Chaliponga (Diplopterys cabrerana)

At a Glance

Chaliponga (Diplopterys cabrerana) is one of the two great DMT-bearing leaves of ayahuasca — the other being chacruna. But where chacruna is a shrub of the coffee family, chaliponga is a forest liana of the Malpighiaceae — the very same family as the ayahuasca vine itself. Its leaves are rich in N,N-DMT, on average somewhat richer than chacruna's, and it is the preferred admixture across the north-west Amazon (Ecuador and Colombia). Like every DMT leaf, it does nothing taken alone: it becomes orally active only when the vine's MAO-inhibiting β-carbolines are present in the brew (McKenna et al., 1984; Riba, 2003).

Taxonomy & Names

The accepted name is Diplopterys cabrerana (Cuatrec.) B.Gates, established in 1979; its homotypic synonym is Banisteriopsis cabrerana Cuatrec. (1958). The plant belongs to the Malpighiaceae — the same family as Banisteriopsis caapi — and its native range spans the western and northern Amazon: Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Venezuela (POWO, 2024).

A note on "Banisteriopsis rusbyana." Much of the classic chemistry of this plant was published under the name Banisteriopsis rusbyana (Agurell et al., 1968; Der Marderosian et al., 1968). That name was misapplied to sterile specimens by Morton in 1931 — the vine flowers only rarely, so collections were repeatedly mis-determined — and it is not a validly typified synonym. When reading older sources, "B. rusbyana" almost always means this plant.

Common names: chaliponga and chagropanga (Quechua) are the most widely used; oco-yajé is recorded in the north-west Amazon (Riba, 2003). It is sometimes loosely called "chacruna" in Ecuador, but that conflates it with the unrelated Psychotria viridis and is best avoided.

Botanical Description

Chaliponga is a woody forest liana, climbing toward the canopy like the caapi vine rather than growing as a free-standing shrub. (Several popular sources mistakenly describe it as a shrub; botanical authorities classify it as a climber — POWO, 2024.) The leaves — the part used — are large, opposite and glossy, and like other Malpighiaceae the species flowers infrequently, which is why it is propagated and identified largely from vegetative material.

Chemistry

The pharmacology of chaliponga rests on its leaf tryptamines, principally N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Across the historical analyses, leaf DMT content is reported from roughly 0.17% to 1.75% of dry weight — a wide spread that reflects real variation between samples, regions and analytical methods (Der Marderosian et al., 1968; Agurell et al., 1968; McKenna et al., 1984; compiled in Riba, 2003).

Taken together, these studies suggest chaliponga leaves are, on average, somewhat richer in DMT than chacruna — Riba (2003) puts mean total leaf alkaloids near 0.7% for D. cabrerana against about 0.3% for Psychotria viridis, most of it DMT in each case. This is a difference of averages, however, not a fixed multiple: the reported ranges overlap, and a given harvest of either plant can be stronger or weaker than the other.

Beyond DMT, trace amounts of 5-MeO-DMT (5-methoxy-N,N-DMT), bufotenine (5-hydroxy-N,N-DMT) and N-methyltryptamine have been reported in the leaves (Agurell et al., 1968). The presence of 5-MeO-DMT is the most-noted chemical distinction from chacruna, though it occurs only in small quantities. (Claims that the leaves contain DMT N-oxide are not supported by the primary literature and are not made here.)

Role in Ayahuasca

Chaliponga plays the same role in the brew as chacruna: it supplies the DMT that, in tradition, brings the "light" or visions, while the caapi vine provides the "spirit" or strength. On its own the leaf's DMT is destroyed in the gut; it becomes orally active only because the vine's β-carbolines (harmine, harmaline, tetrahydroharmine) inhibit the enzyme monoamine oxidase (McKenna et al., 1984). For the full pharmacology of that synergy, see The Brew.

Geographically, chaliponga is the preferred admixture of the north-west Amazon — Ecuador and Colombia — whereas chacruna predominates in Peru and Brazil (Schultes & Hofmann, 1980; Riba, 2003). There is a pleasing botanical curiosity here: in these brews both the vine and the leaf are Malpighiaceae, whereas a chacruna brew pairs a Malpighiaceae vine with a Rubiaceae (coffee-family) leaf.

Brews made with chaliponga are often described by practitioners as more intensely or differently visionary than chacruna brews. This is traditional and anecdotal: there is no controlled study comparing the two, and while the trace 5-MeO-DMT offers a plausible hook, it should not be presented as established fact.

Safety

Chaliponga's risk profile is that of a DMT admixture used with an MAOI — the same picture as any ayahuasca leaf, and it should be read alongside our full Safety & Harm Reduction page.

• MAOI drug interactions. Because it is consumed with the caapi vine's monoamine-oxidase inhibitors, combining it with SSRIs, SNRIs, other MAOIs, certain opioids or stimulants can risk a potentially life-threatening serotonin syndrome; tyramine-rich foods are also a concern. Adequate medical washout is essential (Callaway & Grob, 1998).
• No unusual intrinsic toxicity. Beyond the DMT-plus-MAOI picture, the literature records nothing toxicologically distinctive about D. cabrerana itself. The standard ayahuasca cardiac and psychiatric cautions apply.
• Identity matters. Because the plant is often sterile and locally called "chacruna," correct identification matters; admixture material of uncertain provenance should be treated with caution.

Legal Status

The plant Diplopterys cabrerana is generally not itself a scheduled substance, but the DMT it contains is internationally controlled (UN 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances), so prepared brews are restricted in most countries — with religious or traditional-use exemptions in some (for the wider picture see Ayahuasca Vine and What is Ayahuasca?). Always check local law.

Common Questions

Is chaliponga the same as chacruna?

No. They are two different plants from two different families that play the same role — supplying DMT to the brew. Chacruna is Psychotria viridis, a shrub of the coffee family (Rubiaceae); chaliponga is Diplopterys cabrerana, a liana of the Malpighiaceae (the ayahuasca-vine family). Chaliponga is favoured in Ecuador and Colombia, chacruna in Peru and Brazil.

Does chaliponga contain DMT?

Yes — N,N-DMT is its principal active compound, with trace 5-MeO-DMT, bufotenine and N-methyltryptamine also reported (Agurell et al., 1968; McKenna et al., 1984). As with any DMT leaf, that DMT is only orally active when combined with the MAO-inhibiting caapi vine.

Is chaliponga stronger than chacruna?

On average its leaves are somewhat richer in DMT than chacruna's (Riba, 2003), but the reported ranges overlap and depend heavily on the sample, so it is a difference of averages rather than a fixed "X times stronger." Practitioners often describe chaliponga brews as more visionary, but no controlled study has compared the two.

Is chaliponga a shrub or a vine?

A vine — a woody forest liana that climbs toward the canopy (POWO, 2024). Many popular write-ups call it a shrub; that is incorrect, and is one reason it is confused with the shrub chacruna.

References

1. Agurell, S., Holmstedt, B. & Lindgren, J.-E. (1968) 'Alkaloid content of Banisteriopsis rusbyana.' American Journal of Pharmacy and the Sciences Supporting Public Health 140(5): 148–151. PMID: 5698439
2. Callaway, J.C. & Grob, C.S. (1998) 'Ayahuasca preparations and serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a potential combination for severe adverse interactions.' Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 30(4): 367–369. doi:10.1080/02791072.1998.10399712
3. Der Marderosian, A.H., Pinkley, H.V. & Dobbins, M.F. (1968) 'Native use and occurrence of N,N-dimethyltryptamine in the leaves of Banisteriopsis rusbyana.' American Journal of Pharmacy and the Sciences Supporting Public Health 140(5): 137–147. PMID: 5698438
4. McKenna, D.J., Towers, G.H.N. & Abbott, F. (1984) 'Monoamine oxidase inhibitors in South American hallucinogenic plants: tryptamine and β-carboline constituents of ayahuasca.' Journal of Ethnopharmacology 10(2): 195–223. doi:10.1016/0378-8741(84)90003-5
5. POWO (2024) 'Diplopterys cabrerana (Cuatrec.) B.Gates.' Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Available at: https://powo.science.kew.org/ (accessed 2026). POWO taxon record
6. Riba, J. (2003) Human Pharmacology of Ayahuasca (doctoral thesis). Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Full text (TDX)
7. Rivier, L. & Lindgren, J.-E. (1972) '"Ayahuasca," the South American hallucinogenic drink: an ethnobotanical and chemical investigation.' Economic Botany 26(2): 101–129. doi:10.1007/BF02860772
8. Schultes, R.E. & Hofmann, A. (1980) The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens. 2nd edn. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. WorldCat