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 Christian Moretti, Yvan Gaillard, Pierre Grenand et al. 32 citations
The hallucinogenic potion takini, used by shamans in Suriname, French Guiana, and eastern Brazil, comes from the latex of the Brosimum acutifolium tree. Chemical and botanical analysis reveals that its active ingredient is bufotenine, a psychoactive compound. This compound occurs only in the subspecies Brosimum acutifolium Huber subsp. acutifolium C.C. Berg, which grows in the eastern Guianas. The finding explains why the tree's psychotropic properties seemed inconsistent with its broader medicinal uses in surrounding regions.