In 1851, the botanist Richard Spruce observed natives along the Rio Negro in Brazil preparing a beverage from the roots of a vine, which he called Banisteria caapi, of the family Malpighiaceae (it was recently designated Banisteriopsis caapi.) He...

Ayahuasca is a brew made by indigenous (native) peoples of South America. The brew is prepared from the roots of a vine, Banisteriopsis caapi, and sometimes other plant roots. It has been a part of ritual practices for hundreds of years in Colombia,...

Ayahuasca (Quechua, pronounced [ajaˈwaska]) is any of various psychoactive infusions or decoctions prepared from the Banisteriopsis spp. vine, native to the Amazon Rainforest (which is also called ayahuasca). The resulting drinks are pharmacologically...

KHAT ISN'T THE ONLY NEW DRUG In a jungle lodge near the Tambopata River in Peru's rainforest, the vine of death-ayahuasca-wrapped itself around me. Black velvet tentacles gripped me, a hum rose, colors appeared-I tripped like a high schooler. Only people that...

FOR 35 YEARS, the federal government has allowed Native Americans to use peyote in their religious rituals, despite the fact that the drug is otherwise banned. Yet it balked at letting American members of Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do Vegetal (UDV), a Brazil-based...