6am), although there is another peak at night (approx. 6pm). Traditional medicine The Machiguenga people of Peru use juice from the leaves as eye drops to treat migraine headaches. Hallucinogenic P. viridis contains the hallucinogenic—or entheogenic—indole alkaloid dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in levels varying from 0.1% to 0.61% dried mass. It is known primarily as an additive to the ayahuasca brew used in South and Central America. The mechanism of action is via the monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) present in Banisteriopsis caapi, which allows ayahuasca to be effective in oral doses (unlike smoking DMT crystals which requires no conditioning partner substance). This use was made legal in Brazil in 1992 when B. caapi, P. viridis, and the ayahuasca tea were exempted from the list of illicit drugs. Vegetalistas, healers in the Amazon regions of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, recognize different sub-varieties of Psychotria viridis, based on the location of glands on the back of the leaves. Hybridisation P. viridis has been hybridised with the closely related species, Psychotria carthagenensis. In 2008, Darren Williams, an Australian nurseryman and scientist, created the first recorded interspecific hybrid of Psychotria viridis, by crossing P. carthagenensis with P. viridis. This plant was multiplied and sold as Psychotria cv. Nexus by the nursery Herbalistics, located in Australia, which was established in 2003 and run by Mr. Williams. By creating an interspecific hybrid of these two Ayahuasca plants, the climatic tolerance of this important Ayahuasca additive has been expanded due to the greater cold tolerance of P. carthagenensis. Darren Williams has now created over 150 new cultivars by intercrossing P. viridis accessions, backcrossing and sib crossing, resulting in various new genotypes, given the prefix DW, eg. DW07. Leaf shape and size, height, alkaloid content and cold tolerance are examples of new attributes. Psychotria cv. Nexus is now grown in many countries around the world. See also Psychedelic plants References External links Ayahuasca Entheogens Herbal and fungal hallucinogens Medicinal plants Psychedelic tryptamine carriers viridis