Banisteriopsis caapi

Banisteriopsis caapi, also known as ayahuasca, caapi or yagé, is a South American liana of the family Malpighiaceae. It is used to prepare ayahuasca, a decoction with a long history of entheogenic and "plant teacher" among the indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest. It contains the harmala alkaloids harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine. These alkaloids of the beta-carboline class act as monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOIs). The MAOIs allow the primary psychoactive compound, DMT, which is introduced from...