The word Ayahuasca is used to describe two things:
- The brew containing usually two ingredients: a vine called Banisteriopsis Caapi and the leaves from a DMT containing tree (more on this below) although shamans sometimes add extra ingredients, like Datura or Brugmansia flowers and leaves (which by the way, contain very dangerous alkaloids and it is strongly recommended to avoid any ingestion of these kinds of plants)
- The vine (Banisteriposis Caapi), one of the two main ingredients from which the brew is made.
As there are a couple of plants that contain the same components as the Caapi Vine and a lot of different plants containing DMT, there are many possible combinations to make an Ayahuasca-like brew. When other than the traditional plants are used to make the brew, it is commonly called “Pharmahuasca” or an Ayahuasca Analogue.
When ingested, the DMT molecule is quickly metabolized by our stomach enzymes, thus preventing DMT from crossing the blood-brain barrier; which is pretty useful as DMT is everywhere: many plants and animals contain it, even human beings are carrying and producing DMT at all times, so if we didn’t have these “protecting enzymes”, we would all be switching back and forth from this reality to the strange and immaterial DMT realm, I suppose we wouldn’t be very functional in the matter-based reality in an altered state like that.
This is where the components of the Caapi Vine come into play, they contain a substance called Monoacid Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI’s) which temporarily block our stomach enzymes, allowing DMT to cross the blood-brain barrier. It is, as shamans call it, “The Force”.
The other ingredient, the plants containing DMT, are the ones containing “The Light”, the DMT chemical, the one that shows us “the Matrix”.
Taking any of this substances by themselves (orally) will not cause any worthy effects.
AYAHUASCA INGREDIENTS
Here we will discuss the two main ingredients of this entheogenic brew; as mentioned before, some shamans add extra ingredients to the mix, but being that some of these extra ingredients could be dangerous, and having experienced the magic of "Huasca" without any extras, I’m not really interested in the other ad-mixtures, nor think it is really worthwhile.
MAOIS.
- Banisteriopsis Caapi: this is the vine used in Central and South-American Ayahuascas. Shamans believe that there’s a divine intelligence in the plant, it guides and protects the user by revealing only what is needed and what we are capable of receiving, not more, not less.Normally it is brewed together with the DMT containing plant and drank altogether.
- Peganum Harmala / Syrian Rue: these are the seeds of a middle east, desertic plant. The MAOI content is stronger than that of the Caapi vine, only a spoonful (3 grams) of these seeds is enough to allow DMT absorption.
These seeds are normally crushed, soaked in water and drank 20 to 30 minutes before the DMT-containing brew.
DMT-containing plants.
- Psychotria Viridis / Chacruna: the leaves of the tree contain DMT. It is the least potent Huasca-brew (Beware! By that I don’t mean that it is a “weak” entheogen, nothing could be further to the truth) For the first time user, it is advised to start with this mix. The effects will be specially visual and it is recommended to do it in the dark. The finished brew turns light brown.
- Mimosa Hostilis: the root bark contains DMT in high concentration, so the material used is significantly less. Visions could be more intense, people report seeing and communicating with all kinds of beings, from shapeless beings of light to lizards and gigantic bees. The brew turns to a reddish brown color.
- Diplopterys Cabrerana / Chaliponga: the most powerful of the Ayahuascas. In addition to DMT, it contains a similar, more potent substance: 5-MeO-DMT. This is the substance found in the Bufo Avarious toad venom. Visions are not the main or most pronounced effects, instead it opens us up to the infinite energetic realm, it is not so much seen as it is felt, it cleans chakra blockages and shows us reality as a whole, interconnected being. Experiencing this infinitely loving simplicity at work, all I can do is shed tears of joy and thankfulness.
If you are interested in preparing Ayahuasca, you can start by finding some ingredientsHERE
