ayahuasca

1. Pharm. The name given to the psychoactive beverage prepared from the decoction of the woody part of the mariri vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) with the leaves of the chacrona tree (Psychotria viridis), which contains, respectively, the β-carbolines harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine and the psychoactive alkaloid N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT); 2. An entheogenic tea of South American origin prepared with the mariri vine and the leaves of the chacrona tree that provides an expanded state of consciousness. The use of ayahuasca in shamanic rituals is part of the ancestral culture of several tribes in the Amazon region of Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, including the Ashaninka, Huni Kuin, Ticuna and Tucano. Other common names: Hoasca, Vegetal, Daime, Yagé.