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Epena, Yopo
(notes)
Yopo is also known as Cohoba Snuff. It comes from the beans of a tree legume, Anadenanthera peregrina, and Anadenanthera columbrina. Anadenanthera is frequently referred to as Piptadenia in the literature. Epena comes from the bark sap of a plant in the nutmeg family, Virola calophylla.
AGURELL,S: HOLMSTEDT,B: LINDGREN,JE: SCHULTES,RE
Alkaloids in Certain Species of Virola and Other South American Plants of Ethnopharmacologic Interest.
Acta Chem Scand 23:903-916 (1969)
GESSNER, PETER K
Psychotomimetic Drugs
Psychotomimetic Drugs; Ed.:Efron. Raven Press (1970) pg 105 RM315.P77
... we obtained a measure of the potency of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine. We found it to be somewhat more active in this test system than either N,N-dimethyltryptamine or N,N-diethyltryptamine, tryptamines shown to be hallucinogenic in man by Szara (1957), and somewhat less active than LSD. ... We synthesized in addition to the 5-methoxy, the 4-, 6- and 7-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamines, and tryptamines with substituents other than dimethyl on the side chain nitrogen. On testing the relative potency of these compounds [...] we found the 5-methoxy-N,N-diethyltryptamine to be significantly more potent than the 5-methoxy-N,N-diemethyltryptamine or the 4-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, the activity of the latter compound approaching that of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine. The 6- and 7-MeO-DMT's, on the other hand, proved to be significantly less potent than 4-MeO-DMT. 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine proved to be significantly more potent than psilocin (4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) or N,N-diethyltryptamine. ... we compared not only a number of substituted tryptamines, but also compounds isosteric to these, in which the ring nitrogen of the indole moiety was substituted for by a methylene bridge or by a sulfur atom. ... DISCUSSION: ... Dr Gessner: ... Incidentally, while I am on the subject, after Dr Holmstedt showed that 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine was a major component of the hallucinogenic 'epena' snuff, there have been various statements in the literature that it is hallucinogenic in man. I wonder if anybody knows whether it has actually been given as the pure compound to man and whether under those conditions it proves hallucinogenic. If so, it would be interesting to put it on the record. Dr Shulgin: We have it in clinical trial now. It is much more active than dimethyltryptamine. It is much less active than LSD and it is only active parenterally, as is the case with DMT. This is about all I can say. Dr. Snyder: How does it compare with psilocin? Dr Shulgin: It is more active than psilocin, but I can't say how much with any confidence. Dr. Gessner: This is all in accord with our data. Dr. Shulgin: We used 5 to 10 mg of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine; perhaps even a lower dose can be used. Dr. Holmstedt: I have not tested the pure compound, but I have tested in the field the epena the South American Indians use, and that takes effect very quickly, within 30 seconds if you inhale it. I took back with me the same material and analysed it. It contained 11 percent alkaloids, out of which about 10 percent were 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine.
KAWANISHI,K: UHARA,Y: HASHIMOTO,Y:
Alkaloids from the Hallucinogenic Plant Virola Sebifera.
Phytochemistry 246:1373-1375 (1985)
LAI,A: TIN-WA,M: MIKA,ES: PERSINOS,GJ: FARNSWORTH,NR
Phytochemical Investigation of Virola Peruviana, A New Hallucinogenic Plant.
J Pharm Sci 62:1561-1563 (1973)
LAI,A: TIN-WA,M: MIKA,ES: PERSINOS,GJ: FARNSWORTH,NR
Virola Peruviana, A New Hallucinogenic Plant: Phytochemical Investigation.
Lloydia 36:437-438 (1973)
PLOTKIN MJ; SCHULTES RE
Virola: a promising genus for ethnopharmacological investigation.
J Psychoactive Drugs. 1990 Jul Sep; 22(3): 357-61
Data are now available on the antifungal use of Virola from four countries and some 14 different tribes of Indians in these countries who employ the Virola exudate for the same or similar purposes. Three of the five methods of ethnobotanical investigation proposed by Schultes and Swain in 1976 have been employed in this ethnobotanical research. Furthermore, both of the present authors have successfully employed this antifungal treatment themselves. Given that deep fungal infections of the skin are often considered incurable with medications currently in use, further laboratory analysis of Virola resin should be undertaken as soon as possible.
PLOTKIN,MJ: SCHULTES,RE:
Virola: A Promising Genus For Ethnopharmacological Investigation.
J Psychoactive Drugs 22 3: 357-361 (1990) English
SCHULTES R E; HOFMANN A
Epena, Nyakwana, Yakee
Plants of the Gods: Origins of hallucinogenic use; p 68
COMMON NAMES: Epena, Nyakwana, Yakee. BOTANICAL NAME: Virola calophylla, V. elongata, V. theiodora. USAGE HISTORY AND ETHNOGRAPY: In Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru a number of species of Virola are used, the most important of which appears to be V. theiodora. The hallucinogenic snuff has vairious names depending on the locality or tribe, with the most commonly recognized terms being Parica, Epena, and Nyakwana in Brazil, Yakee and Yato in Colombia. USAGE CONTEXT AND PURPOSE: Epena or Nyakwana may be snuffed cermonially by all adult males, occasionally even without any ritual connection. The medicine men use the drug in diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. The use of Yakee or Parica is restricted to shamans. PREPARATION: Some Indians scrape the inner layer of the bark and dry the shavings over a fire. When pulverizedm powdered leaves of Justicia, the ashes of Amasita, the bark of Elizabetha princeps, my be added. Other Indians fell the tree, collect the resin, boil it to a paste, sun-dry the paste, crush and sift it. Ashes of several barks and the leaf powder of Justicia may be added. A further method is to knead the inner shavings of freshly stripped bark and to squeeze out resin and boil it to a paste which is sun-dried and prepared into snuff with ashes added. A group of very primitive Maku Indians in the Colombian Vaupes ingest the unprepared resin as it is collected form the bark. CHEMICAL COMPONENTS AND EFFECTS: Tryptamine and beta-carboline alkaloids, 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine and dimethyltryptamine, being the main constituents, are repsonsible for the hallucinogenic activity. Effects of the intoxication vary. They usually include intial excitability, setting in within several minutes from the first stuffing. Then follows numbness of the limbs, twitching of the facial muscles, inability to coordinate muscular activity, nausea, visual hallucinations, and finally, a deep, undisturbed sleep.
SCHULTES, RICHARD E; SWAIN, TONY
De plantis toxicariis e Mundo Novo tropicale commentationes XIII: Further notes on Virola as an orally administered hallucinogen.
Journal of Psychedelic Drugs; 1976 Oct-Dec Vol 8(4) 317-324
Describes a method of preparing a hallucinogenic resin from the cambial sap of trees of the genus Virola , as practiced by Indian tribes of the Colombia-Peru region. Pellets of the resin are ingested immediately or coated with an ash filtrate and stored.
SCHULTES; HOFMANN
The Chemistry of Epena
Plants of the Gods; pg 170
THE CHEMISTRY OF EPENA: The chemical analysis of various Virola snuffs revealed about a half-dozen closely related indole alkaloids belonging to the simple, open-chained or closed-ring tryptamine derivatives with a tetrahydro-beta-carboline system. The main constituents of these snuffs are 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine and N,N-dimethyltryptamine. 6-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, monomethyltryptamine, and 2-methyl- and 1,2-dimethyl-6-methoxy-tetrahydro-beta-carbolene usually occur only in trace amounts. The alkaloid mixtures are almost identical to those isolated from the Anadenanthera snuffs.
Shabono. Florinda Donner. Dell Publishing Co. New York. 1982. $3.95. interesting descriptions of epena and Hekura spirits on pages 69, 77, 118, 121, 167-170, 183-186, 229. another unnamed hallucinogen with green leaves and yellow flowers is discussed on pages 286-289.
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