bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
October 16, 2026
Vitor Trinca, Francisco Prosdocimi, Pedro Côrtes et al.
preprint
Background: Banisteriopsis caapi is the Amazonian liana that provides the β-carboline-rich vine component of ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian psychoactive preparation used in Indigenous and ceremonial contexts. The species encompasses culturally recognized ethnovarieties, some differing in stem architecture. Despite its cultural, ecological, and pharmacological importance, B. caapi remains...
Functional & integrative genomics
December 30, 2024
Vitor Trinca, Saura R Silva, João V A Almeida et al.
Mimosa tenuiflora, popularly known as "Jurema-Preta", is a perennial tree or shrub native to the tropical regions of the Americas, particularly among Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous Brazilian communities. Known for producing N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, a psychedelic compound with profound psychological effects, Jurema-Preta has been studied for its therapeutic potential in mental health. This study...
Genetics and molecular biology
2024
Edisson Chavarro-Mesa, João Victor Dos Anjos Almeida, Saura R Silva et al.
2 citations
The sacred ayahuasca brew, utilized by indigenous communities in the Amazon and syncretic religious groups in Brazil, primarily consists of a decoction of two plants: (i) the Amazonian liana known as Mariri or Jagube (Banisteriopsis caapi), and (ii) the shrub referred as Chacrona or Rainha (Psychotria viridis). While Chacrona leaves are rich in N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a potent...
PeerJ
2022
Alessandro M Varani, Saura R Silva, Simone Lopes et al.
7 citations
Psychotria viridis (Rubioideae: Rubiaceae), popularly known as chacrona, is commonly found as a shrub in the Amazon region and is well-known to produce psychoactive compounds, such as the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Together with the liana Banisteropsis caapi, P. viridis is one of the main components of the Amerindian traditional, entheogenic beverage known as ayahuasca. In this work, we...