Ayahuasca is a large woody vine with sturdy branches that grows in the humid climate of the Amazon rainforest. Like all vines, Ayahuasca needs other trees for support.
Brief botanical description of the plant:
- Class: Banisteriopsis;
- Family: Malpighiaceae;
- Scientific name: Banisteriopsis caapi;
- Its leaves are green, rounded with a pointed tip;
- The flowers can reach up to 14 cm and have 5 petals that are white or pink;
- It is found in the jungles of the Amazon: Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, and Venezuela.
The scientific name «Banisteriopsis» comes from the English clergyman and proponent of herbal and natural remedies, John Banister (1650-1692).
The Ayahuasca Brew and Its Use by Indigenous People in Peruvian Shamanic Ceremonies
Amazonian indigenous people have been using Ayahuasca since ancient times to conduct special ceremonies for healing illnesses, regulating relationships within the tribe, resolving conflicts both within individuals and between people, and making important decisions.
The shamans of the tribe, or «curanderos,» as they are more commonly known in Peru, used the power of this plant to master the art of healing the sick with the help of other jungle plants.
The power plant Ayahuasca has been used by shamans not only in Peru but throughout the Amazon in conjunction with another rainforest plant known as chacruna (psychotria viridis). In some tribes, instead of chacruna, they used chakropanga, also called chaliponga (Diplopterus cabrerana).
A decoction made from these plants forms the basis of an ancient brew used in the Amazon rainforest since time immemorial.
According to some Peruvian shamans, the tradition of taking Ayahuasca (ayahuasca, ayahuasca, ayahuasca, ayahuasca, ayahuasca, ayahuasca) is over 13,000 years old. This means that an incredibly vast amount of experience has been accumulated in the Amazon regarding the use of this brew!
In Peru, it is commonly called by the same name as the vine—Ayahuasca. In addition to these names, in Peru, it is also sometimes referred to as «purga» (purge), «remedio» (medicine), or «medicina» (medicine), as well as mariri (mariri).
Ayahuasca – The Vine of Spirits
Since the days of tribal life, which in some regions of the impenetrable Amazon jungle persists to this day, the Ayahuasca vine has been considered the Queen of the Rainforest. It is believed to possess Superconsciousness, healing, and magical power, and serves as a Teacher whose energy facilitates a connection with other plants.
By merging with human consciousness, the «Queen of the Jungle» reveals and shows the power and properties of other inhabitants of her kingdom. Simultaneously, she highlights the place of Man, as part of biological life, in the chain of evolution.
In this context, since ancient times, Ayahuasca ceremonies, in combination with other practices, have been widely used by the shamans (curanderos) themselves on the path to becoming good healers, doctors, and tribal medicine people.
They provided the ability to see into the depths of things, in the sense of deeply and clearly understanding the processes occurring with a specific patient or, more generally, within the tribe.
The art of leading Ayahuasca ceremonies is typically learned by shamans over many years. This shamanic training, in addition to studying the properties and methods of working with medicinal plants of the jungle, includes:
- Periods of restrictions in certain types of food;
- The consumption of specific broths, juices, infusions, and resins from various jungle plants;
- Sexual abstinence during the training;
- Deep immersion in the song culture of icaros (ceremonial shamanic songs of Ayahuasca);
- Adherence to certain moral and ethical principles;
- Mastery in working with other medicinal plants of the jungle.
Ayahuasca ceremonies, both in Peru and throughout the Amazon, represent a vast cultural layer in ethno-botany, ethno-biology, and especially in ethno-musicology and folk art.
