Nixiwakas Songlines

Ayahuasca

The Medicine

Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian brew with a rich history and cultural significance. Its name from Quechua translates as “the vine of the dead” or “the rope of the dead.”

Ayahuasca is made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, which is often combined with Psychotria viridis to produce its visionary effects. While some preparations use only the B. caapi vine, it is more common for other medicinal plants to be added to the decoction. Over 100 different botanical species have been documented as additives.

Its preparation and ingredients vary depending on the region, the person making it, and the intended effects — but its potential for spiritual and therapeutic healing has made it increasingly recognised beyond its Amazonian origins.

The Two Plants

The Vine

Banisteriopsis caapi · Jagube · Cipó

A woody vine from the Malpighiaceae family that grows throughout the Amazonian forest, climbing up to 30 metres in height. Its large leaves can reach 18 cm in length and 8 cm in width. The vine is the masculine element of the brew — grounding, structural, the vehicle for the medicine’s journey through the body.

The Leaves

Psychotria viridis · Chacruna · Rainha

A perennial shrub from the Rubiaceae family, commonly found in the jungles and rainforests of Central and South America. It produces a fruit similar to coffee beans. Known as “rainha” — the queen — it carries the visionary element of the brew and is considered its feminine counterpart.

Origin & History

The origin of ayahuasca use is still unknown, and different theories have been proposed. While some authors suggest its use dates back 5,000 years, no archaeological remains have been found to support this. Unlike other psychoactive substances such as psilocybin mushrooms, datura, and peyote, no references to ayahuasca exist in earlier accounts of colonisers and missionaries who extensively travelled the Amazon basin.

It is reasonable to assume that the use of B. caapi predated its use in combination with P. viridis, and that curanderos used it initially as a purgative. It is also possible that different indigenous groups added various plants to the decoction, and it was through experimentation that someone discovered the powerful effects of combining the vine with chacruna.

The Quechua name gives a sense of how the medicine was understood: “aya” meaning “corpse, dead, dead human body” and “waskha” meaning “rope, cord, braided or twisted wire.” Not as something to be feared, but as a bridge — a way of travelling beyond the ordinary boundaries of the living world.

A note from Nixiwaka

My first encounter with the spirit of Ayahuasca was in 1996, in a tipi in the Maluti Mountains. It was the third attempt before the visions arrived — and when they did, things were never the same again.

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Indigenous groups who have traditionally used ayahuasca

Guahibo Shipibo-Conibo Shuar Colorado Ingano Siona Kofan Witoto Tukano Desana Yakuna Ashaninka Yawanawa Huni Kuin

“The Plant is the teacher. We, as facilitators, are the guides — following the wisdom imparted to us by our physical teachers.”

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