Banisteriopsis caapi

For the DMT/MAOI plant brew that shares the same name as this plant, see ayahuasca.

Banisteriopsis caapi, also known as ayahuasca, caapi or yagé, is a South American liana of the family Malpighiaceae. It is used to prepare ayahuasca, a decoction with a long history of its entheogenic use and its status as a "plant teacher" among the indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest.

Banisteriopsis caapi
Taxonomical nomenclature
Kingdom	Plantae
Unranked	Angiosperms
Unranked	Eudicots
Unranked	Rosids
Order	Malpighiales
Family	Malpighiaceae
Genus	Banisteriopsis
Species	B. caapi
Common nomenclature
Common names	Ayahuasca, Caapi or Yagé
Constituents
Active constituents	Harmala alkaloid

History and culture

Research

The alkaloids of Banisteriopsis caapi, the plant source of the Amazonian hallucinogen ayahuasca, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro.

Chemistry

Banisteriopsis caapi (also known as ayahuasca, caapi or yajé) is a South American jungle vine of the family Malpighiaceae. It contains harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine in the following proportions:

• Harmine: 0.31-8.43%
• Harmaline: 0.03-0.83%
• Proanthocyanidins (less known MAOIs)
  • (−)-epicatechin
  • (−)-procyanidins
• Tetrahydroharmine: 0.05-2.94%

Toxicity and harm potential

Dangerous interactions

Cholinergics

Cholinergic substances combined with Banisteriopsis caapi can cause a cholinergic crisis because the plant contains acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs):

• Harmaline
• Harmine

See also

• Peganum harmala
• Beta-Carbolines
• Psychedelics
• Tryptamines
• Phenethylamines

External links

• • Banisteriopsis caapi (Wikipedia)
  • Banisteriopsis caapi (Erowid Vault)
• Harmala alkaloids
  • Harmala alkaloids (Wikipedia)
    • Harmaline (Wikipedia)
    • Harmine (Wikipedia)
    • Tetrahydroharmine (Wikipedia)
  • Harmala Alkaloids (Erowid Vault)
  • Harmaline (TiHKAL / Isomer Design)
  • Harmine (TiHKAL / Isomer Design)
  • Tetrahydroharmine (TiHKAL / Isomer Design)

Literature

• Morales-García, J. A., de la Fuente Revenga, M., Alonso-Gil, S., Rodríguez-Franco, M. I., Feilding, A., Perez-Castillo, A., & Riba, J. (2017). The alkaloids of Banisteriopsis caapi, the plant source of the Amazonian hallucinogen Ayahuasca, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 5309. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05407-9