Hallucinogens: Serotonin Enhancers-South American Hallucinogenic Snuffs Flashcards
Virola or Epena
BOTANICAL INFORMATION:
-South American trees
Virola or Epena
HISTORY AS A MEDICINAL PLANT:
- Entheogen
- Snuff prepared from inner tree bark in Amazonia
- Diagnose illnesses, prophecy and divination, magical purposes
Virola or Epena
MODERN UTILIZATION:
- Bark stripping method-powder
- Bark resin method-blood red resin exuded from the bark, powder
- Alkaloids-dimethyltryptamine (DMT)
- Enhancer
- Beta carboline alkaloids-Harmine
- Inhibitors of MAO
- DMT-MAO inhibitor combination enhances the hallucinogenic effect, prolongs the psychoactive effect of DMT
- Excitbability, nausea, numbness of limbs, twitching of facial muscles, general lack of muscle coordination, visual hallucinations, deep sleep with visual imagery
Yopo
BOTANICAL INFORMATION:
- South American tree
- Orinoco River in Colombia and Venezuela
Yopo
HISTORY AS A MEDICINAL PLANT:
- Seeds-highest concentration of the hallucinogen
- Pods turn black, seeds used to form a “cake”, powdered
- Snuffed through hollow reeds and bird-bone tubes
Yopo
MODERN UTILIZATION:
- Alkaloids (DMT)-serotonin enhancers
- Beta-carboline alkaloids
- Bufotenine-serotonin enhancer
- Isolated from the skin glands of toads
Cebil
BOTANICAL INFORMATION:
- Tree
- Andean region of Chile and Puna Desert of Argentina
Cebil
HISTORY AS A MEDICINAL PLANT:
- Entheogenic snuff
- Shamanistic smoking
- Dried seeds powdered
Cebil
MODERN UTILIZATION:
- Alkaloid-Bufotenine
- Strong hallucinations, black and white, abstract, worm-like flowing imagery
Ayahuasca
BOTANICAL INFORMATION:
- Vine
- South America
Ayahuasca
HISTORY AS A MEDICINAL PLANT:
- “Vine of the soul”-Quechua tribe
- Entheogenic beverage
- Inner bark, fresh leaves to make brown bitter tasting tonic
- Remains potent for a month
- Frees the soul from physical confinement, soul wanders and returns to the body at will, liberate one from everyday life, visions and opening lines of communication with ancestors, telepathic powers
- Taken in large family groups
Ayahuasca
MODERN UTILIZATION:
- Beta-carboline alkaloids-harmine and hamaline
- Inhibit MAO
- Does not contain DMT but chacruna does
- “Analogues”-combinations of plants containing DMT and MAO developed
Ololiuqui or Morning Glories
BOTANICAL INFORMATION:
- Climbing herbaceous annuals
- Morning glory family
- Central and South America
- Grown in Europe and North America
Ololiuqui or Morning Glories
HISTORY AS A MEDICINAL PLANT:
- Traditionally used by Aztec, Mayan in Central America
- Seeds used in divination ceremonies, communicate with the gods
- Conquering Spaniards discourage the use
- Shamanistic use entheogens
- Used 13 fresh seeds made into beverage
- Powerful hallucinations, giddiness and laughter, lassitude, euphoria, deep sleep, loss of awareness
Ololiuqui or Morning Glories
MODERN UTILIZATION:
- Schultes
- Hofmann to determine active principals
- Alkaloids-lysergic acid amide (ergine) and isoergine