Description
Banisteriopsis Caapi Chocolate Rapé | Mapacho free | Wild Amazonian | Fine Aroma Cocoa | #57
This Rapé is made with ash from cacao, B. caapi, and guava. This Caapi Chocolate Rapé is a lovely and gentle energizer. It is mild, profound, and full of light!
Caapi Chocolate Rapé was made in the Chocó region of the Ecuadorian Andes foothills. Where lowlands meet the cloud rainforests and the rivers flow pristine from the highlands. This is exactly the place where our Wakingherbs family project is blossoming while the hummingbirds fly around us. This blend was made with all the love and lofty intentions from all of us so that you can find clarity, abundance, and joy.
Fifty-year old Cacao trees
Our Caapi Chocolate Rapé is a unique rapé prepared with the highest grade fine aroma cacao (Theobroma cacao) variety native to the Ecuadorian Amazon forest but nowadays grown in the Chocó Region at 700 m.a.s.l. For this rapé, we were granted permission by some lovely indigenous families to harvest the cacao pods from their private grove of trees planted by their grandparents over 50 years ago.
Once the beans were fermented, dried, and roasted we removed the cocoa butter in order to work only with the finest dark powder.
Guaba (Inga edulis)
As a booster for this rapé, we used the bark from an adult Guaba tree. This tree is a Fabaceae pioneering tree popular among many forest animals like toucans and monkeys. They love to feed on the long pods that have a white sweet pulp inside. It is no surprise that in English this fruit is called ice cream fruit. The bark of the tree contains lots of calcium which makes it a great source for rapé ash.
B. Caapi the Master Plant Teacher
The third ingredient of our Caapi Chocolate Rapé is the leaves from B. caapi. This plant is and will remain the basis of the Wakingherbs project and has an important role in our personal path and consciousness.
Many Amazonian tribes regard Banisteriopsis caapi also known as Ayahuasca as a plant of the gods. Known as a Master Plant Teacher, this giant woody vine grows in the lush Amazon rainforest of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil. Many curious characteristics and properties have drawn worldwide attention to this sacred plant. It belongs to the Malpighiaceae family and has been used in their ritual practices by countless South American tribes inhabiting the Amazon for thousands of years. Known most commonly for its healing power, this vine is richly steeped in cultural mythology. Although it is revered internationally it is still considered to be a very mysterious plant, arguably one of the most fascinating entheogens on earth.
The deep brown stems are filled with various chemical constituents. Harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydro harmine are among a few others which are classified as harmala alkaloids and MAOI’s. Scientific analysis has identified the vines to constitute approximately 0.11-0.83% beta-carboline, with the majority being the harmaline and tetrahydroharmaline. The vine also contains several alkaloids.
What is Rapé?
Rapé, pronounced ‘ha-pey’ in Portuguese, is a traditional snuff used by various indigenous tribes of South America. Predominantly tribal people from Brazil and Peru. Rapé blends contain a ground mixture of plants, tree bark, seeds, and ash. The fine powder is blown into each nostril through a bone or bamboo pipe called a ‘Tepi’ or ‘Kuripe’. The Tepi applicator is a long blow pipe that connects the nostril of the receiver to the mouth of the person that administers the snuff. The Kuripe is for self-application. The V-shaped applicator connects the nostril to the mouth allowing the snuff to be self-blown into the nose.
Each tribe has its own rapé formula and usually, it is women who gather the ingredients. The selection, mixture, and grinding process are regarded as a ritual only to be performed by a reputable healer. The snuff is typically made in small batches according to the specific needs of the person being treated or the ceremony’s occasion.
The use of Rapé aims to restore our connection to nature and a sense of grounding. It clears mental fog and confusion eliminating negative thought patterns. These powerful snuffs bring about physical and spiritual wellness.
Read more:
Step by step guide to using Rapé.
What is Rapé – Waking Herbs blog