| Banisteriopsis caapi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| YoungB. caapi | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Malpighiaceae |
| Genus: | Banisteriopsis |
| Species: | B. caapi |
| Binomial name | |
| Banisteriopsis caapi | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
List
| |
Banisteriopsis caapi, also known as,caapi,soul vine,yagé (yage), orayahuasca (the latter of which also refers to the psychedelicdecoction made with the vine and a plant source ofdimethyltryptamine) is aSouth Americanliana of the familyMalpighiaceae. It is commonly used as an ingredient ofayahuasca, adecoction with a long history of itsentheogenic use and holds status as a "plant teacher" among theIndigenous peoples of theAmazon rainforest.
It was used byIndigenous peoples of South America for centuries, but it was first documented byEuropeans in the 16th century and formally identified by botanistRichard Spruce in 1851. According toThe CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names by Umberto Quattrocchi, the naming of thegenusBanisteriopsis was dedicated toJohn Banister, a 17th-century English clergyman and naturalist. An earlier name for the genus wasBanisteria and the plant is sometimes referred to asBanisteria caapi. Other names includeBanisteria quitensis,Banisteriopsis inebrians, andBanisteriopsis quitensis.[3]
It is a giant vine that can grow up to 30 meters long, with paleflowers that bloom infrequently and resembles related species likeBanisteriopsis membranifolia andB. muricata. It containsbeta-carboline alkaloids andpolyphenols.
Its legal status varies by country: it is largely unregulated in theUnited States (with specific religious exemptions for use of the ayahuasca decoction), ambiguously legal inCanada and parts ofAustralia, and effectively illegal in France despite past religious use rulings.
Caapi is a giant vine with characteristic 12–14 mm (0.5–0.6 in) white or pale pink flowers which most commonly appear in January, but are known to bloom infrequently. It resemblesBanisteriopsis membranifolia andBanisteriopsis muricata, both of which are related to caapi.[3]
The vine can grow up to 30 m (98 ft) in length, twining on other plants for support.[4][unreliable source?]
Caapi contains the followingharmala alkaloids:
These alkaloids of thebeta-carboline class act asmonoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOIs).[6] The MAOIs allow the primary psychoactive compound,DMT, which is introduced from the other common ingredient in ayahuascaPsychotria viridis, to be orally active. The constituents that may be responsible for thehallucinogenic activity ofBanisteriopsis caapi include harmaline, tetrahydroharmine, and to a lesser extent harmine.[5]
The stems contain 0.11–0.83% beta-carbolines, with harmine and tetrahydroharmine as the major components.[5]
Alkaloids are present in all parts of the plant.[3]
In addition to beta-carbolines, caapi is known to containproanthocyanidins,epicatechin andprocyanidin B2.[7]
The first mentions of caapi come from early Spanish and Portuguese explorers and missionaries who visited South America in the 16th century, describing ayahuasca brews as "diabolic" and dangerous decoctions.[8]
Although utilised among the indigenous tribes of South America for hundreds and perhaps even thousands of years, caapi was not identified by westerners until 1851, whenRichard Spruce, an English botanist, described it as a new species. He observed howGuahibos,the indigenous people of Llanos (Venezuela), chewed the bark of caapi instead of brewing it as a drink.[9]
In the United States, caapi is not specifically regulated. A 2006 Supreme Court decision involving caapi-containing ayahuasca, which also contains other plants containing the controlled substanceDMT, introduced from thePsychotria viridis component,Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal, was found in favor of theUnião do Vegetal, a Brazilian religious sect using the tea in their ceremonies and having around 130 members in the United States.
In Australia, the harmala alkaloids are scheduled substances, including harmine and harmaline; however, the living vine, or other source plants are not scheduled in most states. In the State of Queensland as of March 2008,[10] this distinction is now uncertain. In all states, the dried herb may or may not be considered a scheduled substance, dependent on court rulings.
In Canada, harmala is listed under theControlled Drugs and Substances Act as a schedule III substance. The vine and the ayahuasca brew are legal ambiguities, since nowhere in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act is it stated that natural material containing a scheduled substance is illegal, a position supported by the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board.[11]
Caapi, as well as a range of harmala alkaloids, are scheduled in France following a court victory by theSanto Daime religious sect allowing use of the tea due to it not being a chemical extraction and the fact that the plants used were not scheduled.[citation needed] Religious exceptions to narcotics laws are not allowed under French law, effectively making any use or possession of the tea illegal.[contradictory]
The caapi vine itself was the subject of a dispute between U.S. entrepreneur Loren Miller and theCoordinating Body of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA). In 1986, Miller obtained a U.S.patent on a variety ofB. caapi.[12] COICA argued the patent was invalid because Miller's variety had been previously described in theUniversity of Michigan Herbarium, and was therefore neither new nor distinct.[13] The patent was overturned in 1999; however, in 2001, theUnited States Patent Office reinstated the patent because the law at the time the patent was granted did not allow a third party such as COICA standing to object. The Miller patent expired in 2003.B. caapi is now being cultivated commercially inHawaii.[citation needed]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)