ayahuasca

American  

[ah-yuh-wah-skuh] / ˌɑ yəˈwɑ skə /

noun

1. a woody South American vine, Banisteriopsis caapi, of the malpighia family, having bark that is the source of harmine, a hallucinogenic alkaloid used by Amazon Indians.

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ayahuasca British  

/ ˌaɪəˈwɑːskə /

noun

1. a Brazilian plant, Banisteriopsis caapi, that has winged fruits and yields a powerful hallucinogenic alkaloid sometimes used to treat certain disorders of the central nervous system: family Malpighiaceae

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Etymology

Origin of ayahuasca

From Latin American Spanish (Ecuador, Peru); from Quechua aya “dead” + huasca “rope”

Example Sentences

In a brief final chapter that belatedly acknowledges the importance of attending to mental and emotional health to make an extended lifespan worthwhile, Attia reveals that he surrounds himself primarily with absurdly wealthy people in an anecdote about seeking “quick fixes”: “Too often I see people tethering their hopes of transformation solely to a ketamine trip or a journey to the jungles of Peru with a shaman to guide them through the mind-blowing experience of an ayahuasca journey,” he writes.

From Slate

Rankin himself described it as “one part Canadian Heritage Minute and one part ayahuasca death trip.”

From Los Angeles Times

“The ways things blend here is through the idea of nonhuman intelligence, whether it’s a nuts-and-bolts spacecraft to someone talking to ghost to a DMT or ayahuasca experience to talking to artificial intelligence.”

From Los Angeles Times

They speak their own language, take ayahuasca to connect with forest spirits and trap spider monkeys to make soup or keep as pets.

From New York Times

Although a new program called The Tucker Carlson Show just launched this week—Carlson’s first two guests were podcaster Dave Smith and ayahuasca enthusiast Aaron Rodgers, who announced, inaccurately, that Carlson’s interview with Putin had been “awesome”—TCN’s flagship show up to now has been Tucker Carlson Uncensored, in which the host monologues a bit and then generally chats with a guest.

From Slate