Hello my Steemian friends and welcome back to my blog about psychoactive plants. First of all I do not grow any of these plants in my backyard or anywhere else. And this blog is not an instruction to consume any of these plants, but only to inform. If you consume something for the first time please begin with a low dosage. It's better to take too little than too much. You can always use more next time because if you take too much, the effects can cause great discomfort or even result in death.
In the fourth episode, I will present to you Anadenanthera peregrina, also known as Yopo, Cohoba or calcium tree. Because of the psychedelic effects it has been used in healing and ritual ceremonies for thousand of years in South America.
History
Archaeological discoveries have shown that remains of seeds were definitely used in ritualistic relation in Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico for about 4000 years ago. The snuff, cohoba, which is made from the tree, was mentioned few times in sources from the early colonial era.
Psychoactive Material
- Seeds
- Seedpods
- Bark
Preparation and Dosage
The dry and ripe seeds are lightly roasted and then grounded into a green-grayish, fine powder which is often blended with other additives like tobacco, grounded snail shells or with ash from plants. The minimum dose is about 1g of seeds (nasally). The snuff can be taken in a series of doses. The grounded seeds can also given in the form of an enema.
Ritual Use
A lot of different tribes used the roasted seeds to produce snuffs that are used for shamanic purposes and during healing rituals. Shamans described the seeds as a door into the other world.
Medical Use
Varieties of Anadenanthera peregrina var. peregrina and falcata produce a resin that is similar to gum arabic and is used in the same way. A decoction of the bark of the var. peregrina is used to treat gonorrhea and dysentery. The var. falcata is used to treat pneumonia.
Ingredients
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine
5-MeO-DMT
Bufotenin
The seeds of both varieties contain the tryptamine N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, 5-MeO-DMT and Bufotenine. The bark also contains N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and 5-MeO-DMT. And the seedpods contain DMT too.
Effects
When taken nasally, the snuff evokes psychedelic effects and produces multidimensional hallucinations. Also experiences of death and reincarnation, ego dissolution, flying and transmutation into animals are possible. The effects of the snuff can last for about 10 to 15 minutes.
If you missed some episodes:
Episode 1: Aconitum
Episode 2: Acorus Calamus
Episode 3: Agaves
See you next time
Vladi