Tabernaemontana undulata
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Tabernaemontana undulata is a species of plant from the genus Tabernaemontana in the subfamily Rauvolfioideae within the family of the dog poison plants (Apocynaceae). The Matis and Matsés use it as a medicinal plant and refer to it as Becchete or Bëcchëte (pronounced B'-chéw-teh). It occurs, for example, in the Amazon rainforest and in Costa Rica .
description
Vegetative characteristics
Tabernaemontana undulata grows as a tree or shrub and reaches heights of 1.5 to 7 meters. The plant parts are hairless.
The opposite arranged leaves are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The 0.4 to 1.5 centimeter long petiole has glands at the base. The membranous, simple leaf blade is elliptical or lanceolate, rarely oblong-ovate, with a length of 7 to 26 centimeters and a width of 2.3 to 8.5 centimeters. The edge of the sheet is wavy.
Generative characteristics
Flowers and fruits appear all year round. The lateral, on a 0.4 to 1.7 centimeter long inflorescence stem, zymous inflorescence is greatly reduced and contains only one to four flowers . The egg-shaped bracts are more or less 1 millimeter long. The flower stalk has a length of 2 to 5 millimeters.
The hermaphroditic flowers are radial symmetry and five-fold with a double flower envelope (perianth). The five calyx-lobes , about 8 millimeters long, have six to seven glands at their base. The five pink to salmon-colored, yellow to cream-colored spotted petals are fused to form a 1.9 to 2.8 centimeter long tube with about 1.5 centimeter long corolla lobes. The five stamens have anthers about 4 millimeters long.
The kidney-shaped fruits are purple to coffee-colored and 2.5 to 3 inches long. The approximately 1.1 cm long seeds have a wrinkled surface.
Active ingredients
The main active ingredient in Tabernaemontana is ibogaine , a naturally occurring psychotropic substance . Ibogaine is for treating pain and addiction treatment in dependence on opiates used. It is also used to support psychological introspection and spiritual awareness . In small doses, ibogaine is a stimulant and aphrodisiac , while in larger amounts it is used as a prophecy , similar to ayahuasca and peyote .
Effect of the drug
Dripped in the eyes, Becchete gives the environment a larger structure and dimension, making it easier to spot animals when hunting. The effects last for days or weeks, not just a few hours. The eyes sting when administered, which is not to be expected otherwise due to the fact that becchete is extracted with water from the Amazon , which has a high concentration of tannins , as these by themselves cause stinging and biting in the eyes . It has been reported that Ticuna indigenous people mix the milky sap of a closely related species, Tabernaemontana sananho , with water to treat eye wounds. In addition to using it on the eyes as with the Matis and Ticuna, the Matsés usually take it orally.
history
Scott Wallace of National Geographic Magazine was the first to report on the use of this indigenous medicinal herb by the Matis tribe. Dan James Pantone , one of the founders of the Movement in the Amazon for Tribal Subsistence and Economic Sustainability (MATSES), discovered that the Matsés tribe also used becchete. In September 2008, Pantone collected plant samples in the territory of the Matsés in the region of the Yaquerana River on the border between Peru and Brazil . Together with other botanists from the Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana (UNAP) in Iquitos , Peru, he was able to identify the plant species as Tabernaemontana undulata , part of the genus Tabernaemontana and the plant family Apocynaceae .
Systematics
The first publication of Tabernaemontana undulata was in 1798 by Martin Vahl in Eclogae Americanae , 2, pages 20-21. Synonyms for Tabernaemontana undulata Vahl are Bonafousia undulata (Vahl) A.DC. and Stemmadenia nervosa Standl. & L.Wms.
swell
- J. Francisco Morales, 2001: Tabernaemontana undulata near Especies de Costa Rica . by INBio - Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad . (Sections Description and Systematics)
Individual evidence
- ↑ James A. Duke: Module 8: AMAZONIAN (IBEROAMERICAN). (No longer available online.) In: MEDICAL BOTANY - SYLLABUS. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010 ; accessed on August 7, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Scott Wallace: Into the Amazon. In: National Geographic Magazine. August 2003, accessed August 8, 2010 .
