Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Animal Fact #2- The Jaguar's Drug of Choice

The Jaguar is usually known as one of the biggest of the feline world, yet very few know about it's party reputation. The jaguar enjoys the plant pictured above, the caapi plant when it wants to 'unwind'. Jaguars gnaw on the roots of the caapi plant until they begin to hallucinate. The plant can be found in the jungles of South America. Caapi root contains a variety of powerful MAOIs (chemicals like you find in antidepressants), which heightens the animal's senses as well as causing them to trip balls.


It is also believed that humans learned about the plant's magical powers by observing the tripping jaguars. Ayahuasca is a brew that consists of the caapi vines. The brew is used by some religious groups in South America and ayahuasca tourism is now offered for people interested in exploring another realm of counciousness, gaining a sense of peace. The activivity is most popular in Peru and partipants are guided by an experienced 'shaman'. One of our favorite DJs, Luciano, experiments in the brew in his latest documentary "La Ruta Del Sol Lucianos Diary"!
Jaguars are pretty clever animals....

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