pitubo said:
Oh. Bother. I just hope we do not have to reiterate the discussion in
this thread all over again?
ganesh said:
With what parts of the reasoning in the thread referenced above and with what part of the reasoning in this thread do you find fault exactly?
ganesh said:
The reason there's Ayahuasca/ ANAhuasca/ PHARMAhuasca, is so that we know what we are specifically referring to.
This depends entirely on the context. There are situations when it doesn't really matter what specific type of ayahuasca or what specific source of maoi and dmt is used. There are also situations where it is relevant to specify the exact ingredients. Using the terms 'an ayahuasca' versus 'traditional ayahuasca' can provide all the needed specific clarity as required by the specific context. Why do you have a problem with that?
Moreover, you are suggesting that your interpretation of 'ayahuasca' is highly specific and nonambiguous, but you are wrong about that. There is not one standardized ayahuasca formula. There are many different types of vines in use, some of which do not even belong to the Caapi type (think eg. B. Muricata.) There is a wide variation of admixture plants used. Even the shamanic practice is far more diverse than you appear to be aware of. Traditional amazon shamanism, mestizo shamanism and new-age shamanism have very different notions of the cultural function and role of ayahuasca. Clearly there is not one 'ayahuasca' as you claim. Why do you not consider these issues when you claim to defend the specificity of terms?
ganesh said:
Apart from appearances, it's a fact that Caapi isn't the same as Rue, because the plant is a lot more than harmalas, and also they are in completely different proportions, to the other. Now when we just talk about Caapi: Extracted Caapi Alks appear to have different potencies and feelings to that of boiled Caapi, i read on this forum somewhere. This a subject of confusion, pointing to the possability that there are other factors in vine that add to the experience, such as tannins, etc, so perhaps the 'spirit' or 'feeling' of Caapi may not just refer to Caapi Alkaloids.
You fail to make an argument, because there are also big differences between individual brews of ayahuasca. Until you are able to quantify these differences, there is simply too little information to make a valid assessment. Where is your reference for your claim that extracted harmalas have 'different potencies and feelings' than boiled Caapi? BTW, if one were to add tannins to the extracted harmalas, then that would in your opinion be equal to the boiled tea again?
ganesh said:
Ayahuasca is any brew that contains the Ayahuasca vine. If it doesn't it can't be called Ayahuasca.
Let's look at various arguments to prove that Ayahuasca is more than 'extracted Alkaloids':
Whilst there are times when people have given Curandero's spice to smoke, and they have said it had the spirit of Ayahuasca, i feel this is wrongly interpreted. I think they said that the 'visions' were similar to Ayahuasca, but that's where it ends, (because Ayahuasca is all about the VINE). Seriously, you cannot really compare the two because whilst there are some visual similarities (because dm is also used in Aya brews), they are not the same. Ayahuasca traditionally isn't so much about 'visuals' anyway, and traditionally it wasn't used as it is today ( Again because Ayahuasca is all about the VINE). Now the modern/current 'scene' seems to be visions orientated to appease the requirements of 'visions hungry', Westerners. Sometimes i feel that highly specific questions are asked, but misinterpreted by these Curandero's. Anyone who has tried both will say they are not the same.
Oh I see, you know much better how to interpret these things than Jonathan Ott, who besides actually being there and working with the indigenous shamans, has spent decades studying the plants, cultures and peoples.
ganesh said:
Now lets imagine for a moment that if some curandero was given a Rue based brew over a Caapi based one, they 'might' say they have the same spirit, but seriously is he meaning 'feeling'? People often call Caapi, 'La Madre', because the spirit often appears in visions like a woman. This doesn't appear to be the same with Rue. Again, You don't need a Curandero to tell you that!
Do you have references for your claims about rue induced visions? If not, these are pretty meaningless claims. Certainly your (equally unreferenced) claims about Caapi visions make little sense. Not only is it unreasonable to infer an objective distinction from highly subjective 'visionary content', your claims even lack elementary factual soundness. Here is what Beatriz Labate, another respected researcher, has to say about this:
Labate & Cavnar said:
Looking at indigenous discourse, we note these things appearing more complex. First, it is very important to remember that the ayahuasca brew consists of at least two plants, ayahuasca and chacruna. One of the shamans with whom I worked in Iquitos told me that ayahuasca is most definately a male spirit, while the spirit of chacruna is female. This reflects the findings of other researchers as well. For example, Bustos mentions that the ayahuasca spirit is perceived by the Ashaninka as male and the spirit of chacruna as female.
(source: Labate & Cavnar: Ayahuasca shamanism in the Amazon and beyond, p.175)
This quote is taken from the paragraph titled "The feminization of ayahuasca" which actually starts out with these words:
Labate & Cavnar said:
I will close this chapter with an example from my fieldwork that illustrates the transformation of discourse that can occur when outsiders appropriate ayahuasca shamanism. I call this phenomenon the "feminization of ayahuasca."
Admittedly, there is no clear Amazon-wide consensus on the gender of any of the plants involved, but the authors point out that it is exactly the introduction of gender issues that typifies the appropriation of ayahuasca shamanism by westerners.
ganesh said:
Finally, Jonathan Ott reckons that extracted Caapi Alkaloids is where the Spirit is, but really he needs to instead try to emulate it with extracted/synthesized harmalas from another source, in the same proportions, to see it that really is the case.
Not only does Ott claim this, he claims that Amazonian shamans agree with him. Your experimental proposal is certainly interesting, but does in no way negate the statements by Ott or the shamans about "plant spirits".
ganesh said:
Whatever, many people have their preferences, but Rue and Caapi are said to feel different. They have a different balance of Alkaloids which (if they are the spirits?) should alone be enough a reason to not call them the same thing. For instance Rue contains little THH, and also a fair bit of Harmalol. Caapi contains more THH and no Harmalol, i believe. Rue also contains Vasinine, or whatever. There is simply enough differences in Alks alone, without mentioning tannins, etc, to be specific about calling one Ayahuasca, and another Anahuasca.
You may be confusing harmaline with harmalol. Furthermore, nexus analysis has shown that many caapi vines also actually contain little THH. If you had actually read
my earlier post in this thread, you would have noticed the reference to
this caapi analysis thread that pointed this out. Again I restate that individual caapi based brews vary wildly in composition, so much that you cannot simply reduce them to a simgle standard, which undermines your argument.
Vasicine is named just like that. Facts are not a matter of "whatever." If you do not care to get the spelling right, how can you get your facts and references right?
ganesh said:
Speaking generally, rue-based entheogenic brews classify perfectly well as 'an ayahuasca'.
I would really appreciate it if you would actually read the preceding discussions and consider the facts and arguments already presented.
BONUS VIDEO:
[YOUTUBE]Ayahuasca is a male spirit (just youtube amusement, not intended as solid "proof".)