Ayahuasca

I would like to show you the ayahuasca liana, so you will be able to tell it from other plants growing in the rainforest. This is a pretty young plant, but the liana can grow pretty high, twining around other trees like a grape-vine. Ayahuasca liana is an integral part of the forest and in the jungles you can find plants aged 50 years and above, but only three or four species of the plant group can be used for making a ceremonial drink named ayahuasca. Young plant must be at least 5 years old to be used for preparation of the brew.

The liana itself does not have any effect on humans. Brew prepared only from ayahuasca will not cause any visions; it will cause nausea and dizziness instead. Pure ayahuasca can be only used for cleansing stomach, but preparation of the ayahuasca brew requires another important plant component – chacruna.

Chacruna contains entheogenic alkaloid dimethyltryptamine (DMT) – substance contained in all living organisms including humans. I will not go into details to avoid misunderstanding and misuse of information. Only fresh chacruna leaves are used for preparation of ayahuasca brew: they are boiled together with other components until formation of thick brown liquid used for rituals and ceremonies.