Virola

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Virola
Virola elongata Illustration 1860
Virola elongata Illustration 1860
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Myristicaceae
Genus: Virola
Aubl.
Species

About 67 species, see text.

Virola, also known as Epená, is a genus of medium-sized trees native to the South American rainforest and closely related to other Myristicaceae, such as nutmeg. It has glossy, dark green leaves with clusters of tiny yellow flowers and emits a pungent odor.

The dark-red resin of the tree bark contains several hallucinogenic alkaloids, most notably 5-MeO-DMT (Virola calophylla), 5-OH-DMT (Bufotenine), and also N,N-DMT, perhaps the most "powerful" member of the Dimethyltryptamine family; it also contains beta-carboline harmala alkaloids, MAOIs that greatly potentiate the effects of DMT. The bark resin is prepared and dried by a variety of methods, often including the addition of ash or lime, presumably as basifying agents, and a powder made from the leaves of the small Justicia bush. Ingestion is similar to that of Yopo, consisting of assisted insufflation, with the snuff being blown through a long tube into the nostrils by an assistant. According to Schultes, the use of Virola in magico-religious rituals is restricted to tribes in the Western Amazon Basin and parts of the Orinoco Basin.

Contents

[edit] Traditional medicine

The tops of Virola oleifera have been shown to produce lignan-7-ols and verrucosin that have antifungal action regarding Cladosporium sphaerospermum in doses as low as 25 micrograms. Lignan-7-ols oleiferin-B and oleiferin-G worked for Cladosporium cladosporoides starting as low as 10 micrograms.[1]

[edit] Species

About 67 species, including:[2]

[edit] Gallery

Virola elongata fruit

Virola elongata seeds

Virola carinata embryo

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Sartorelli, P. : Young, M.C.M. : Kato, M.J., Antifungal lignans from the arils of Virola oleifera. Phytochemistry-Oxford. Oxford : Elsevier Science Ltd. Mar 1998. v. 47 (6) p. 1003-1006.
  2. ^ Genus Species list for John's species database. www3.isrl.uiuc.edu. Retrieved on 2008-04-06.
  3. ^ Virola calophylla information from NPGS/GRIN. www.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved on 2008-04-29.
  4. ^ Virola macrocarpa A.C. Sm.. mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  5. ^ Virola megacarpa A.H. Gentry. mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  6. ^ Virola michelii Heckel. mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  7. ^ Virola multicostata Ducke. mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  8. ^ Discover Life - Myristicaceae: Virola multiflora (Standl. ) A. C. Sm. - Fruta dorada. www.discoverlife.org. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  9. ^ Virola surinamensis (Rol. ex Rottb.) Warb.. mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  10. ^ Virola venosa (Benth.) Warb.. mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.

[edit] General References

[edit] External links


This tree-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
 This article related to psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.