The brew - How to prepare ayahuasca?
Here is a series of posts on Bluesky about the way the Huni Kuin people prepare ayahuasca.
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The Huni Kuin people, and other peoples in the same language group, have been using ayahuasca since immemorial times. In Kashinawa language, their mother tongue, ayahuasca is called nixi pae, the vine of drunkenness.
Finding the plants
Let's start with the preparation of ayahuasca. What is ayahuasca?It is a brew made of the ayahuasca vine (left) and the leaves of chacruna (right). Both occurring naturally in the Amazon.These photos were taken in the state of Acre in Brazil.
— EntheoG 🍄🌱 (@entheog.bsky.social) January 16, 2025 at 2:49 PM
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Harvesting ayahuasca
The first step in preparing ayahuasca is to harvest it. Here's a photo of a Huni Kuin medicine man harvesting the vine with a machete.
— EntheoG 🍄🌱 (@entheog.bsky.social) January 17, 2025 at 2:09 PM
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Harvesting chacruna
Then, collect some chacruna leaves (Psychotria viridis). Excuse the plastic bag 😅
— EntheoG 🍄🌱 (@entheog.bsky.social) January 18, 2025 at 5:28 PM
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Rasping the bark
Next, the bark of the vine is rasped with a knife. You want to keep the vine intact while removing anything on the outside (lichen…).
— EntheoG 🍄🌱 (@entheog.bsky.social) January 20, 2025 at 5:39 PM
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Separating the fibers
The vines are beaten in order to separate the fibers. This will allow the active principles of ayahuasca to infuse the brew.
— EntheoG 🍄🌱 (@entheog.bsky.social) January 22, 2025 at 7:01 PM
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Adding water and boiling
The next step consists of adding water to the vines and leaves and bring it to a boil. Typically, a couple of hours are needed to extract the compounds from the plants.
— EntheoG 🍄🌱 (@entheog.bsky.social) January 24, 2025 at 4:52 PM
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Filtering out
Once it has boiled for a little while, the brew is left to cool down briefly. The ayahuasca vines and chacruna leaves are separated, filtered out, from the liquid.
— EntheoG 🍄🌱 (@entheog.bsky.social) January 27, 2025 at 6:12 PM
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Left-over
When all the liquid has been drained out, what's left is the fibers of the ayahuasca vines.
— EntheoG 🍄🌱 (@entheog.bsky.social) January 29, 2025 at 5:06 PM
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Simmer and reduce
Finally, the ayahuasca brew is left to simmer and reduce. It gradually takes on its characteristic dark brown colour.
— EntheoG 🍄🌱 (@entheog.bsky.social) January 31, 2025 at 5:55 PM
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Altar
The ayahuasca is ready. Now is the time to set up the altar in preparation for the ceremony. Sacred and meaningful objects are placed in the center of the ceremonial maloca.
— EntheoG 🍄🌱 (@entheog.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 6:55 PM
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Ceremony
It's 9pm, the ceremony has started. The participants take turn to drink the sacred brew, in silence, in the candlelit maloca. We've stepped out of everyday's world.
— EntheoG 🍄🌱 (@entheog.bsky.social) February 5, 2025 at 7:03 PM
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