Reassessing the cultural and psychopharmacological significance of Banisteriopsis caapi: preparation, classification and use among the Piaroa of Southern Venezuela.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs September 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2008.10400645 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Piaroa people of southern Venezuela |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Citations | 22 |
| Key findings | The cultural significance and range of uses of Banisteriopsis caapi among the Piaroa, including its role in heightening empathy and as a stimulant, have been overlooked due to a narrow focus on its monoamine oxidase inhibiting properties. |
Abstract
Recent attention to the monoamine oxidase inhibiting properties of Banisteriopsis caapi's harmala alkaloids has precluded a balanced assessment of B. caapi's overall significance to indigenous South American societies. Relatively little attention has been paid to the cultural contexts, local meanings and patterns of use of B. caapi among snuff-using societies, such as the Piaroa, who do not prepare decoctions containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) admixtures. This article reviews the psychopharmacological literature on B. caapi in light of recent ethnographic work conducted among the Piaroa of southern Venezuela. Piaroa shamans use only B. caapi's cambium, identify at least five distinct varieties of B. caapi, and emphasise the plant's importance for heightening empathy. Some Piaroa people also attribute a range of extra-shamanic uses to B. caapi, including as a stimulant and hunting aid. In light of the psychopharmacological complexity of harmala alkaloids, and ethnographic evidence for a wide range of B. caapi uses,future research should reconsider B. caapi's cultural heritage and psychopharmacological potential as a stimulant and antidepressant-like substance.
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Cited by 17
- Ayahuasca: Psychological and Physiologic Effects, Pharmacology and Potential Uses in Addiction and Mental Illness Current Neuropharmacology March 2, 2018
- Developments in harmine pharmacology — Implications for ayahuasca use and drug-dependence treatment Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry June 10, 2012
- Acute Biphasic Effects of Ayahuasca PLoS One September 30, 2015
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- Phytochemical and ethnomedicinal study of Huperzia species used in the traditional medicine of Saraguros in Southern Ecuador; AChE and MAO inhibitory activity. Journal of Ethnopharmacology December 4, 2016
and 12 more in the library
Cites 12
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors in South American hallucinogenic plants: Tryptamine and β-carboline constituents of Ayahuasca Journal of Ethnopharmacology April 1, 1984
- Subjective effects and tolerability of the South American psychoactive beverage Ayahuasca in healthy volunteers Psychopharmacology February 22, 2001
- Ayahuasca Preparations and Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors: A Potential Combination for Severe Adverse Interactions Journal of Psychoactive Drugs December 1, 1998
- Effects of the South American Psychoactive Beverage Ayahuasca on Regional Brain Electrical Activity in Humans: A Functional Neuroimaging Study Using Low-Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography Neuropsychobiology 2004
- PSYCHOTOMIMETICS, CLINICAL AND THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS: HARMINE, WIN-2299 AND NALLINE American Journal of Psychiatry April 1, 1957
and 7 more in the library