Rapé #
| Binomial / Botanical Name | Rapé |
| Street Names | Yawanawa; Katukina; Mapacho; Others |
| Major Active Compound | Nicotiana Rustica; Misc |
| Indigenous Source | Amazon Basin |
| Form | Snuff |
| RoA | Insufflated |
| Personal Rating On Shulgin Scale | ++ |
SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE #
Rapé appeared on the UK market just a few months prior to the blanket ban on psychoactives in 2016. I wrote the following forum post at the time:
In recent weeks I have noticed a couple of websites suddenly offering this in the UK. It is a type of snuff, which the most prominent vendor states is “a complex blend of pulverized plants, which usually contain a strong tobacco”. Instead of regular tobacco (nicotiana tabacum) it tends to be based around a much stronger cousin, nicotiana rustica.
Rapé is prevalent around the Amazon basin. It is used as a shamanic medicine, and is occasionally offered during ayahuasca and other sacred ceremonies.
Independently, nicotiana rustica also has a very long history of ritual use. Its effects are rather different to those of the manufactured version of tobacco, as pimped on the high street. They broadly include a strong stimulation, a head rush, and greater focus, with a lengthy sedation occurring later.
The reason I post this now relates to timing. It speculatively occurs to me that these vending initiatives may be a direct or indirect response to the forthcoming ban on psychoactives: tobacco will remain legal, and these substances may therefore remain openly available.
Whether this is a positive or not, it is important that harm reduction is considered early in the fray. There is very little information available with respect to this, but hopefully this post can start the ball rolling.
I have experimented previously with both nicotiana rustica and a couple of rapé variants. They can certainly pack a punch, and not necessarily a positive one.
In the indigenous environment the snuff is blown into the nostril by a partner, in a similar manner to that practised for yopo seeds. However, self-administration tools are also available, in the form of a sort of V-shaped bamboo tubing, called a kuripe. The effect can also be induced via a very strong snort. This is a central matter, as the intensity of the experience is closely linked to both the amount taken and the strength of the blow (or inhalation).
I have remained cautious with this substance partly because tobacco itself is addictive and harmful. I don’t smoke, and don’t want to. Bearing in mind that nicotiana rustica is frequently cited as being about 20 times more powerful than nicotiana tabacum you can probably see my point. It may or may not present a significantly higher risk of addiction, but I have never felt inclined to take the chance.
The other issue that concerns me is the recurrent claim that large doses (of nicotiana rustica) can cause acute nicotine poisoning and death. This sort of comment, found on drugs-forum.com, can’t be ignored:
“I’ve never heard of anyone doing this outside of various Central/ South American tribal shamans. These people systematically addict themselves to tobacco and develop tolerances that are staggering, so that they are able to ingest what would be lethal doses for most people. And even these shamans have been known to OD and wind up dead as a sacrifice to their art.” ~ rawbeer
I’m not trying to put a damp cloth on this, or generally undermine it, but clearly, caution is advisable.
Also relevant is that it is usually extremely hard to uncover exactly what is in most of the rapé variants, including their actual nicotiana rustica content. Having stated all this, it should be noted that there are versions of rapè that don’t contain nicotine, although I have not personally encountered them.
If anyone can add to this starter in any way please do so. Rapé provides a definite and strong psychoactive effect, and my hunch is that it will become much more widely used in the short term.
Regarding content, the vendor of my particular samples stated that rapé can contain alkaloid ashes, which can be “made from psychoactive plants” and in some cases hallucinogens. Given its historical and ritual use this is undoubtedly true, although I cannot confirm this with respect to my own experiments.
In addition to the recreational aspects I have focused upon above, and as also stated in the post itself, rapé has long been used for medicinal purposes, usually in a traditional sacred context. Clearly, the specific plants used in a particular rapé variant will determine its individual effects. The scope is obviously enormous.
As for my experience, whilst hard hitting, with something of a head shock, rapé was similar to but nothing like as debilitating as standalone nicotiana rustica. However, with a strong enough snort/blow perhaps it could be. Further information on nicotiana rustica itself is provided under the heading of Mapacho, earlier in this section.
There are clearly certain subtleties with rapé in terms of its different versions and ingredients, but I suspect that for many these will only manifest themselves with repeated or prolonged exposure to the tobacco. For the tobacco smoker this may provide an interesting field of (cautious) research.
ADDENDUM #
Some years subsequent to writing the above, and having read a couple of positive reports, I revisited rapé via another standalone experiment.
I prepared 2 pea sized doses of finely ground yawanawa powder and embarked at approximately 4:20 pm. In traditional style I blew the first up my left nostril using a kuripe, and despite gasping with watering eyes managed to repeat with the left.
I was hit immediately. Following on from the severe olfactory discomfort, heat quickly engulfed my brain/head, top down, and a debilitating and not very pleasant headspace emerged. The burning sensation drifted into what almost felt like an illness or flu. I tried to meditate into it and confront it but it was too unpleasant. It was overwhelming and I stumbled to bed, sweating profusely.
There were mapacho-like aspects to this, which was not surprising, although it was not quite as intense. Ten minutes passed and I lay there feeling poorly and quite wretched. After half an hour I was a little better but still unwell. An hour later I was finally able to rise. I slowly recovered but was not in a good condition for the rest of the day.
Clearly, such tobacco based materials are not for me, and I certainly won’t be repeating this.