Caapi

Synonyms Tetrapteris styloptera Jusseiu This little-known, yellow-flowered climbing bush was first described in 1954 by Richard E. Schultes. The Maku, who live on the Rio Tikie (Amazonia), call it caapi (cf. Banisteriopsis caapi) and use it for ritual purposes (Schultes 1954, 204). They manufacture from the bark a psychoactive drink that apparently has effects like those of ayahuasca and is used in a similar manner. The bark may contain ~-carbolines (Schultes and Hofmann 1992,58*). The Tanimukas call the closely related yellowflowered Tetrapteris styloptera Jussieu-most likely a synonym-wee-po-awk. They use the powdered bark medicinally as a hemostatic (Schultes 1983, 137). Tetrapteris mucronata Cav., known as caapipinima, also appears to be used for psychoactive purposes (Schultes and Hofmann 1992, 66f.*).

Literature Schultes, Richard Evans. 1954. Plantae AustroAmericanae IX: Plantarum Novarum vel Notabilium Notae Diversae. Botanical Museum Leaflets 16 (8): 179-228. ---.1983. De Plantis Toxicariis e Mundo Novo Tropicale Commentationes XXXI: Further ethnopharmacological notes on malpighiaceous plants of the northwestern Amazon. Botanical Museum Leaflets 29 (2): 133-37.