Anadenanthera peregrina AKA Yopo

"Ebene" redirects here. For the city in Mauritius, see Ebene City.

Anadenanthera peregrina

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Anadenanthera
Species: A. peregrina
Binomial name
Anadenanthera peregrina
(L.) Speg.

Range of Anadenanthera peregrina

Synonyms
Acacia angustiloba DC.
Acacia microphylla Willd.
Acacia peregrina (L.) Willd.
Inga niopo Willd.
Mimosa acacioides Benth.
Mimosa niopo (Willd.) Poiret
Mimosa parvifolia Poiret
Mimosa peregrina L.
Niopa peregrina (L.) Britton & Rose
Piptadenia niopo (Willd.) Spruce
Piptadenia peregrina (L.) Benth.[1]

Anadenanthera peregrina, also known as Yopo, Jopo, Cohoba, Parica or Calcium Tree, is a
perennial tree of the Anadenanthera genus native to the Caribbean and South America.[1] It
grows up to 20 m tall, having a horny bark. Its flowers are pale yellow to white and spherical. It
is not listed as being a threatened species. It is an entheogen used in healing ceremonies and
rituals. It is also a well known source of dietary calcium.

Related species
This plant is almost identical to that of a related tree, Anadenanthera colubrina, commonly
known as Cebl or Vilca. The beans of A. colubrina have a similar chemical makeup as
Anadenanthera peregrina, with their primary constituent being 5-OH-DMT (bufotenin).

Botanical varieties
Anadenanthera peregrina var. falcata
Anadenanthera peregrina var. peregrina

Uses
Traditional medicine

Know in some urban cultures as a cheap way to get a high.

Wood

The wood from A. peregrina is very hard and it is good for making furniture.[2] It has a Janka
rating of 3700 lb.[3] and a density of around 0.86 g/cm.[4]

Toxicity

The beans (sometimes called seeds) and falling leaves are hallucinogenic and are toxic to
cattle.[5]

Chemical compounds
Chemical compounds contained in A. peregrina include:

2,9-dimethyltryptoline plant[6]
2-methyltryptoline plant[6]
5-MeO-DMT bark[6]
methyltryptamine bark[6]
5-Methoxy-N-methyltryptamine
Bufotenin plant[6] beans[7]
Bufotenin-oxide fruit,[6] beans[7]
Catechol plant[6]
Leucoanthocyanin plant[6]
Leucopelargonidol plant[6]
DMT fruit,[6] beans, pods,[7] bark[8]
DMT-oxide fruit[6][9]
Methyltryptamine bark[6]
Orientin leaf[6]
Saponarentin leaf[6]
Viterine leaf[6]

The bark and leaves contain tannin and the beans contain saponin.[5]

Entheogenic uses
Traditional usage
Anadenanthera peregrina 1916

Archaeological evidence shows Anadenanthera beans have been used as hallucinogens

cinogens for
thousands of years. The oldest clear evidence of use comes from smoking pipes made of puma
bone (Felis Concolor) found with Anadenanthera beans at Inca Cueva, a site in the northwest of
Humahuaca in the Puna border of Jujuy Province,, Argentina. The pipes were found to contain
the hallucinogen DMT,, one of the compounds found in Anadenanthera beans. Radiocarbon
testing of the material gave a date of 2130 BC., suggesting Anadenanthera use as a hallucinogen
is over 4000 years old.[10] Snuff trays
trays and tubes similar to those commonly used for yopo were
found in the central Peruvian coast dating back to 1200 BC., suggesting that insufflation of
Anadenanthera beans is a more recent method of use.[11] Archaeological evidence of insufflation
1000 AD. in northern Chile has been reported.[12]
use within the period 500-1000

Some indigenous peoples of the Orinoco basin in Colombia, Venezuela and possibly in the
southern part of the Brazilian Amazon make use of yopo snuff for spiritual healing. Yopo snuff
was also widely used in ceremonial contexts in the Caribbean area, including Cuba and La
Espaola, up to the Spanish
panish Conquest.
Conquest

Yopo snuff is usually blown into the user's nostrils by another person through bamboo tubes or
sometimes snuffed by the user using bird bone tubes. Blowing is more effective aas this method
allows more powder to enter the nose and is said to be less irritating. In some areas the
unprocessed ground beans are snuffed or smoked producing a much weaker effect with stronger
physical symptoms. Some tribes use yopo along with Banisteriopsis caapi to increase and
prolong the visionary effects, creating an experience similar to that of ayahuasca
ayahuasca.

Snuff preparation

Modern yopo snuff

To make the psychedelic snuff called yopo, the black beans from the bean pods of these trees are
first toasted until the beans pop like popcorn breaking the bean's husk.. The roasting process
facilitates removal of the husk and makes the beans easier to grind into a powder. The bean's
husk is usually removed because it is difficult to powderise and adds unnecessary volume. The
bean is then ground with a mortar and pestle into a powder and mixed with a natural form of
calcium hydroxide (lime) or calcium oxide (from certain types of ashes, calcined shells, etc.).
This mix is then moistened to a consistency similar to bread dough, using a small amount of
water. If calcium oxide is used, the water will react with it to form calcium hydroxide. Once
moistened, it is kneaded into a ball for several minutes. After kneading, it is then left to sit for
several hours to several days, depending on the local customs. During this period most of the
excess calcium hydroxide reacts with the carbon dioxide in the air to form less caustic calcium
carbonate (carbonatation).

Effects

Inhaling Yopo can cause considerable pain in nostrils. However, this pain usually subsides
within minutes. Physical effects include tingling and numbness throughout the body and an
increased heart rate. Hallucinatory effects follow as colours become more vivid and shapes
appear to alter. The effects of Yopo intensify quickly but gradually fade and are replaced by
nausea and general unease. Increased amounts of the substance induced may intensify and
lengthen effects.

Bufotenin

The beans have been found to contain up to 7.4% bufotenin.[13] At up to 7.4% (74 mg per gram)
bufotenin, an effective 40 mg dose of insufflated bufotenin[13] requires little more than 0.5 grams
of beans.

The intraperitoneal LD50 of bufotenin is between 200300 mg/kg (in rodents) with death
occurring by respiratory arrest. The LD50 in rodents amounts to between 10,000 mg and
15,000 mg for a small 50 kg (110 lb) adult.[14] Based on the intraperitoneal LD50 for rodents, at
74 mg per gram, it would require approximately 135 grams of beans to reach the estimated
LD50of bufotenin for a 50 kg (110 lb) adult. Human intravenous tests using bufotenin suggest the
LD50 may be much lower in humans with subjects showing signs of peripheral toxicity (purple
face, tachycardia, difficulty breathing, etc.) at doses as little as 8 mg in some subjects.[15] Free
base bufotenin when insufflated, taken sublingually, orally, or intrarectally, elicits strong
hallucinogenic effects with far less side effects.[13]

Dimethyltryptamine and 5-MeO-DMT

The effects of insufflated DMT and 5-MeO-DMT are relatively short acting, lasting about 1
hour, while the effects of insufflated yopo typically last 23 hours. Of the three main compounds
present, only insufflated bufotenine lasts 23 hours. Claims of Anadenanthera peregrina
containing DMT and 5-MeO-DMT as their main active ingredients are based on rare cases where
these compounds are found in larger quantities than bufotenine. Typical acid base extraction
techniques utilizing strong bases such as sodium hydroxide solution will exclude bufotenin from
the extraction, in favor of DMT and 5-MeO-DMT. It is believed[citation needed] that such extractions
have contributed to the misconception that bufotenin is a minor alkaloid in yopo. The majority of
the extractions confirm that bufotenin is primarily responsible for the effects of yopo with the
other compounds usually appearing in quantities too small to produce noticeable effects in an
average yopo dose of 5-10 grams[citation needed].

The beans have been found to contain up to only 0.04% 5-MeO-DMT and 0.16% DMT.[13] The
leaves and bark also contain small amounts of DMT, 5-MeO-DMT and related compounds.[16]

At up to 0.04% (0.4 mg per gram) 5-MeO-DMT, an effective light 5 mg dose of insufflated 5-

MeO-DMT (5-MeO-DMT dosage, Erowid.org) would require over 12 grams of beans. It would
be extremely difficult to insufflate such a quantity, as tolerance would likely develop before the
12-gram nasal intake could be completed. Individual sensitivity to 5-MeO-DMT varies. It's been
documented that the threshold dose in some individuals is as much as 10 mg insufflated[17]
requiring over 24 grams of beans for an effective dose of 5-MeO-DMT.

At up to 0.16% (1.6 mg per gram) DMT, an effective 40 mg dose of insufflated DMT would
require 25 grams or more. Its likely to be impossible to insufflate the 25 grams of beans required
to reach the active dose of DMT present in the beans. An extract of 25 grams of beans could
contain up to 1,850 mg of bufotenin, a potentially dangerous dose of bufotenin. With insufflated
free-base bufotenin, the maximum published safe dose used has been 100 mg.[13]

Unlike bufotenin, both DMT and 5-MeO-DMT are relatively unstable and begin to degrade
rather quickly. Schultes and colleges (1977) examined a 120 year old bean collection and found
0.6% bufotenin with no DMT or 5-MeO-DMT present at all. They also examined a batch of
beans that contained all three compounds when fresh, but found only bufotenin in the beans after
only two years of storage.[14]

Oral usage

When taken orally by some tribes in South America, small amounts are often combined with
alcoholic chichas (maize based beer).[14] Moderate doses are unpleasant, producing nausea and
vomiting. The beans were a main ingredient in bilca tauri, an oral purge medicine used to induce
ritual vomiting once a month.[14] Large amounts are not usually consumed orally; as many tribes
believe oral use is dangerous.

Use with MAOIs

Some South American tribes have been documented to use various bean preparations along with
Banisteriopsis caapi, a herb containing MAOIs.[14] Typically Banisteriopsis caapi is chewed in
the mouth while the Anadenanthera beans are snuffed or smoked.[14] Occasionally Banisteriopsis
caapi is found mixed in with the snuff.[14] Moderate amounts of Banisteriopsis caapi will
effectively double the potency of the Anadenanthera beans. Larger amounts of Banisteriopsis
caapi will not only double the potency of Anadenanthera beans but also alter the quality of the
experience, producing a more relaxed dreamy effect, with possible increased nausea. There are
no well documented reports of the beans being used as a major component in ingestion of
ayahuasca, a therapeutic tea made with Banisteriopsis caapi.