Banisteriopsis caapi

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

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.

History and culture

Research

Neurogenesis

The alkaloids of Banisteriopsis caapi, the plant source of the Amazonian hallucinogen ayahuasca, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro.[1]

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):

See also

External links

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

References

  1. Morales-García, J. A., Fuente Revenga, M. de la, Alonso-Gil, S., Rodríguez-Franco, M. I., Feilding, A., Perez-Castillo, A., Riba, J. (13 July 2017). "The alkaloids of Banisteriopsis caapi, the plant source of the Amazonian hallucinogen Ayahuasca, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 5309. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05407-9. ISSN 2045-2322. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Zheng, X., Zhang, Z., Chou, G., Wu, T., Cheng, X., Wang, C., Wang, Z. (September 2009). "Acetylcholinesterase inhibitive activity-guided isolation of two new alkaloids from seeds of Peganum nigellastrum Bunge by an in vitro TLC- bioautographic assay". Archives of Pharmacal Research. 32 (9): 1245–1251. doi:10.1007/s12272-009-1910-x. ISSN 0253-6269.