Between ecstasy and reason: a symbolic interpretation of UDV trance
September 1, 2016 DOI: 10.4324/9781315551425-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | Trance Interpretation philosophy Cognitive psychology Linguistics Anthropology |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Argues that myth and ritual in the UDV serve as expressive channels for institutional meanings activated by the psychoactive sacrament ayahuasca. |
Abstract
Introduction The following discussion takes up symbolic elaborations of myth and ritual as expressive channels for institutional meanings activated by the psychoactive sacrament used in the União do Vegetal (UDV), an ayahuasca religion born in Brazilian Amazonia. Called vegetal or hoasca, the decoction is prepared with the leaf of Psychotria viridis and the vine Banisteriopsis caapi, which contain, respectively, the alkaloid dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and the beta-carbolines harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine. The vine's alkaloids inhibit the action of monoamine oxidase (MAO) produced in the human organism, which prevents the psychoactive effects of the leaf's DMT when it is taken orally. Thus, both substances are active constituents in the human body.