DIPLOPTHERYS CABRERANA


INTRODUCTION :
Diplopterys cabrerana (syn: Banisteriopsis rusbyana) is a liana that finds its origin in South-America. In the Colombian- and Equadorian Amazon the large oval leaves of this liana, known as 'oco-yaje', are employed by the native people as an Ayahuasca additive; the DMT-containing leaves lenghten and potentiate the psychoactive drinks made from Banisteriopsis caapi. 1, 5
D. cabrerana is identified by Henry Hurd Rusby (1855-1940). Rusby was a pioneer in the etnobotany and was one of the first white men ever to whitness an Ayahuasca ceremony. D. cabrerana is an incompletely understood species.

Effects :
Psychedelic; euphoria, changes in visual and auditory perception, emotional disturbances and synaesthesias (phenomenon in which the senses become transmuted). Time and space perception are seriously altered. After taken large doses of ayahuasca, one might feel a buzzing or humming in the ears, profuse sweating, drowsy and become frenzied for ten to fifteen minutes.
Autonomic effects: nausea, pupillary dilation, tremor, retching, rise of blood pressure and body temperature.

Duration :
Ayahuasca/ Ayahuasca-analoque:
The effects appear within an hour and last four to six hours after ingestion.
When an extract of the foliage is smoked, the effects last for 30-60 minutes.

Dosage and preparation :
12-25 grams of 'oco-yaje' should be provided per person.5 The foliage can be smoked (as an extract) or can be taken in combination with Banisteriopsis stems or Peganum harmala seed to prepare an Ayahuasca-drink.
D. cabrerana foliage contains 0.17-1.75 % N,N-DMT per dried weight.5, 6 When taken in combination with MAO-inhibitors the DMT is physiologically active at 25-100 mg.

Ayahuasca-analoque, extract :
Banisteriopsis stems or 3 gram peganum harmala seed should be combined with 'oco-yaje' to inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO). For a more detailed procedure, see Ayahuasca.


Botanical aspects :
D. cabrerana (syn: Banisteriopsis rusbyana) is a liana that belongs to Malpiaghiaceae and indigenous to the Amazonion rainforest (Equador, Peru, Brazil, Colombia). Although the plant occurs wild, it is mostly cultivated. This species is reproduced only vegetatively by cuttings. The twigsare put in a glass of water for a few weeks to root and transplanted when the roots have appeared. The cuttings can also be sticked directly into the humid soil.





Figure: D. Cabrerana

Phytochemistry
The main active principle of 'oco-yaje' is N,N-dimethyltryptamine (N,N-DMT), but 5-MeO-DMT, NMT, bufotenine. N-methyltetrahydro-b-carboline (N-Me-THbC) is present in trace amounts in the stems.5, 6 D. cabrerana foliage contains 0.17-1.75 % N,N-DMT per dried weight.




Table 1.11: Tryptamine derivatives

Trivial names                                                          Formal names

Bufotenine                                                             5-hydroxydimethyltryptamine

N,N-DMT                                                                N,N-dimethyltryptamine

NMT                                                                      N-methyltryptamine

5-MeO-DMT                                                            5-Methoxydimethyltryptamine

5-MeO-NMT                                                            N-monomethoxytryptamine

Pharmacology :
The indole ethylamine alkaloids (tryptamine alkaloids) are of similar structure to serotonine and thereby have affinity for various serotonergic 5-HT2-receptors. The unique psychological effects might be explained by the fact that these substances are partial-agonists on the receptor subtype 5-HT2A; the receptor subtype 5-HT2A is involved in hallucinogenic activity.2, 4

Because the active tryptamines are substrate for monoamine oxidase (MAO), they are under normal circumstances quickly converted into psychologically inactive aldehydes; these tryptamines are psychologically inactive when taken orally without a MAO-inhibitor. 1, 5 Peganum harmala and Banisteriopsis caapi are b-carboline containing plants that can be used effectively to inhibit MAO and thereby render the tryptamines orally active.


Modifiers :
- MAO-inhibitors potentiate the effects of DMT.1, 4, 5
- Ascorbic acid (vitamin c) doesn't change the intensity of the experience, but it alters its quality: it increases concentration and decreases paranoid thinking. The user will also be less tired at the end of the experience.3
- Tricyclic-antidepressants and a-typical neuroleptica that act as antagonists on the receptor subtype 5-HT2A (risperidon) antagonize the effects.2, 3
- Hashish or marihuana can intensify the experience.
- Caffeine in combination with MAOI can cause hyperreactivity and suspiciousness.
- Alkaloids of the tropane-type (atropine, scopolamine) alter and intensify the psychological effects of the Ayahuasca brews (also more dangerous).1, 4, 8


NOT be combined with MAO-inhibitors
See paragraph 1.5 monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI).


References
1. [Efron/ Holmstedt/ Kline, 1967]
2. [Forth/ Henschler/ Rummel/ Fostermann/ Starke, 2001]
3. [Hoffer/ Osmond, 1967]
4. [Hoffmann/ Schultes, 1973]
5. [Ratsch, 1998]
6. [Shulgin, 1997]
7. [Snyder, 1996]
8. [Stafford, 1974]





One of the most powerfull herbs used in the Ayahuasca brews. We work close together with natives who are gathering these leaves on a ecological way in the jungle of Peru. Here are some impressions:



Searching the leaves....





Harvesting.