Properties of this Ra'peh selection:
YAWANAWA – Blend of pure Jungle tobaccos – powerful and visionary – spirit of the Jaguar. Be sure to blow high into the nostrils as it can burn at first. You may feel tingling, numbness and elevated heart rate at first too. Additional doses intensify visuals. Grounding.
What is Ra'peh?
Ra'pe or Ra'peh, pronounced 'Ha'pae' is often made of several Amazonian plants. The core of most Ra'pe snuffs is the tobacco species Nicotiana Rustica. This Amazonian tobacco, also known as 'Mapacho', is used extensively in tribal rituals and is much stronger than 'N. Tabacum', the type of tobacco found in cigarettes.
In addition to the tobacco, ra’pe. usually includes the alkaline ashes of other plants such as cinnamon, tonka bean, clover, banana peel, or mint, but many shamans keep the exact ingredients of their particular ra’pe a secret.
To many indigenous cultures of the Americas, tobacco is a sacred plant known to cleanse both individuals and ceremonial spaces. Ra’pe (pronounced “ha-pey”) is considered to be a powerful, cleansing snuff used by shamans in Brazil and Peru as part of important medicinal rituals.
Harvest:
Ra'pe is sourced from a number of indigenous tribes in the Amazonian regions of Brazil and Peru, including the Apurina, Huitoto (or Witoto), Kanamari, Katukina, Kaxinawa, Kuntanawa, Matses, Nukini, Shanenawa, and the Yawanawa. Often, a blend’s name will include the name of the tribe and sometimes the name of the shaman who made it.
Benefits of Ra'pe:
Harmala Alkaloids
The particularly potent variety of tobacco called Nicotiana rustica contains high amounts of beta-carbolines, including the harmala alkaloids harmane and norharmane. These alkaloids are also found in the Amazonian vine Banisteriopsis caapi, one of the principal ingredients in ayahuasca. They are MAO-inhibitors that stimulate the body’s central nervous system by inhibiting hormones like serotonin and norepinephrine. The presence of these harmala alkaloids supports evidence that tobacco has antidepressant properties similar to those of ayahuasca and other psychedelics. These biochemical qualities would help explain the “grounding” feeling experienced by many people.