Identification of 5-hydroxy-tryptamine (bufotenine) in takini (Brosimumacutifolium Huber subsp. acutifolium C.C. Berg, Moraceae), a shamanic potion used in the Guiana Plateau.
Journal of ethnopharmacology – June 30, 2006
Source: PubMed
Summary
A potent shamanic potion from the Guiana Plateau, takini, contains bufotenine, a powerful hallucinogen. Historically, the plant's psychotropic properties were a mystery. Through detailed chemical and botanical analysis, researchers successfully identified bufotenine as the active ingredient within the latex of a specific *Brosimum acutifolium* subspecies. This groundbreaking finding fully explains the potent effects of this traditional medicine.
Abstract
This paper is the first thorough analysis of takini, a hallucinogen used by the shamans of several peoples in Suriname, French Guiana, and the region east of the Para in Brazil. The drug is contained in the latex of the Brosimum acutifolium tree, and until now, its psychotropic properties appeared inconsistent with the more general medicinal uses of the tree in the surrounding region. Our chemical and botanical studies reveal that the active ingredient of takini is bufotenine; and that this compound is only contained in the subspecies Brosimum acutifolium Huber subsp. acutifolium C.C. Berg that is found in the same area of the eastern Guianas.