Tillandsias

Tillandsias are epiphytes that grow on typical American flora. In pre-Columbian Peru, they were used as a stuffing in the false heads of mummies (Towle 1961, 31*). Tillandsias appear on Mochican ceramic paintings in connection with winged shamans (Andritzky 1989,169 f.*). It may be that a psychoactive use was once known but has now been forgotten. The plant depicted in the paintings of the Mochica is sometimes interpreted as Tillandsia purpurea RUlz et Pav. (Ott 1996, 108*). Flavonoids have been found in this species (Arslanian et al. 1986). The Tarahumara Indians refer to Tillandsia mooreana Smith as wararuwi, "peyote companion" (cf. Lophophora williamsii), and presumably used it as a peyote substitute (Ott 1996, 108*). The Tarahumara use a related species, the ball moss (Tillandsia recurvata [1.] 1.), which they call muchiki chab6ame, as a cough medicine (Deimel 1989, 6l). This plant was previously identified as Tillandsia inflata Mez. (Bye 1975). In Brazilian ethnomedicine, Tillandsia usneoides (1.) 1. (Spanish moss) is used as an analgesic. It is said that a watery extract of this plant induces "visions" (Ott 1996, 420*).

Literature Arslanian, R. 1., et al. 1986. 3-n=methoxy-5hydroxyflavonols from Tillandsia purpurea. Journal ofNatural Products 49 (6): 1177-78. Bye, R. A. 1975. Plantas psicotropicas de los Tarahumaras. Cuadernos Cientificos CEMEF 4:49-72. Deimel, Claus. 1989. Pflanzen zwischen den Kulturen: Tarahumaras und Mestizen der Sierra Madre im Noroeste de Mexico. Ethnobotanische Vergleiche. Curare 12 (1): 41-64.