Indigenous peoples refer to the jungle liana Banisteriopsis caapi as ayahuasca, shamans believing that the main effect of ayahuasca tea is to be a hallucinogen.
Banisteriopsis Caapi, a liana from South America, especially Brazil, with its pretty flowers, is therefore the main basic plant ingredient of a popular shamanic drug.
Indeed, psychotropic ayahuasca tea is a hallucinogen widely consumed by the inhabitants of the Amazon region, who use it for ritual and medical purposes. It holds an important place among the categories of MAO inhibitors. Today, the sensations induced by ayahuasca are of interest to people all over the world.
Ayahuasca – the jungle liana Banisteriopsis caapi
The indigenous inhabitants of South America, Brazil or Peru, call Banisteriopsis caapi “ayahuasca”. The plant belongs to the Malpighiaceae family and is native to the Amazon and Orinoco regions.
The term ayahuasca is also used to refer to ayahuasca tea that can be obtained by macerating the stems in water. The tea may contain only Banisteriopsis caapi or other plants, for example virgin vine and Psychotria viridis, a perennial plant of the Rubiaceae family.
Source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banisteriopsis_caapi
Different parts are used for the manufacture of a product like ayahuasca: leaves, flowers, in particular.
Composition of ayahuasca
Researchers have described up to 100 different plants that make up ayahuasca. These plants also contain many psychotropic substances. These include nicotine, scopolamine, caffeine, cocaine and N,N-dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, a hallucinogenic tryptaminic alkaloid.
Use of the plant
Banisteriopsis caapi is a central element of the ancient shamanic practices and rites of the indigenous populations of northwestern South America. The plant holds an important place as a drug in traditional Amazonian medicine. More recently, ayahuasca tea has also become an important part of the rituals of Brazilian religious groups and is used in ceremonies where the names of spirits are invoked. We are talking about the ayahuasca religions União do Vegetal (UDV), Barquinha and Santo Daime. They ended up popularizing the drink in North America, in New York, and in Europe, in different countries, Portugal or Paris.
Source: https://brazil-selection.com/informations/culture-generale/religions/le-chamanisme-au-bresil/
Chemistry and pharmacology of Banisteriopsis caapi
Ultimately, the chemistry and pharmacology of ayahuasca is very complex. For example, Banisteriopsis caapi contains high amounts of harmine and tetrahydroharmine (THH) and, to a lesser extent, harmaline. The indo-alkaloids harmine and harmaline are reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), while tetrahydroharmine may also inhibit serotonin reuptake.
Source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoamine_oxydase
A substance used in many countries, but little studied by science
Currently, it is not known whether the pharmacological interactions in ayahuasca act synergistically or additively to produce the psychoactive effects. The results of a recent Brazilian meta-analysis suggest that little is simply known about the synergistic mechanisms of ayahuasca compounds. It may well be that even more complex processes are involved. A better pharmacological understanding would however be important to avoid possible potential risks and adverse effects related to the use of ayahuasca tea.
Ayahuasca tea is enjoyed in countries around the world
From New York to Paris, Portugal and Latin American countries such as Colombia, ayahuasca is a great success. This drug borrowed from traditional medicine is consumed as an Amazonian beverage or decoction of leaves.
Source: https://www.echosciences-sud.fr/uploads/article/image/attachment/1005450929/xl_ayahuasca-1-1200×772.jpg
The image below shows the preparation of ayahuasca tea:
Source: https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Ayahuasca_preparation.JPG j j
Properties of ayahuasca tea
Ayahuasca tea is typically rich in dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a tryptaminic hallucinogen that acts as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor. The mechanism of action is similar to that of other compounds such as LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) and psilocybin from magic mushrooms or truffles.
For example, the controlled use of LSD and psilocybin in experimental studies has reduced the frequency of psychotic episodes. Finally, population studies have confirmed these results.
Product Risks
However, people with a personal or family history of psychotic illness or non-psychotic mania should avoid taking ayahuasca tea.
Either way, psychedelics are fascinating substances that temporarily and intensely alter perceptions and feelings. Despite their millennial use by humans, the mechanisms of action are not yet elucidated.
Proven antidepressant effect
Some studies on ayahuasca products
Regardless, recent studies conducted on patients have shown that ayahuasca tea, a plant-based psychedelic and hallucinogen, works as a fast and powerful antidepressant on treatment-resistant patients.
Researchers have recently been able to show in an animal model how preparations based on Banisteriopsis caapi can be antidepressants. Thus, the therapeutic effect would be related to neurogenesis in the hippocampus. As is known, the body would be able to form new nerve cells in the hippocampus. The term adult neurogenesis means that this is also possible in adulthood.
Studies confirm antidepressant effect
In any case, the three main alkaloids, harmine, tetrahydroharmine and Banisteriopsis caapi harmaline stimulated in vitro (in Latin: in glass, therefore not in the body), this adult neurogenesis.
These current results suggest that these brain processes largely contribute to the antidepressant effect of ayahuasca. In addition, the researchers speculate that this is the reason why Banisteriopsis caapi alkaloids could also provide benefits against other brain diseases.
Ayahuasca and anthropology: as the West and North America discovered the vine of the Amazon basin
We now take you to discover the history of this vine-shaped plant that is one of the flagship products of our shop. It was an expedition by Canadian anthropologist Jeremy Narby that lifted the veil on many aspects.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.fr/voici-les-effets-de-layahuasca-la-nouvelle-drogue-en-vogue-dans-la-silicon-valley-sur-votre-corps-et-votre-cerveau-105816#layahuasca-egalement-connue-sous-le-nom-de-yage-est-obtenu-en-brassant-certaines-feuilles-et-lianes-en-quechua-une-famille-de-langues-parlees-au-perou-ce-nom-signifie-liane-des-morts-ou-liane-de-lame
Discovering ayahuesca and its secrets
Jeremy Narby, after graduation, spent several years in South America, with the ashaninka in the Amazon forest. The anthropologist draws from his stay several texts and works in which he deals with the systems of knowledge of the natives. It deals in particular with the manufacture and use of ayahuasca. He is the author of The Cosmic Serpent, a book on the subject containing many fascinating documents on the flowers and leaves of Banisteriopsis caapi.
In the following video, you will discover an interview with Jeremy Narby about Shamanism and ayahuasca.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m81KB3NK9JQ
If you want to go further on the subject than what we have presented on this page, we advise you to read its central text. You can also immerse yourself in reading an article by the author on the subject. Jeremy Nardy still relies on a number of documents.
Source: https://www.amazon.fr/serpent-cosmique-lADN-origines-savoir/dp/2825704954/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=55602115109&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2NaNBhDvARIsAEw55hgKP3fShShxB3d7yJk7pSxYtHI–Kc7q6sSbzYPlFa7hyxlFpPbUBUaAqwbEALw_wcB&hvadid=275381800217&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9055971&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17240407082110945154&hvtargid=kwd-311510536980&hydadcr=11278_1763812&keywords=serpent+cosmique&qid=1639328218&sr=8-1
Guide: where to get ayahuasca and Banisteriopsis caapi?
Ayahuasca is widely consumed in New York and Silicon Valley. But it is also very popular in France, for example in Paris.
Always buy your psychotropic products from a trusted website, such as Mycotrop. Especially for a product like ayahuasca. It is a fact that fraud is not uncommon. You will find Banisteriopsis caapi by looking at the categories of the site or entering the exact terms in the search engine, which will lead you to the right page.
You can then move the product to your shopping cart and place an order. Our customer service is available to help you. Once you have created your online account, you will be able to benefit from a privileged relationship with us and advice on our products, payment methods in EUR or delivery conditions.