Plants
July 9, 2020
Beatriz Werneck Lopes Santos, Regina Célia de Oliveira, Júlia Sonsin‐oliveira et al.
32 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychoactive brew traditionally made from Banisteriopsis caapi vine and Psychotria viridis leaves, contains β-carboline alkaloids that inhibit monoamine oxidase and the psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Analyzing 176 plant lianas (159 B. caapi) and 33 ayahuasca samples from Brazilian regions using LC-MS/MS, mean concentrations in B. caapi were 4.79 mg/g harmine, 0.451 mg/g harmaline, and 2.18 mg/g tetrahydroharmine (THH), with high variability (relative standard deviation 78.9–170%). Native samples had significantly higher harmine than cultivated ones; samples from Federal District/Goiás had more THH than those from Acre. Ayahuasca concentrations ranged widely: 0.109–7.11 mg/mL harmine, 0.012–0.945 mg/mL harmaline, 0.09–3.05 mg/mL THH, and 0.10–3.12 mg/mL DMT. Paired samples confirmed harmine reduces to harmaline and THH during brewing. This large study reveals substantial alkaloid variability, challenging standardization for ethnopharmacological research.
PeerJ
January 1, 2022
Alessandro M Varani, Saura R Silva, Simone Lopes et al.
7 citations
The chloroplast genome of Psychotria viridis, a shrub used in the traditional ayahuasca brew, is 154,106 base pairs long and contains the full set of genes typical of flowering plants. Its mitochondrial genome has a complex structure with at least two alternative circular forms, one 615,370 and the other 570,344 base pairs, and shows evidence of heteroplasmy—the presence of multiple mitochondrial genome variants within an individual. Most mitochondrial genes are present, but several are pseudogenes or missing entirely. Comparative analysis of chloroplast genomes across the Rubiaceae family reveals generally conserved structures with minor variations at junction regions. These findings provide foundational genomic resources for this species and may support conservation efforts.
Genetics and molecular biology
January 1, 2024
Edisson Chavarro-Mesa, João Victor Dos Anjos Almeida, Saura R Silva et al.
2 citations
The sacred ayahuasca brew, used by Amazonian indigenous communities and Brazilian religious groups, combines the liana Banisteriopsis caapi (Mariri) with the shrub Psychotria viridis (Chacrona). Chacrona leaves contain the psychedelic DMT, while B. caapi provides beta-carboline alkaloids that prevent DMT's breakdown. Researchers sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of B. caapi, revealing a circular structure of 503,502 base pairs. The mitogenome lacks some ribosomal genes, contains atypical genes, and includes plastid pseudogenes, indicating gene transfer between organelles. A 7-kilobase repetitive segment with copies of rrnL and trnfM genes suggests dynamic mitogenome maintenance. Phylogenetic analysis across 24 Malpighiales placed the sample in the "Tucunacá" ethnovariety, confirming morphological identification.