The language of Ayahuasca and the Shipibo plant medicine tradition draws from Quechua, Shipibo-Conibo, and Spanish. This glossary defines key terms as they are used on this site. Each term has its own link, so you can point directly to a definition.
A
- Ayahuasca
- (Quechua: aya = soul/spirit/dead + huasca = vine/rope) The sacred brew of the Amazon, made from Banisteriopsis caapi vine and DMT-containing admixture plants. Also refers to the vine itself. See The Brew.
- Arkana
- (from Quechua arkay, "to block/bar") A protective spiritual shield placed around a person by a curandero; in the song tradition, the protective songs (Shipibo paanati) that are the counterpart to harming shitana. Multiple plant spirits may contribute to a person's arkana as they progress through dietas. See Shitana and Arkana.
- Ayahuasquero
- A person who works with ayahuasca; a practitioner or healer who uses the brew in their practice.
B
- Banisteriopsis caapi
- The woody liana (vine) that is the primary ingredient and namesake of the ayahuasca brew. Contains MAO-inhibiting beta-carboline alkaloids.
- Brujo/Bruja
- (Spanish) Sorcerer/sorceress. A practitioner who uses plant medicine for harmful purposes. Distinguished from a curandero (healer).
C
- Ceremony
- A structured ritual session in which ayahuasca is consumed under the guidance of a curandero. Typically conducted at night, in darkness, with icaros.
- Chacruna
- Common name for Psychotria viridis, the DMT-containing leaf most commonly added to the ayahuasca brew.
- Curandero/Curandera
- (Spanish) Healer. A traditional plant medicine practitioner. The term implies someone who heals (curar = to cure/heal), as distinct from a brujo.
D
- Dieta
- The Master Plant Dieta: a formal period of isolation, dietary restriction, and communion with a specific plant spirit. Not the same as the short-term pre-ceremony diet. See The Dieta.
- DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine)
- A powerful psychedelic compound found in many plant species, including Psychotria viridis (chacruna). Classified as a Schedule I substance in many jurisdictions. Orally active only when combined with an MAOI.
I
- Icaros
- Sacred healing songs sung by the curandero during ceremony. Icaros are understood to be received from plant spirits during dieta rather than composed by the healer. They are considered the primary tool of healing, the vehicle through which the medicine is directed.
- Integration
- The process of incorporating insights and experiences from ceremony or dieta into daily life. Considered crucial and often neglected in plant medicine work.
L
- La Purga
- (Spanish: "the purge") Vomiting during an ayahuasca ceremony, considered a central part of the healing process (a physical, emotional and energetic cleansing) rather than a side effect.
M
- Maestro/Maestra
- (Spanish) Master. A senior curandero with extensive experience and training through many plant dietas. The title carries significant weight and implies decades of practice.
- MAOI (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor)
- A class of compounds that inhibit monoamine oxidase enzymes. The beta-carbolines in B. caapi (harmine, harmaline, THH) are MAOIs, which is what makes DMT orally active in the ayahuasca brew.
- Mapacho
- Nicotiana rustica, a potent variety of tobacco sacred in Amazonian traditions. Used for protection, grounding, and communication with spirits. Not smoked recreationally.
- Mareación
- The state of being under the influence of ayahuasca; the altered state of consciousness during ceremony.
N
- Noya Rao
- A rare and sacred tree considered one of the most powerful master plants in the Shipibo tradition. Known as "The Father of All Plants" or "Tree of Light." Its taxonomy is formally unresolved.
P
- Planta Maestra
- (Spanish) Master plant / plant teacher. A plant recognised in Amazonian tradition as possessing a spirit capable of teaching, healing, and communicating with humans through dieta.
- Purga
- See La Purga.
S
- Shipibo-Conibo
- An indigenous people of the Ucayali River region of the Peruvian Amazon. Custodians of one of the most extensively documented ayahuasca and plant medicine traditions. Also known simply as Shipibo.
- Shitana
- In the documented tradition, harming sorcery, specifically the songs sung to cause harm (Shipibo yotoai, boman); from a Quechua/Kichwa verb meaning "to throw/cast" (to send a harmful spirit into a person). Its protective counterpart is arkana. A looser contemporary usage applies the word to the challenging "dark side" of a plant met during dieta. See Shitana and Arkana.
- Supay
- (Quechua/Kichwa) A spirit; in the Ucayali narrowed to mean a malevolent sorcerer (synonym of brujo). A sorcerer is said to "send" a supay into a victim to cause illness.
T
- Tambo
- A simple hut or shelter in the jungle, typically used during dieta for isolation.
- THH (Tetrahydroharmine)
- One of the three principal beta-carboline alkaloids in Banisteriopsis caapi. A mild serotonin reuptake inhibitor and weak MAOI.