Ayahuasca Vine (Banisteriopsis caapi)
Ayahuasca Vine Information
Banisteriopsis caapi is the botanical name of the plant more commonly known as the ayahuasca vine. Other common names for Banisteriopsis caapi include ayahuasca, caapi, and yage. The Banisteriopsis genus is part of the Malpighiaceae family of plants. The Malpighiaceae family is made up of over 75 genera and 1300 species.
Banisteriopsis caapi has been used for thousands of years, as part of a sacred medicinal drink known as ayahuasca. The beverage has been consumed for millenia by the indigenous people living in the Upper Amazon area of South America. It is most often used for divination, medicinal, religious, and other shamanic purposes.
The word ayahuasca can be translated to English as vine of the soul or vine of the dead. This is most likely due to the fact that after taking ayahuasca, a person often feels a freeing of the soul. It may also be attributed to the fact that one of the functions of ayahuasca is to allow a person who consumes it to communicate with the souls of dead ancestors.
Scientific Classification Of Banisteriopsis caapi
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Malpighiaceae
Genus: Banisteriopsis
Species: Banisteriopsis caapi
The plant probably originated in South America. It is (and has been) cultivated in many parts of South America, and it can still be found growing wild in areas surrounding the Amazon basin.
Countries where Banisteriopsis caapi grows wild include Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru. Objects related to the use of ayahuasca can be dated to about 500 BC. It is assumed that ayahuasca use goes back hundreds, if not thousands of years prior to 500 BC.
Chemistry Of Banisteriopsis caapi
The main active constituents of Banisteriopsis caapi (and other species in the Banisteriopsis genus) are the harmala alkaloids harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine.
Lesser constituents include acetyl norharmine, harmalinic acid, harmic acid, harmine N-oxide, harmol, methylester harmic amide, and ketotetra-hydronorharmine. Stems, branches, leaves, and roots all contain active compounds. (reference 1)
Harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine are harmala alkaloids (a type of beta-carboline). Harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine are also classified as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI's).
MAOI's can stimulate the central nervous system (CNS) by inhibiting the metabolism of serotonin and other monoamines. This inhibition of the break-down of serotonin in the human body makes MAOI's effective antidepressants.
However, MAOI's may cause problems (or even death in rare cases) when certain types of foods or chemicals are consumed while taking them. For this reason, MAOI drugs are not usually prescribed to treat depression.
A large concentration of harmala alkaloids occur in Banisteriopsis caapi but the alkaloids are also found in other plants. Peganum harmala (syrian rue) has larger amounts of harmala alkaloids than Banisteriopsis caapi. Other plants like Passiflora incarnata (passion flower) and tobacco contain only trace amounts.
In the traditional South American preparation of ayahuasca, one of the plants used was always Banisteriopsis caapi, or another species in the Banisteriopsis genus.
South American shamans mix sections of Banisteriopsis Caapi with leaves from a number of other potential plants. The other plant or plants that are combined with Banisteriopsis caapi usually contain tryptamine alkaloids, most often DMT (dimethyltryptamine).
The plants that were most often mixed with Banisteriopsis caapi to produce traditional ayahuasca were the leaves of Psychotria viridis (chacruna) and the leaves of Diplopterys cabrerana (chaliponga).
The reason for mixing plants that contain harmala alkaloids with plants that contain DMT is to increase the amount of DMT absorbed by the human body. If the plants that contained DMT were consumed by themselves, the user would feel very little in the way of psychoactive effects.
By mixing plants that contain harmala alkaloids with plants that contain DMT, the body is able to effectively absorb the DMT when it is taken orally. The harmala alkaloids serve the purpose of potentiating DMT in the ayahuasca by reducing its breakdown in the human digestive tract. This allows DMT to enter the bloodstream and reach the brain.
The harmala alkaloids produced by Banisteriopsis caapi act as MAOI's, any type of MAOI can have negative reactions that might be fatal if combined with foods and other medicines. Always follow these precautions when using any type of MAOI.
How To Use Banisteriopsis caapi
You can buy Banisteriopsis caapi (ayahuasca vine) here. They ship from the USA to most countries. All parts of the plant contain harmala alkaloids, but the maximum concentration in any part will be under 2%. You can try smoking Banisteriopsis caapi, but a better way to ingest it is to produce your own ayahuasca.
Traditional South American shamans used ayahuasca, a drink made with Banisteriopsis caapi and other plant ingredients, to enter the supernatural world for various purposes that included divination and healing.
There are various types of Banisteriopsis caapi available. These categories are divided according to the potency they impart to ayahuasca, rather than being different varieties of Banisteriopsis caapi.
--- red caapi is considered very potent. it is used for making ayahuasca used for healing purposes. the shaman will take red caapi and the patient will take yellow caapi.
--- white caapi is considered moderately potent. it is used for primarily for making ayahuasca used for magic purposes. these purposes include both casting and protecting oneself from spells.
--- yellow caapi is considered mildly potent and relatively gentle compared to other types of caapi. it is used for primarily for making ayahuasca consumed by first time users.
--- foliage (leaves) of Banisteriopsis caapi are reduced to a powder and smoked. however, most people do not feel any effect when smoking foliage.
There is a history of the plant being smoked by itself, but the psychoactive effects are mild when compared to consuming ayahuasca. Banisteriopsis caapi itself contains no DMT, ingesting it will not produce DMT-like effects.
It can produce visionary experiences when consumed by itself, but large amounts are needed to achieve this level of high. At small dosage levels Banisteriopsis caapi can produce feelings of tranquility.
Banisteriopsis caapi is said to always be used in the preparation of traditional ayahuasca because it contains a plant intelligence that can (among other things) reveal the path to follow when one is having emotional or psychological problems.
Tetrahydroharmine occurs in greater concentrations in Banisteriopsis caapi when compared to other plants that contain harmala alkaloids. This may account for the plant intelligence traditional ayahuasca reveals to the user.
Most often, Banisteriopsis caapi is mixed with Diplopterys cabrerana or Psychotria viridis to produce the traditional version of ayahuasca. When mixed with Diplopterys cabrerana, it produces a more powerful brew (than it does when compared to an equal amount of Psychotria viridis).
For this reason, ayahuasca made by mixing Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis is recommended for the first few times a person consumes ayahuasca.
When a person has grown accustomed to a Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis brew, they can graduate to a more powerful Banisteriopsis caapi and Diplopterys cabrerana mixture.
For anyone who uses LSD or magic mushrooms (only those that contain psilocybin), you can try smoking some dry crushed Banisteriopsis caapi after you feel the effects of the acid or mushrooms starting to come on. This can intensify the trip and make it last longer.
References
reference 1 - the encyclopedia of psychoactive plants
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Information about almost every plant that has been used for medical, spiritual, or recreational purposes. Includes all the common and most of the less common plant drugs. This is the most thorough plant drug encyclopedia available at the present time. Contains three pages of Banisteriopsis caapi info with another page about the Banisteriopsis genus. Several color and black and white images of Banisteriopsis.
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