Banisteriopsis caapi

Banisteriopsis caapi
Young B. caapi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Malpighiaceae
Genus:	Banisteriopsis
Species:	B. caapi
Binomial name
Banisteriopsis caapi ( Griseb.) C.V.Morton[1]
Synonyms[2]
List Banisteria caapi Spruce ex Griseb. Banisteria inebrians (C.V.Morton) J.F.Macbr. Banisteria quitensis Nied. Banisteriopsis inebrians Morton Banisteriopsis quitensis (Nied.) Morton

Banisteriopsis caapi, also known as, caapi, soul vine, yagé (yage), or ayahuasca (the latter of which also refers to the psychedelic decoction made with the vine and a plant source of dimethyltryptamine) is a South American liana of the family Malpighiaceae. It is commonly used as an ingredient of ayahuasca, a decoction with a long history of its entheogenic use and holds status as a "plant teacher" among the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest.

It was used by

Its legal status varies by country: it is largely unregulated in the United States (with specific religious exemptions for use of the ayahuasca decoction), ambiguously legal in Canada and parts of Australia, and effectively illegal in France despite past religious use rulings.

Caapi is a giant vine with characteristic 12–14 mm (0.5–0.6 in) white or pale pink flowers which most commonly appear in January, but are known to bloom infrequently. It resembles Banisteriopsis membranifolia and Banisteriopsis muricata, both of which are related to caapi.^[3]

The vine can grow up to 30 m (98 ft) in length, twining on other plants for support.^{[4][unreliable source?]}

Caapi contains the following harmala alkaloids:

• Harmine, 0.31–8.43%^[5]
• Harmaline, 0.03–0.83%^[5]
• Tetrahydroharmine, 0.05–2.94%^[5]

These alkaloids of the

The stems contain 0.11–0.83% beta-carbolines, with harmine and tetrahydroharmine as the major components.[5]

Alkaloids are present in all parts of the plant.^[3]

In addition to beta-carbolines, caapi is known to contain

The first mentions of caapi come from early Spanish and Portuguese explorers and missionaries who visited South America in the 16th century, describing ayahuasca brews as "diabolic" and dangerous decoctions.[8]

Although utilised among the indigenous tribes of South America for hundreds and perhaps even thousands of years, caapi was not identified by westerners until 1851, when Richard Spruce, an English botanist, described it as a new species. He observed how Guahibos, the indigenous people of Llanos (Venezuela), chewed the bark of caapi instead of brewing it as a drink.^[9]

In the United States, caapi is not specifically regulated. A 2006 Supreme Court decision involving caapi-containing ayahuasca, which also contains other plants containing the controlled substance

In Australia, the harmala alkaloids are scheduled substances, including harmine and harmaline; however, the living vine, or other source plants are not scheduled in most states. In the State of Queensland as of March 2008,[10] this distinction is now uncertain. In all states, the dried herb may or may not be considered a scheduled substance, dependent on court rulings.

In Canada, harmala is listed under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act as a schedule III substance. The vine and the ayahuasca brew are legal ambiguities, since nowhere in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act is it stated that natural material containing a scheduled substance is illegal, a position supported by the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board.^[11]

Caapi, as well as a range of harmala alkaloids, are scheduled in France following a court victory by the Santo Daime religious sect allowing use of the tea due to it not being a chemical extraction and the fact that the plants used were not scheduled.^{[citation needed]} Religious exceptions to narcotics laws are not allowed under French law, effectively making any use or possession of the tea illegal.^{[contradictory]}

The caapi vine itself was the subject of a dispute between U.S. entrepreneur Loren Miller and the

• Ayahuasca
• Entheogen
• List of psychoactive plants
• Ethnobotany