Different Kinds of Ayahuasca

1. Ayahuasca as a vine (physical aspect)

● Scientific classification: According to botanists they had found approximately 20 types of Ayahuasca vine.

● Shamanic classification: This classification is different from shaman to shaman, tribe to tribe and from tradition to tradition. Some maestros name the vine according to the colour of the flowers, other according to the colour of the vine when they scrape it.

2. Ayahuasca as its psychoactive effect

● The Harakmbut natives differentiate between 22 types of Ayahuasca that they use in ceremony.

● In the north of Peru the vine is defined as: tigre-ayahuasca, rayo-ayahuasca, cielo-ayahuasca, boa-ayahuasca, but they do not agree at all about the characteristics and effects.

The most popular classification for Ayahuasca seems to be:

1. According to the type fo vine

● YELLOW AYAHUASCA or MASTER AYAHUASCA is a soft preparation, without a lot of purge and visions. It’s very good for first timers. The visions are soft and the taste is not so strong.

● PINK AYAHUASCA or SKY AYAHUASCA is much stronger than the Yellow Ayahuasca and is good for people with a little bit more experience. It is very good for cleansing and healing. It is also known as RED Ayahuasca and is the most popular Ayahuasca.

● WHITE AYAHUASCA works mainly in the sexual energy center.

● BLACK AYAHUASCA has a big potential for healing and energetic protection. It is not very visual though. Most of the visions are covered by a dense black cloak. It is strong and does a lot of cleansing work. Visions are short but intense.

2. According to the mix

Here we can find different kinds of Ayahuasca that target a problem more specifically. In the mix a third or fourth plant can be added. This is usually done at the end of the Ayahuasca preparation and which parts of the plant – bark, leaves or roots – will depend on what the shaman wants from the Ayahuasca, energetically speaking.

● Ayahuasca + Chakruna+ Tabacco: This Ayahuasca is not one of my favorites. It can be demanding, especially if you have a delicate liver, but it depends on if it is Mapacho or the tobacco leafs from the plant. If it is a Mapacho the mix is very hot for the liver and can create physical distraction. Tabacco is a very powerful plant and spirit and is used for protection and cleaning. I am working on an article about this plant. There are Tabacco shamans in the Amazon.

● Ayahuasca + Chakruna + Bobimsana: This is my favorite Ayahuasca mix because the Bombisana plant has the ability to open the heart and get in touch with all the magic inside and outside of us. It is very strong visually and the mareacion (MAREACION is the common word to describe the state one can find in Ayahuasca ceremonies) comes in waves, is strong and then disappears, then is strong again and then disappear. It does so approximately 3 times.

● Ayahuasca + Chakruna + Toe: This mix has a very bad reputation, but mostly because people do not know much about Toe. This mix is one of the most powerful mixes, and it is a very visual Ayahuasca, like crystal water. The shaman must know how many Toe to put in this mix, because Toe has a very strong spirit and can be mortal. Toe is in my opinion more powerful than Ayahuasca. Therefore one must be very respectful, do several diets and train to work with this spirit. It is one of my favorite Ayahuasca and I never had any problems with this mix, but I had proper guidance and the shaman I worked with knew a lot about Toe.

Once more: guidance is very important in every Ayahuasca ceremony. There is a lot more to know about this sacred tea.

– Love and gratitude –

Naysha Silva

NOTE: The Ayahuasca vine showed in the picture comes from a sustainable Ayahuasca Farm located in Pucallpa- Peru .