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Introduction
Published in James Alan Duke, Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez, Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary, 2018
James Alan Duke, Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez
Chances are good that the Psychotria, like Psychotria viridis, contains N,N,dimethyltryptamine, which is not active when ingested, unless taken with monoamine-oxidase-inhibitors like the harmaline, harmine, and tetrahydroharmine in “ayahuasca”. Add scopoletin from Brunfelsia and atropine and scopolamine from Brugmansia and you have a pot-pourri of hallucinogenic (but dangerous) synergy. As Antonio warns, there are bad “ayahuasqueros” in Iquitos who have sent some gringo initiates home “basket cases”. Other evil “ayahuasqueros” drug their initiates with Brugmansia or Datura and take their money while they are under the influence. We’re not sure how to tell genuine from phoney “ayahuasqueros”. Antonio takes up to four small calabash cups (while none of his associates/patients take more than three) of this witches brew, usually starting late at night. First one becomes nauseated, then inebriated, in an hour or so, and all passes within a few hours. During the “highs”, Antonio sees beautiful and colorful visions, of long lost or deceased friends, of friends who have moved to large cities in the US, strange animals and spirits of the trees, etc. Most impresive of all his visions, and a real show stopper for ACEER classes, are Antonio’s sweeping gestures, as he discusses the thousand-color rainbow that wraps around the “ayahuasquero” like a cosmic whirlpool. As he described it so vividly, Duke lost track of his translation duties, caught up in the vortex.
Phytochemistry of Harmal
Published in Ephraim Shmaya Lansky, Shifra Lansky, Helena Maaria Paavilainen, Harmal, 2017
Ephraim Shmaya Lansky, Shifra Lansky, Helena Maaria Paavilainen
Unlike the more classical harmala alkaloids such as harmine, tetrahydroharmine, harmaline, harmalol, and harmol—usually listed as constituents of P. harmala or of the Ayahuasca liana, Banisteriopsis caapi—harmane seems rarely mentioned in these contexts (Figure 6.37). However, the presence of harmane in P. harmala has been recently confirmed (Tascón et al. 2016)—it is probably a major constituent (Bensalem et al. 2014), and so, its presence should be taken into consideration when considering the pharmacology of the whole plant, its extracts, and its total alkaloid fractions. Harmane is also among the β-carbolines found in the flowering tops of another plant better known as a carrier of harmine, i.e., the passion flower, Passiflora incarnata (Avula et al. 2012), and is among the MAO-A inhibitors in tobacco smoke (Truman et al. 2017) (Figure 6.38).
Chemical Composition of Traditional and Analog Ayahuasca
Published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2021
Helle Kaasik, Rita C. Z. Souza, Flávia S. Zandonadi, Luís Fernando Tófoli, Alessandra Sussulini
Samples were sent for quantitative analysis to the Institute of Chemistry of the University of Campinas, SP, Brazil. Concentrations of DMT and characteristic alkaloids from B. caapi (tetrahydroharmine, harmine, and harmaline) in the samples were determined by UHPLC-MS/MS using a previously validated method (Souza et al. 2019). Analyses were conducted using a mass spectrometer Quattro Micro API series (Waters Corp., Milford, MA, USA) with electrospray ionization (ESI) operated in the positive ion mode and a triple quadrupole mass analyzer. An UHPLC system equipped with a Waters ethylene-bridge hybrid (BEH) C18 column (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) using gradient elution with a mobile phase composed of water and methanol was applied for separation of the analytes. A calibration curve for the four standards was prepared from hydromethanolic working solutions of standards. Diphenhydramine hydrochloride was used as internal standard. Samples and standards were analyzed using a 1 µL injection volume. MS/MS analysis was performed using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) of the protonated molecular ions for the analytes and internal standard.
Effect of Ritualistic Consumption of Ayahuasca on Hepatic Function in Chronic Users
Published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2019
Sueli Moreira Mello, Paula Christiane Soubhia, Gabriela Silveira, Nelson Francisco Corrêa-Neto, Rafael Lanaro, José Luiz Costa, Alessandra Linardi
Ayahuasca is the Quechua term, common in Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and parts of Ecuador, used to designate a decoction made from the shrub Psychotria viridis and the liana Banisteriopsis caapi. The result of decoction is a thick, brown, oily liquid. The leaves of P. viridis contain the alkaloid N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), the main substance responsible for the visionary and hallucinogenic effects of ayahuasca. Banisteriopsis caapi contains the β-carboline alkaloids harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine that act as reversible inhibitors of type-A monoamine oxidase (MAO-A), an enzyme in the human digestive tract that inactivates DMT ingested orally (Callaway et al. 1996; Grob et al. 1996; McKenna and Towers 1984; Riba et al. 2001; Yritia et al. 2002). DMT is a tryptamine hallucinogen similar to serotonin, and its central effects result from activity at serotonergic 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors (Deliganis, Pierce, and Peroutka 1991; Fantegrossi et al. 2006; Pierce and Peroutka 1989; Smith et al. 1998). Profound changes to perception, particularly in the visual, auditory, and somatosensory systems, are induced by ayahuasca, leading to a state of significant introspection (Strassman, Qualls, and Berg 1996; Strassman et al. 1994). The hallucinogenic effects start 35–40 min after a single oral ingestion of the decoction, reach maximal intensity after 90–120 min, and end after 4 h (Grob et al. 1996; Riba et al. 2001, 2003). Nausea, vomiting, and episodes of diarrhea can also occur after ayahuasca consumption (Callaway et al. 1999; McKenna 2004).
The ritual use of ayahuasca during treatment of severe physical illnesses: a qualitative study
Published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2021
Lucas Oliveira Maia, Dimitri Daldegan-Bueno, Luís Fernando Tófoli
Ayahuasca is a psychedelic brew originating from Amazonian indigenous cultures prepared from Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis, used by several indigenous and mestizo groups for medicinal and ritual purposes (Luna 2011). The use of ayahuasca in Brazil, currently legal for religious purposes, began to expand with the emergence of syncretic religions in the twentieth century (Labate and Araújo 2002; Labate and Feeney 2012). It is estimated that in 2015, 570,000 Brazilians had tried ayahuasca (lifetime), and some 180,000 and 120,000 people used in the year and month before, respectively (Bastos et al. 2017). Psychotria viridis leaves contain N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a serotonin-like alkaloid found extensively in nature (Barker 2018). The woody bark of Banisteriopsis caapi contains alkaloids that inhibit monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), mainly harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine (i.e., β-carbolines). MAO-A inhibition prevents DMT degradation in the digestive tract and central nervous system, allowing its absorption (Estrella-Parra, Almanza-Perez, and Alarcon-Aguilar 2019). The psychoactive properties of ayahuasca are mainly attributed to DMT action over serotonin receptors, but evidence indicates that β-carbolines also participate in its effects (Schenberg et al. 2015), which include perceptual, cognitive, and emotional changes, transpersonal experiences, and somatic effects (e.g., nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, shaking) frequently understood as part of a “purging” process (Fotiou and Gearin 2019; Hamill et al. 2019; Shanon 2002). These acute effects last for 4 –6 h (Riba et al. 2003), but rituals may have repeated ingestion.