Editing Ayahuasca (section)

== Preparation ==
[[File:aya-preparation.jpg|thumb|Ayahuasca being prepared in the [[Napo Province|Napo]] region of [[Ecuador]]]]

Sections of ''[[Banisteriopsis caapi]]'' vine are [[Maceration (food)|macerated]] and boiled alone or with leaves from any of a number of other plants, including ''[[Psychotria viridis]]'' (''chacruna''), ''[[Diplopterys cabrerana]]'' (also known as ''chaliponga'' and ''chacropanga''),<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.spiritvine.net/ayahuasca/ |title=Ayahuasca Vine Facts {{!}} Spirit Vine Ayahuasca Retreats |work=Spirit Vine |access-date=2017-05-25 |language=en-US}}</ref> and ''[[Mimosa tenuiflora]]'', among other ingredients which can vary greatly from one shaman to the next. The resulting brew may contain the powerful [[psychedelic drug]] [[dimethyltryptamine]] and [[monoamine oxidase inhibitor|monoamine oxidase inhibiting]] [[harmala alkaloid]]s, which are necessary to make the [[N,N-Dimethyltryptamine|DMT]] orally active by allowing it (DMT) to be processed by the [[liver]]. The traditional making of ayahuasca follows a ritual process that requires the user to pick the lower Chacruna leaf at sunrise, then say a prayer. The vine must be "cleaned meticulously with wooden spoons"<ref name="levy">{{cite news |last1=Levy |first1=Ariel |title=The Drug of Choice for the Age of Kale |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/12/the-ayahuasca-boom-in-the-u-s |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=12 September 2016}}</ref> and pounded "with wooden mallets until it's fibre."<ref name="levy"/>

Brews can also be made with plants that do not contain DMT, ''Psychotria viridis'' being replaced by plants such as ''[[Justicia pectoralis]]'', ''[[Brugmansia]]'', or sacred tobacco, also known as ''mapacho'' (''[[Nicotiana rustica]]''), or sometimes left out with no replacement. This brew varies radically from one batch to the next, both in potency and psychoactive effect, based mainly on the skill of the shaman or brewer, as well as other admixtures sometimes added and the intent of the ceremony. Natural variations in plant alkaloid content and profiles also affect the final concentration of [[alkaloid]]s in the brew, and the physical act of cooking may also serve to modify the alkaloid profile of [[harmala]] alkaloids.<ref name="Callaway2005b">{{cite journal |last=Callaway |first=J. C. |title=Various Alkaloid Profiles in Decoctions of ''Banisteriopsis Caapi'' |journal=Journal of Psychoactive Drugs |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=151–5 |date=June 2005 |pmid=16149328 |issn=0279-1072 |oclc=7565359 |doi=10.1080/02791072.2005.10399796 |s2cid=1420203 |url= http://catbull.com/alamut/Bibliothek/various%20alkaloid%20profiles%20in%20aya%20decoction.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://catbull.com/alamut/Bibliothek/various%20alkaloid%20profiles%20in%20aya%20decoction.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CallawayBritoNeves2005">{{cite journal |last1=Callaway |first1=J. C. |last2=Brito |first2=Glacus S. |last3=Neves |first3=Edison S. |s2cid=30736017 |title=Phytochemical Analyses of ''Banisteriopsis Caapi'' and ''Psychotria Viridis'' |journal=Journal of Psychoactive Drugs |issn=0279-1072 |oclc=7565359 |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=145–50 |date=June 2005 |doi=10.1080/02791072.2005.10399795 |pmid=16149327}}</ref>

The actual preparation of the brew takes several hours, often taking place over the course of more than one day. After adding the plant material, each separately at this stage, to a large pot of water, it is boiled until the water is reduced by half in volume. The individual brews are then added together and brewed until reduced significantly. This combined brew is what is taken by participants in ayahuasca ceremonies.