Ayahuasca: the answers

[Mary Barkworth]

Someone suggested that I should share the knowledge gained from my question
about Ayahuasca.  It seems it either refers to a hallucinogenic infusion
prepared by native witch doctors in the Amazon from two plants, both of
whcih are abundant in the wesern part of the Amazon {information from
petryp at ucs.orst.edu who referred me to Bruce Nelson bnelson at cr-am.rnp.br for
the identity of the two plants or it is the common name of Banisteriopsis
caapi in the Malpighiaceae.  Even if the latter, it is hallucinogenic.  For
follow up references: Schultes, The Healing Forest; Peter Mattheissen's
novel "At play in the fields of the Lord (for descriptions of gringos
seeking to expand their consciousness); and Flora Medicinal de Colombia,
Botanica Medica, Vol. 2, Hernando Garcia Barriga, 1975, Instituto de
Ciencias Naturales, Univ. Nacional, Bogota, pp. 49-71 and Uphof, Dictionary
of Economic Plants, Verlag J. Cramer.  The name Ayahuasca is also applied to
Ban. inebrians and other related species [which if that epithet is anything
to go by, have similar properties].  It grows in Columbia, Ecador and Peru
as well as Brazil.
More than the one sentence response that was requested, but at least I have
now shared the wealth but not, you note, the plant.  We were not offered any.

ÿÿ    Ayahuasca:  the answers