Rape Dos Indios

Synonyms Olmedioperebea sclerophylla In the central Amazonian region (Xingu) of Brazil, the bark and perhaps the seeds of this tree, which can grow as tall as 30 meters and is known locally as rape dos indios, are made into a snuff that is purported to have hallucinogenic effects and is consumed at religious festivals (Schultes and Raffauf 1990, 318*). This practice has apparently died out (D. McKenna 1995, 101 *). The powder is said to stimulate the central nervous system and cause euphoria and visual hallucinations. Unfortunately, pharmacological studies of these effects using human subjects have not yet been conducted (Carlini and Gagliarid 1970; D. McKenna 1995, 101*). One experiment with rats and guinea pigs revealed-as is typical-little but amphetaminelike reactions (Carvalho and Lapa 1990). Earlier studies demonstrated the presence of coumarins. Later investigations revealed the presence of cardiac glycosides as well (Ott 1993,412*).

Literature Carlini, E. A., and R. J. Gagliarid. 1970. Compara<;:ao das ac5es farmacol6gicas de estratos brutos de Olmedioperebea calophyllum e Cannabis sativa. Anais do Academia Brasileira dos Ciencies 42:400-412. Carvalho, Joao Ernesto de, and Antonio Jose Lapa. 1990. Pharmacology of an Indian-snuff obtained from Amazonian Maquira sclerophylla. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 30:43-54.