noun.
UK: əʊəskə | US: oʊəskə
1. Pharm. The
name given to the psychoactive beverage prepared from the decoction of the woody part of the mariri
vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) with the leaves of the chacrona tree (Psychotria viridis), which contains, respectively, the β-carbolines harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine and the psychoactive alkaloid N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT); Ayahuasca, Vegetal, Daime, Yagé.
2. An entheogenic tea of South
American origin prepared with the mariri
vine and the leaves of the chacrona tree that provides an expanded
state of consciousness. The use of Hoasca in shamanic rituals is part of the ancestral culture of several tribes in the Amazon region of Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, including the Ashaninka, Huni Kuin, Ticuna and Tucano. Since the 1930s, it has been distributed as a sacrament in some Christian religions, such as the União do Vegetal,
Santo Daime, Barquinha and
Alto Santo. The tea is proven harmless to health when used in the religious context and without the association with other substances, according to scientific studies conducted by renowned entities.