Banisteriopsis caapiBanisteriopsis caapi, also known as caapi, soul vine, yagé (yage), or ayahuasca (the latter of which also refers to the psychedelic decoction made with the vine and a plant source of dimethyltryptamine), is a South Americanliana of the family Malpighiaceae. It is commonly used as an ingredient of ayahuasca, a decoction with a long history of its entheogenic use and holds status as a "plant teacher" among the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest.
DimethyltryptaminePsychedelic drugPharmaceutical compoundDimethyltryptamine (DMT), also known as N,N-dimethyltryptamine (N,N-DMT), is a serotonergic hallucinogen and investigational drug of the tryptamine family that occurs naturally in many plants and animals. DMT is used as a psychedelic drug and prepared by various cultures for ritual purposes as an entheogen. DMT has a rapid onset, intense effects, and a relatively short duration of action.
Indigenous peoples of the AmericasThe Indigenous peoples of the Americas, also called Indians, Amerindians, Indigenous Americans or simply Natives, are the peoples who are native to the Americas or the Western Hemisphere. Their ancestors are among the pre-Columbian population of South or North America, including Central America and the Caribbean. Indigenous peoples live throughout the Americas. There are at least 1,000 different Indigenous languages of the Americas still in use in the 21st century.
ShamanismReligious practiceRussian postcard based on a photo taken in 1908 by S. I. Borisov, showing a female shaman of probable Khakas ethnicityShamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into the physical world for the purpose of healing, divination, or to aid human beings in some other way.
Traditional medicineTraditional medicine (also known as Indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used with the intent of treating illness and maintaining health. Traditional medicine includes systems like Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and Unani.
Amazon basinMajor drainage basin in South AmericaAmazon River basin.Countries where the Amazon basin is presentThe mouth of the Amazon RiverThe Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers a large area spreading across the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela, as well as the territory of French Guiana.
AndesMountain range in South AmericaThe Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (Spanish: Cordillera de los Andes; Quechua: Anti) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is 8,900 kilometres (5,500 mi) long and 200 to 700 kilometres (120 to 430 mi) wide (widest between 18°S and 20°Slatitude) and has an average height of about 4,000 metres (13,000 ft).
LianaA liana ( lee-ANN-ə, also -AH-nə) is a long-stemmed woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word liana does not refer to a taxonomic grouping, but rather a habit of plant growth—much like tree or shrub. It comes from standard French liane, itself from an Antilles French dialect word meaning 'to sheave'.
Orinoco BasinThe Orinoco Basin is the part of South America drained by the Orinoco river and its tributaries. The Orinoco watershed covers an area of about 990,000 km2 (380,000 sq mi), making it the third largest in South America, covering most of Venezuela and eastern part of Colombia.
DecoctionDecoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal medicine systems.
Psychoactive drugChemical substance that alters brain functionAn assortment of commonly used psychoactive drugs, including both street drugs and medications (alcohol and caffeine omitted): CocaineCrack cocaineMethylphenidate (Ritalin)EphedrineMDMA (ecstasy)Peyote (mescaline)LSD blotterPsilocybin mushroom (Psilocybe cubensis)Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) (Unscheduled drug)Amanita muscaria mushroom (muscimol) (Unscheduled drug)Salvia divinorum (salvinorin A)Tylenol 3 (acetaminophen/codeine)Codeine with muscle relaxantPipe tobacco (nicotine) (Unscheduled drug)Bupropion (Wellbutrin)Cannabis (THC)Hashish (THC)Coffee (containing caffeine) being consumed in a social environment; caffeine is widely legal virtually everywhere worldwide making it the most commonly used psychoactive drug.Depiction of alcohol and tobacco (containing nicotine) being used, both of which are commonly legal psychoactive drugs.Chart of relative harmfulness of some psychoactive substancesA psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, mind-altering drug, consciousness-altering drug, psychoactive substance, or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that alters psychological functioning by modulating central nervous system (CNS) activity.
Quechuan languagesLanguage family of the Andes in South AmericaA short dialogue in Quechua.Quechua (; Spanish:), also called Runa simi in Southern Quechua (pronounced, 'people's language'), is an indigenouslanguage family that originated in central Peru and thereafter spread to other countries of the Andes.
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