Psychotria carthagenensis

Psychotria carthagenensis, also known as amyruca, is a South American rainforest understory shrub from the coffee family, Rubiaceae. It grows from the tropics of South America to Mexico.[2]

Psychotria carthagenensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Psychotria
Species:
P. carthagenensis
Binomial name
Psychotria carthagenensis
Synonyms
  • Psychotria carthaginensis (lapsus)
  • Psychotria alba
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The plant is used in the preparation of the ayahuasca decoction.[3]

Pharmacological studies

A study in 1972 based in gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method determined the presence of the alkaloids N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), N-monomethyltryptamine (MMT) and 2-methyl-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-β-carboline (MTHC) in the leaves.[4]

In a study in 1994 on ethanol extracts of the leaves showed negative results for the presence of alkaloids.[5] Later, a phytochemical analysis in 2022 on aqueous extracts of the leaves demonstrated the presences of alkaloids.[6]

Hybridisation

Psychotria carthagenensis has been hybridised with the closely related P. viridis, by Australian nurseryman and scientist Darren Williams. The cultivar Nexus was created in 2008, sold by the nursery Herbalistics, resulting in a plant with greater cold tolerance, increased growth rate and a useable DMT content for Ayahuasca.

See also

References
  1. "Catalogue of Life". Archived from the original on 2008-03-26. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  2. "WCSP". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  3. McKenna, Dennis Jon (1984). Monoamine oxidase inhibitors in Amazonian hallucinogenic plants : ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological investigations (Thesis). University of British Columbia.
  4. Rivier, Laurent; Lindgren, Jan-Erik (1972). ""Ayahuasca," the South American Hallucinogenic Drink: An Ethnobotanical and Chemical Investigation". Economic Botany. 26 (2): 101–129. ISSN 0013-0001.
  5. Leal, MB; Elisabetsky, E (1996). "Absence of alkaloids in Psychotria carthagenensis Jacq. (Rubiaceae)". J Ethnopharmacol. 54 (1): 37–40. doi:10.1016/0378-8741(96)01448-1. PMID 8941866.
  6. Nascimento, Giovana Coutinho Zulin; Rivero-Wendt, Carla Letícia Gediel; Miranda-Vilela, Ana Luisa; Dourado, Doroty Mesquita; Facco, Gilberto Gonçalves; Olivon, Vania Cláudia; Porto, Karla Rejane de Andrade; Roel, Antonia Railda; Nunes, Vania Lucia Brandão; Oliveira, Ademir Kleber Morbeck; Matias, Rosemary (2021-04-08). "Acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potential and lack of toxicity of Psychotria carthagenensis infusions". Research, Society and Development. 10 (4): e22810414059–e22810414059. doi:10.33448/rsd-v10i4.14059. ISSN 2525-3409.
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