part of their traditional medicine, their cultural identity, and as a way of expanding consciousness. In Quechua, the term "Aya" means "Spirit" or "Soul", while "Huasca" means "rope" (the soul's rope). Banisteriopsis caapi is a vine, connecting the earth with the heavens. The plant and the usage has first been described by the botanist Richard Spruce who came across it in the Amazon in 1851 and 1853. The working-mechanisms of Ayahuasca, however, have been unclear until the 1980's.

Contents

Telepathine was originally thought to be the active chemical constituent of Banisteriopsis caapi. This isolated chemical was so named because of the reported effects of Ayahuasca among the indigenous users, including: collective contact with and/or visions of jaguars, snakes, and jeweled birds, and ancestral spirits; the ability to see future events; and as the name suggests, telepathic communication among tribal members. It was assumed to be a newly discovered chemical at the time, however, it was soon realized that Telepathine was already more widely known as "harmine" from its previous discovery in Peganum harmala (Syrian Rue).

Constituents:
Harmine: 7-methoxy,1-methyl-bC, Harmaline: 3,4-dihydroharmine, Harmine-N-oxide, Harmine acid: methylester: Methyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline-1-carboxylate, Harmilinic acid: 7-methoxy-3,4-dihydro-b-carboline1-carboxylic acid
Harmanamide: 1-carbamoyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline, Acethylnorharnine: 1-acethyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline, Keto-tetrahydronorharmine: 7-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-oxo-b-carboline.
Principal active biochemicals: the beta-carbolines harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine are present in the bark, stems, and trunk of B. caapi (B. inebrians), and other species of Banisteriopsis. Tetrahydroharmine occurs in greater concentration in B. caapi than in other plants bearing harmala alkaloids such as Peganum harmala (Syrian rue). This may account for the more profound and lasting effects produced by genuine Ayahuasca compared to "analogue" preparations.

Additional Remarks

When the Ayahuasca is used for healing purposes, the shaman is the person to take the drink, not the patient. Sometimes the patient has already tried conventional medicine. If that fails, they will turn to the shaman for treatment believing that the source of the illness may be magical. During this treatment the shaman will imbibe in the drink and translate the visions he sees while under the influence. He interprets these visions so he can discern what caused the illness and fight it symbolically. The shaman will sing to the patient about the fight and in the process is freeing him from the evil (Rivier and Lindgren 1972). This is not the only way the drinks are used medicinally. In some cultures, the shaman and the patient will ingest the drink (Bennett 1992).
Shamans, as the tribes medicinemen are sometimes called, take the Ayahuasca, Natem, or Pinde, which ever name their tribe uses, for religious and spiritual reasons and healing purposes. The shamans "drink hallucinogenic beverages to communicate with the spirit world, diagnose illnesses, determine guilt, and see the future" (Bennett 1992).

Historical

The use of Ayahuasca for visionary experiences appears to be primeval, to judge from the richness of associated mythology. Pre-Columbian rock drawings are similar to contemporary Ayahuasqueros paintings, which are said to represent Yage visions. (See page 127 of "Plants of the Gods" by Richard Evans Schultes and Albert Hofmann for a fine example of such a drawing on granite). However, the earliest known record of the practices associated with this botanical wasn't set down until the middle of the nineteenth century.
The author was Richard Spruce, a one time British schoolteacher, who was among the early explorers to make the perilous journey into the Amazon. Spruce almost died of dysentery and malaria but survived to become one of botany's greatest collectors. In 1851, while exploring the upper Rio Negro of the Brazilian Amazon, he observed the use of Yage. He came upon it twice in Peru in 1853. In his "Notes of a Botanist on the Amazon and Andes", he described its sources, its preparation and its effects upon himself. Unfortunately, Spruce's experience was characterized mainly by his getting sick.

Spruce's Notes didn't appear in print until 1908. Alfred Russel Wallace, who simultaneously with Darwin conceived the theory of evolution, edited them. Spruce suspected that additives were responsible for the psychoactivity of this beverage, although he noted that Banisteriopsis by itself was considered mentally active. The samples he sent to England for chemical analysis weren't located and assayed until more than a century later. They were still psychoactive when examined in 1966.

The first widely read description of Yage practices was published in 1858 by Manuel Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian geographer. The experience made him feel he was "flying" to most marvelous places. Describing how natives responded, he reported that natives using this drink were able to foresee and answer accurately in difficult cases, be it to reply opportunely to ambassadors from other tribes in a question of war; to decipher plans of the enemy through the medium of this magic drink and take proper steps for attack and defense; to ascertain, when a relative is sick, what sorcerer has put on the hex to carry out a friendly visit to other tribes to welcome foreign travelers or, at least to make sure of the love of their womenfolk.

Several early explorers of northwestern South America -Martius, Crevaux, Orton, Koch-Grunberg and others- also referred to Ayahuasca, Yage and Caapi. They all cited a forest liana but offered little detail. In the early twentieth century, it was learned that the use of Banisteriopsis vines for healing, initiatory and shamanic rites extended from Peru to Bolivia.

In 1923, a film of Indian Yage ceremonies was shown at the annual meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association. Other noteworthy publications drawing attention to the effects of this drink came from Rusby and White, who observed Yage practices in Bolivia in 1922, from the Russians Varnoff and Jezepezuk, who did Colombian fieldwork in 1925-1926, and from Morton, who in 1931 published "Klug's southern Colombian notes about Banisteriopsis inebrians".

Untill the middle of the eighteenth century, the use of Ayahuasca was only known by the indigenous populations on the south-American continent. But around that time, the knowledge of Ayahuasca and it's use spread. Probably rubber-tappers, increasingly penetrated the dense jungle, learned about Ayahuasca. The use of Ayahuasca as an important folkmedicine appeared also in urbanised areas of the Amazon. This use has extensively been studied by Dobkin de Rios.

One of the persons who travelled the Amazon and came across Ayahuasca was Raimundo Irineu Serra. In an Ayahuasca vision, Irineu claims he was visited by a woman whom he called both "Our Lady of Conception" and the "Forest Queen". She told him to found a spiritual doctrine in which the drinking of Ayahuasca would be central to the ritualistic worship. The Forest Queen also gave the drink a new name, "Daime". The name in Portuguese means "give me," which has been interpreted to mean both a gift and a prayer to "give me love, give me light, and give me strength." His experience appeared to be a religious revelation, and he decided to found a new religion in Rio Branco in 1930: the "Santo Daime". Along with the ritual use of Ayahuasca, the doctrine of the Santo Daime includes worship of nature, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and other icons of the Christian faith. This combination of Christianity and nature religions is common in South America, and creates a unifying belief system where all can find comfort and healing.

More churches came into existence that combine a shamanic use of Ayahuasca with the Christian faith. Today, the "Uniao do Vegetal" is the largest church. Both the Santo Daime and the Uniao do Vegetal, using Ayahuasca as a sacrament, are official churches under the Brazilian law and can be found in most Brazilian cities. Especially the Santo Daime spread around the world.

Ayahuasca might be the last traditional hallucinogenic drug increasingly becomming popular in the west. Ayahuasca is a complex brew of which Banisteriopsis is only the most important ingredient. In the past decennia, more and more research has been done, and our understanding of this complex tea slowly becomes bigger.

Plant Description

Banisteriopsis caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) Morton. Malpighiaceae, Pyramidotorea, Tribus Banisteriae. One hundred species of plants in tropical America. Three of these are known for their hallucinogenic effects in Ayahuasca. These three plants are B. inebriens, B. caapi (Schultes 1970) and B. quitensis (Schultes 1995). The best known of these three species and the main component of Ayahuasca is Banisteriopsis caapi. The geographical origin is not known because the plant is cultivated throughout the entire Amazonion region. The plant grows in Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Equador etc.
It is a shrub or extensive liana in tropical forests. Bark usually chocolate-brown, smooth. Leaves opposite, oval-shaped, green, marginally entire, 8-18 cm long, 3.5-8 cm wide, upper surface glaborous. Inflorescence axillary or terminal cymose panicles. Flowers 12-14 mm in diameter 2.5-3 mm long, 1.5 mm wide. Petals pink, 5-7 mm long, 4-5 mm wide. This liana is mainly propagated vegetatively because it rarely blossoms and sets seed. The fan-like shaped seeds are green when fresh, but turn brown with age.

Legal Remarks

Ayahuasca is not controlled by international conventions.
In the criminal procedure against the Santo Daime churches in the Netherlands, the District Attorney delivered an official letter from Mr. Herbert Schaepe, Secretary of the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board. The letter answered some questions from the Dutch Ministry of Public Health about the use of a preparation called "Ayahuasca" by religious groups in the Netherlands.
The letter says: "The above-mentioned issue was consulted by the INCB Secretariat with the Scientific Section and the Legal Advisory Section of the United National International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). It is our understanding that "Ayahuasca" is the common name for a liquid decoction prepared from plants indigenous to the Amazon basin of South America, essentially the stem bank of different species of a jungle vine (Banisteriopsis sp.) and the tryptamine-rich plant Psychotria viridis. According to the scientific literature, Ayahuasca commonly contains a number of psychoactive alkaloids, including N,N dimethyltryptamine which is a substance included in Schedule I of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.
The letter concludes with the statement: No plants (natural materials) containing N,N dimethyltryptamine are at present controlled under the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Consequently, preparations (e.g. decoctions) made of these plants, including Ayahuasca are not under international control and, therefore, not subject to any of the articles of the 1971 Convention.

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Reunion
• Lithuania
• Ukraine
• France

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances
Ayahuasca Dreams
Ayahuasca Homepage
Ayahuasca to Pharmahuasca to Anahuasca - Jonathan Ott
Banisteriopsis caapi - Vine of the Soul - taken from “Plants of the gods, their sacred, healing and hallucinogenic powers”
Harmaline
Harmine
MAO Inhibiters - Foods to Avoid
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor
Pharmahuasca, Anahuasca and Vinho da Jurema - Jonathan Ott
Santo Daime - Wikipedia
Telepathine
Tetrahydroharmine
Uniao do Vegetal
Uniao do Vegetal - Wikipedia

Related Products

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Chiricaspi (Brunfelsia chiricaspi)
Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens)
Piri Piri (Cyperus articulatus)
Chaliponga (Diplopterys cabrerana)
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa)
Kajuyali Tsamani (Kajuyali Tsamani)
Jurema (Mimosa hostilis)
Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens)
Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala)
Ph indicators (Ph indicators)
Chacruna (Psychotria viridis)
Sahumerios Incense (Sahumerios Incense)
Virola (Virola peruviana)

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Whole leaves from the *Cielo* Ayahuasca vine, cultivated in Hawaii. Harvested September 2010. View all Ayahuasca products.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	*Hawaii* leaves (2) whole Hawaii, excellent quality, limited stock ! [details] [ view ]		50 g - $ 11.50	x
	Back to Top		* You are viewing prices in US Dollars ($).

Banisteriopsis caapi / Ayahuasca / Malpighiaceae (Malpighia family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Ayahuasca, Caapi, Yage, Yaje, Natem, Datem, Pinde, Dapa, Vine of the Soul, Vine of the Dead, Spirit of the Dead, Spirit Vine.

Description

The Ayahuasca brew is considered by the Amazon's tribes as one of the masters "teacher plants". It has been used by shamans of the Peruvian Andes and Amazon jungle for centuries as an essential part of their traditional medicine, their cultural identity, and as a way of expanding consciousness. In Quechua, the term "Aya" means "Spirit" or "Soul", while "Huasca" means "rope" (the soul's rope). Banisteriopsis caapi is a vine, connecting the earth with the heavens. The plant and the usage has first been described by the botanist Richard Spruce who came across it in the Amazon in 1851 and 1853. The working-mechanisms of Ayahuasca, however, have been unclear until the 1980's.

Contents

Telepathine was originally thought to be the active chemical constituent of Banisteriopsis caapi. This isolated chemical was so named because of the reported effects of Ayahuasca among the indigenous users, including: collective contact with and/or visions of jaguars, snakes, and jeweled birds, and ancestral spirits; the ability to see future events; and as the name suggests, telepathic communication among tribal members. It was assumed to be a newly discovered chemical at the time, however, it was soon realized that Telepathine was already more widely known as "harmine" from its previous discovery in Peganum harmala (Syrian Rue).

Constituents:
Harmine: 7-methoxy,1-methyl-bC, Harmaline: 3,4-dihydroharmine, Harmine-N-oxide, Harmine acid: methylester: Methyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline-1-carboxylate, Harmilinic acid: 7-methoxy-3,4-dihydro-b-carboline1-carboxylic acid
Harmanamide: 1-carbamoyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline, Acethylnorharnine: 1-acethyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline, Keto-tetrahydronorharmine: 7-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-oxo-b-carboline.
Principal active biochemicals: the beta-carbolines harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine are present in the bark, stems, and trunk of B. caapi (B. inebrians), and other species of Banisteriopsis. Tetrahydroharmine occurs in greater concentration in B. caapi than in other plants bearing harmala alkaloids such as Peganum harmala (Syrian rue). This may account for the more profound and lasting effects produced by genuine Ayahuasca compared to "analogue" preparations.

Additional Remarks

When the Ayahuasca is used for healing purposes, the shaman is the person to take the drink, not the patient. Sometimes the patient has already tried conventional medicine. If that fails, they will turn to the shaman for treatment believing that the source of the illness may be magical. During this treatment the shaman will imbibe in the drink and translate the visions he sees while under the influence. He interprets these visions so he can discern what caused the illness and fight it symbolically. The shaman will sing to the patient about the fight and in the process is freeing him from the evil (Rivier and Lindgren 1972). This is not the only way the drinks are used medicinally. In some cultures, the shaman and the patient will ingest the drink (Bennett 1992).
Shamans, as the tribes medicinemen are sometimes called, take the Ayahuasca, Natem, or Pinde, which ever name their tribe uses, for religious and spiritual reasons and healing purposes. The shamans "drink hallucinogenic beverages to communicate with the spirit world, diagnose illnesses, determine guilt, and see the future" (Bennett 1992).

Historical

The use of Ayahuasca for visionary experiences appears to be primeval, to judge from the richness of associated mythology. Pre-Columbian rock drawings are similar to contemporary Ayahuasqueros paintings, which are said to represent Yage visions. (See page 127 of "Plants of the Gods" by Richard Evans Schultes and Albert Hofmann for a fine example of such a drawing on granite). However, the earliest known record of the practices associated with this botanical wasn't set down until the middle of the nineteenth century.
The author was Richard Spruce, a one time British schoolteacher, who was among the early explorers to make the perilous journey into the Amazon. Spruce almost died of dysentery and malaria but survived to become one of botany's greatest collectors. In 1851, while exploring the upper Rio Negro of the Brazilian Amazon, he observed the use of Yage. He came upon it twice in Peru in 1853. In his "Notes of a Botanist on the Amazon and Andes", he described its sources, its preparation and its effects upon himself. Unfortunately, Spruce's experience was characterized mainly by his getting sick.

Spruce's Notes didn't appear in print until 1908. Alfred Russel Wallace, who simultaneously with Darwin conceived the theory of evolution, edited them. Spruce suspected that additives were responsible for the psychoactivity of this beverage, although he noted that Banisteriopsis by itself was considered mentally active. The samples he sent to England for chemical analysis weren't located and assayed until more than a century later. They were still psychoactive when examined in 1966.

The first widely read description of Yage practices was published in 1858 by Manuel Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian geographer. The experience made him feel he was "flying" to most marvelous places. Describing how natives responded, he reported that natives using this drink were able to foresee and answer accurately in difficult cases, be it to reply opportunely to ambassadors from other tribes in a question of war; to decipher plans of the enemy through the medium of this magic drink and take proper steps for attack and defense; to ascertain, when a relative is sick, what sorcerer has put on the hex to carry out a friendly visit to other tribes to welcome foreign travelers or, at least to make sure of the love of their womenfolk.

Several early explorers of northwestern South America -Martius, Crevaux, Orton, Koch-Grunberg and others- also referred to Ayahuasca, Yage and Caapi. They all cited a forest liana but offered little detail. In the early twentieth century, it was learned that the use of Banisteriopsis vines for healing, initiatory and shamanic rites extended from Peru to Bolivia.

In 1923, a film of Indian Yage ceremonies was shown at the annual meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association. Other noteworthy publications drawing attention to the effects of this drink came from Rusby and White, who observed Yage practices in Bolivia in 1922, from the Russians Varnoff and Jezepezuk, who did Colombian fieldwork in 1925-1926, and from Morton, who in 1931 published "Klug's southern Colombian notes about Banisteriopsis inebrians".

Untill the middle of the eighteenth century, the use of Ayahuasca was only known by the indigenous populations on the south-American continent. But around that time, the knowledge of Ayahuasca and it's use spread. Probably rubber-tappers, increasingly penetrated the dense jungle, learned about Ayahuasca. The use of Ayahuasca as an important folkmedicine appeared also in urbanised areas of the Amazon. This use has extensively been studied by Dobkin de Rios.

One of the persons who travelled the Amazon and came across Ayahuasca was Raimundo Irineu Serra. In an Ayahuasca vision, Irineu claims he was visited by a woman whom he called both "Our Lady of Conception" and the "Forest Queen". She told him to found a spiritual doctrine in which the drinking of Ayahuasca would be central to the ritualistic worship. The Forest Queen also gave the drink a new name, "Daime". The name in Portuguese means "give me," which has been interpreted to mean both a gift and a prayer to "give me love, give me light, and give me strength." His experience appeared to be a religious revelation, and he decided to found a new religion in Rio Branco in 1930: the "Santo Daime". Along with the ritual use of Ayahuasca, the doctrine of the Santo Daime includes worship of nature, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and other icons of the Christian faith. This combination of Christianity and nature religions is common in South America, and creates a unifying belief system where all can find comfort and healing.

More churches came into existence that combine a shamanic use of Ayahuasca with the Christian faith. Today, the "Uniao do Vegetal" is the largest church. Both the Santo Daime and the Uniao do Vegetal, using Ayahuasca as a sacrament, are official churches under the Brazilian law and can be found in most Brazilian cities. Especially the Santo Daime spread around the world.

Ayahuasca might be the last traditional hallucinogenic drug increasingly becomming popular in the west. Ayahuasca is a complex brew of which Banisteriopsis is only the most important ingredient. In the past decennia, more and more research has been done, and our understanding of this complex tea slowly becomes bigger.

Plant Description

Banisteriopsis caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) Morton. Malpighiaceae, Pyramidotorea, Tribus Banisteriae. One hundred species of plants in tropical America. Three of these are known for their hallucinogenic effects in Ayahuasca. These three plants are B. inebriens, B. caapi (Schultes 1970) and B. quitensis (Schultes 1995). The best known of these three species and the main component of Ayahuasca is Banisteriopsis caapi. The geographical origin is not known because the plant is cultivated throughout the entire Amazonion region. The plant grows in Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Equador etc.
It is a shrub or extensive liana in tropical forests. Bark usually chocolate-brown, smooth. Leaves opposite, oval-shaped, green, marginally entire, 8-18 cm long, 3.5-8 cm wide, upper surface glaborous. Inflorescence axillary or terminal cymose panicles. Flowers 12-14 mm in diameter 2.5-3 mm long, 1.5 mm wide. Petals pink, 5-7 mm long, 4-5 mm wide. This liana is mainly propagated vegetatively because it rarely blossoms and sets seed. The fan-like shaped seeds are green when fresh, but turn brown with age.

Legal Remarks

Ayahuasca is not controlled by international conventions.
In the criminal procedure against the Santo Daime churches in the Netherlands, the District Attorney delivered an official letter from Mr. Herbert Schaepe, Secretary of the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board. The letter answered some questions from the Dutch Ministry of Public Health about the use of a preparation called "Ayahuasca" by religious groups in the Netherlands.
The letter says: "The above-mentioned issue was consulted by the INCB Secretariat with the Scientific Section and the Legal Advisory Section of the United National International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). It is our understanding that "Ayahuasca" is the common name for a liquid decoction prepared from plants indigenous to the Amazon basin of South America, essentially the stem bank of different species of a jungle vine (Banisteriopsis sp.) and the tryptamine-rich plant Psychotria viridis. According to the scientific literature, Ayahuasca commonly contains a number of psychoactive alkaloids, including N,N dimethyltryptamine which is a substance included in Schedule I of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.
The letter concludes with the statement: No plants (natural materials) containing N,N dimethyltryptamine are at present controlled under the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Consequently, preparations (e.g. decoctions) made of these plants, including Ayahuasca are not under international control and, therefore, not subject to any of the articles of the 1971 Convention.

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Reunion
• Lithuania
• Ukraine
• France

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances
Ayahuasca Dreams
Ayahuasca Homepage
Ayahuasca to Pharmahuasca to Anahuasca - Jonathan Ott
Banisteriopsis caapi - Vine of the Soul - taken from “Plants of the gods, their sacred, healing and hallucinogenic powers”
Harmaline
Harmine
MAO Inhibiters - Foods to Avoid
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor
Pharmahuasca, Anahuasca and Vinho da Jurema - Jonathan Ott
Santo Daime - Wikipedia
Telepathine
Tetrahydroharmine
Uniao do Vegetal
Uniao do Vegetal - Wikipedia

Related Products

Yopo (Anadenanthera colubrina)
Chiricaspi (Brunfelsia chiricaspi)
Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens)
Piri Piri (Cyperus articulatus)
Chaliponga (Diplopterys cabrerana)
Guayusa (Ilex guayusa)
Kajuyali Tsamani (Kajuyali Tsamani)
Jurema (Mimosa hostilis)
Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens)
Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala)
Ph indicators (Ph indicators)
Chacruna (Psychotria viridis)
Sahumerios Incense (Sahumerios Incense)
Virola (Virola peruviana)

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Whole roots from the *Cielo* Ayahuasca vine, cultivated in Hawaii. Harvested December 2010. The vines had to make way for the vegetables, which was the reason to harvest this small quantity of roots. Limited stock ! View all Ayahuasca products.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	*Hawaii* root (2) whole Hawaii, excellent quality, limited stock ! [details] [ view ]		50 g - $ 13.75  100 g - $ 24.75  250 g - $ 56.00	x
	Back to Top		* You are viewing prices in US Dollars ($).

Banisteriopsis caapi / Ayahuasca / Malpighiaceae (Malpighia family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Ayahuasca, Caapi, Yage, Yaje, Natem, Datem, Pinde, Dapa, Vine of the Soul, Vine of the Dead, Spirit of the Dead, Spirit Vine.

Description

The Ayahuasca brew is considered by the Amazon's tribes as one of the masters "teacher plants". It has been used by shamans of the Peruvian Andes and Amazon jungle for centuries as an essential part of their traditional medicine, their cultural identity, and as a way of expanding consciousness. In Quechua, the term "Aya" means "Spirit" or "Soul", while "Huasca" means "rope" (the soul's rope). Banisteriopsis caapi is a vine, connecting the earth with the heavens. The plant and the usage has first been described by the botanist Richard Spruce who came across it in the Amazon in 1851 and 1853. The working-mechanisms of Ayahuasca, however, have been unclear until the 1980's.

Contents

Telepathine was originally thought to be the active chemical constituent of Banisteriopsis caapi. This isolated chemical was so named because of the reported effects of Ayahuasca among the indigenous users, including: collective contact with and/or visions of jaguars, snakes, and jeweled birds, and ancestral spirits; the ability to see future events; and as the name suggests, telepathic communication among tribal members. It was assumed to be a newly discovered chemical at the time, however, it was soon realized that Telepathine was already more widely known as "harmine" from its previous discovery in Peganum harmala (Syrian Rue).

Constituents:
Harmine: 7-methoxy,1-methyl-bC, Harmaline: 3,4-dihydroharmine, Harmine-N-oxide, Harmine acid: methylester: Methyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline-1-carboxylate, Harmilinic acid: 7-methoxy-3,4-dihydro-b-carboline1-carboxylic acid
Harmanamide: 1-carbamoyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline, Acethylnorharnine: 1-acethyl-7-methoxy-b-carboline, Keto-tetrahydronorharmine: 7-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-oxo-b-carboline.
Principal active biochemicals: the beta-carbolines harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine are present in the bark, stems, and trunk of B. caapi (B. inebrians), and other species of Banisteriopsis. Tetrahydroharmine occurs in greater concentration in B. caapi than in other plants bearing harmala alkaloids such as Peganum harmala (Syrian rue). This may account for the more profound and lasting effects produced by genuine Ayahuasca compared to "analogue" preparations.

Additional Remarks

When the Ayahuasca is used for healing purposes, the shaman is the person to take the drink, not the patient. Sometimes the patient has already tried conventional medicine. If that fails, they will turn to the shaman for treatment believing that the source of the illness may be magical. During this treatment the shaman will imbibe in the drink and translate the visions he sees while under the influence. He interprets these visions so he can discern what caused the illness and fight it symbolically. The shaman will sing to the patient about the fight and in the process is freeing him from the evil (Rivier and Lindgren 1972). This is not the only way the drinks are used medicinally. In some cultures, the shaman and the patient will ingest the drink (Bennett 1992).
Shamans, as the tribes medicinemen are sometimes called, take the Ayahuasca, Natem, or Pinde, which ever name their tribe uses, for religious and spiritual reasons and healing purposes. The shamans "drink hallucinogenic beverages to communicate with the spirit world, diagnose illnesses, determine guilt, and see the future" (Bennett 1992).

Historical

The use of Ayahuasca for visionary experiences appears to be primeval, to judge from the richness of associated mythology. Pre-Columbian rock drawings are similar to contemporary Ayahuasqueros paintings, which are said to represent Yage visions. (See page 127 of "Plants of the Gods" by Richard Evans Schultes and Albert Hofmann for a fine example of such a drawing on granite). However, the earliest known record of the practices associated with this botanical wasn't set down until the middle of the nineteenth century.
The author was Richard Spruce, a one time British schoolteacher, who was among the early explorers to make the perilous journey into the Amazon. Spruce almost died of dysentery and malaria but survived to become one of botany's greatest collectors. In 1851, while exploring the upper Rio Negro of the Brazilian Amazon, he observed the use of Yage. He came upon it twice in Peru in 1853. In his "Notes of a Botanist on the Amazon and Andes", he described its sources, its preparation and its effects upon himself. Unfortunately, Spruce's experience was characterized mainly by his getting sick.

Spruce's Notes didn't appear in print until 1908. Alfred Russel Wallace, who simultaneously with Darwin conceived the theory of evolution, edited them. Spruce suspected that additives were responsible for the psychoactivity of this beverage, although he noted that Banisteriopsis by itself was considered mentally active. The samples he sent to England for chemical analysis weren't located and assayed until more than a century later. They were still psychoactive when examined in 1966.

The first widely read description of Yage practices was published in 1858 by Manuel Villavicencio, an Ecuadorian geographer. The experience made him feel he was "flying" to most marvelous places. Describing how natives responded, he reported that natives using this drink were able to foresee and answer accurately in difficult cases, be it to reply opportunely to ambassadors from other tribes in a question of war; to decipher plans of the enemy through the medium of this magic drink and take proper steps for attack and defense; to ascertain, when a relative is sick, what sorcerer has put on the hex to carry out a friendly visit to other tribes to welcome foreign travelers or, at least to make sure of the love of their womenfolk.

Several early explorers of northwestern South America -Martius, Crevaux, Orton, Koch-Grunberg and others- also referred to Ayahuasca, Yage and Caapi. They all cited a forest liana but offered little detail. In the early twentieth century, it was learned that the use of Banisteriopsis vines for healing, initiatory and shamanic rites extended from Peru to Bolivia.

In 1923, a film of Indian Yage ceremonies was shown at the annual meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association. Other noteworthy publications drawing attention to the effects of this drink came from Rusby and White, who observed Yage practices in Bolivia in 1922, from the Russians Varnoff and Jezepezuk, who did Colombian fieldwork in 1925-1926, and from Morton, who in 1931 published "Klug's southern Colombian notes about Banisteriopsis inebrians".

Untill the middle of the eighteenth century, the use of Ayahuasca was only known by the indigenous populations on the south-American continent. But around that time, the knowledge of Ayahuasca and it's use spread. Probably rubber-tappers, increasingly penetrated the dense jungle, learned about Ayahuasca. The use of Ayahuasca as an important folkmedicine appeared also in urbanised areas of the Amazon. This use has extensively been studied by Dobkin de Rios.

One of the persons who travelled the Amazon and came across Ayahuasca was Raimundo Irineu Serra. In an Ayahuasca vision, Irineu claims he was visited by a woman whom he called both "Our Lady of Conception" and the "Forest Queen". She told him to found a spiritual doctrine in which the drinking of Ayahuasca would be central to the ritualistic worship. The Forest Queen also gave the drink a new name, "Daime". The name in Portuguese means "give me," which has been interpreted to mean both a gift and a prayer to "give me love, give me light, and give me strength." His experience appeared to be a religious revelation, and he decided to found a new religion in Rio Branco in 1930: the "Santo Daime". Along with the ritual use of Ayahuasca, the doctrine of the Santo Daime includes worship of nature, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and other icons of the Christian faith. This combination of Christianity and nature religions is common in South America, and creates a unifying belief system where all can find comfort and healing.

More churches came into existence that combine a shamanic use of Ayahuasca with the Christian faith. Today, the "Uniao do Vegetal" is the largest church. Both the Santo Daime and the Uniao do Vegetal, using Ayahuasca as a sacrament, are official churches under the Brazilian law and can be found in most Brazilian cities. Especially the Santo Daime spread around the world.

Ayahuasca might be the last traditional hallucinogenic drug increasingly becomming popular in the west. Ayahuasca is a complex brew of which Banisteriopsis is only the most important ingredient. In the past decennia, more and more research has been done, and our understanding of this complex tea slowly becomes bigger.

Plant Description

Banisteriopsis caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) Morton. Malpighiaceae, Pyramidotorea, Tribus Banisteriae. One hundred species of plants in tropical America. Three of these are known for their hallucinogenic effects in Ayahuasca. These three plants are B. inebriens, B. caapi (Schultes 1970) and B. quitensis (Schultes 1995). The best known of these three species and the main component of Ayahuasca is Banisteriopsis caapi. The geographical origin is not known because the plant is cultivated throughout the entire Amazonion region. The plant grows in Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Equador etc.
It is a shrub or extensive liana in tropical forests. Bark usually chocolate-brown, smooth. Leaves opposite, oval-shaped, green, marginally entire, 8-18 cm long, 3.5-8 cm wide, upper surface glaborous. Inflorescence axillary or terminal cymose panicles. Flowers 12-14 mm in diameter 2.5-3 mm long, 1.5 mm wide. Petals pink, 5-7 mm long, 4-5 mm wide. This liana is mainly propagated vegetatively because it rarely blossoms and sets seed. The fan-like shaped seeds are green when fresh, but turn brown with age.

Legal Remarks

Ayahuasca is not controlled by international conventions.
In the criminal procedure against the Santo Daime churches in the Netherlands, the District Attorney delivered an official letter from Mr. Herbert Schaepe, Secretary of the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board. The letter answered some questions from the Dutch Ministry of Public Health about the use of a preparation called "Ayahuasca" by religious groups in the Netherlands.
The letter says: "The above-mentioned issue was consulted by the INCB Secretariat with the Scientific Section and the Legal Advisory Section of the United National International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). It is our understanding that "Ayahuasca" is the common name for a liquid decoction prepared from plants indigenous to the Amazon basin of South America, essentially the stem bank of different species of a jungle vine (Banisteriopsis sp.) and the tryptamine-rich plant Psychotria viridis. According to the scientific literature, Ayahuasca commonly contains a number of psychoactive alkaloids, including N,N dimethyltryptamine which is a substance included in Schedule I of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.
The letter concludes with the statement: No plants (natural materials) containing N,N dimethyltryptamine are at present controlled under the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Consequently, preparations (e.g. decoctions) made of these plants, including Ayahuasca are not under international control and, therefore, not subject to any of the articles of the 1971 Convention.

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Reunion
• Lithuania
• Ukraine
• France

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances
Ayahuasca Dreams
Ayahuasca Homepage
Ayahuasca to Pharmahuasca to Anahuasca - Jonathan Ott
Banisteriopsis caapi - Vine of the Soul - taken from “Plants of the gods, their sacred, healing and hallucinogenic powers”
Harmaline
Harmine
MAO Inhibiters - Foods to Avoid
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor
Pharmahuasca, Anahuasca and Vinho da Jurema - Jonathan Ott
Santo Daime - Wikipedia
Telepathine
Tetrahydroharmine
Uniao do Vegetal
Uniao do Vegetal - Wikipedia

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Whole and broken leaves of our praised *White* vines from the Shipibo-Conibo tribe in Peru. View all Ayahuasca products.

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	*White* leaves (4) broken Shipibo-Conibo, Peru, excellent quality, limited stock ! [details] [ view ]		50 g - $ 7.20  100 g - $ 12.75  250 g - $ 29.50	x
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Bali Flower Blend

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Description

Bali Flower Blend is a fragrant mixture of finely powdered Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) and Frangipani (Plumeria alba) flowers from Bali, Indonesia. It can be used as potpourri or burned as incense on Charcoal Disks, or added to massage oils.

Contents

This mixture contains Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) and Frangipani (Plumeria alba) flowers.

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Incredibly fragrant natural perfume oil, in decorative roller bottle (15 ml) from Bali, Indonesia

			Amount/Price *	Quantity
	perfume oil 15 ml, in roller bottle Bali, Indonesia, excellent quality, limited stock ! [details] [ view ]		1 - $ 11.25	x
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