Beverage from Banisteriopsis caapi, a giant woody liana vine occurring in the Amazon area, to which numerous magic effects are attributed, e.g. to be able to regain lost articles, to take up contact with spirit. In Peru and Ecuador knownn under the designation Ayahuasca.
Psychological effect
The psychological effect corresponds to the other hallucinogens, like LSD or Mescaline, e.g. visual hallucinations of beautiful landscape pictures or ornamentations, orientation on internal-psychological procedures. The Chilean psychiatrist Claudio Naranjo has likewise used Yaje in the psychotherapy.
Active substance
The chemical active substance of Yaje is the the ß-carboline alkaloid Harmine and some related substances, which works primarily as MAO inhibitor and possesses even only small psychotropic characteristics. However, to the preparation DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) is added (from Psychotria viridis or Diplopterys cabrerana), which normally would have no psychotropic effect by oral admission, because it is diminished by the enzyme Monoaminooxidase (MAO). Harmine prevents the dismantling by blocking of this enzyme, so that DMT can become effective as actual psychotropic agent. Alternatively to DMT also Tropane alkaloids from Brugmansia kinds are added.
The combination of specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), and most other antidepressants, with Yaje can cause life support emergencies or death.
