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Cold water extract is claimed to be traditional. Other plants and/or fruits are said to sometimes added but the drink, known as Ajucá or vinho da Jurema is usually prepared from the rootbark of Mimosa hostilis alone. Honey is added to counteract the pronounced astringency.

Vinho da Jurema means wine of Jurema in reference to its visual similarity to a fine claret.

Several modern-day psychonauts have reported inactivity unless an MAOI admixture (such as harmine) is incorporated or pre-administered.

Interestingly, these negative reports all involved a cooked brew of jurema. Ott (in the Entheogen Review; Vernal Equinox 1999) reported duplicating a traditional cold-water infusion and obtaining full oral activity without an MAOI. His experiment was successfully replicated by David Aardvark indicating the existence of currently unexplained pharmacodynamics in need of serious evaluation.

Ott had soaked 25 grams of the pounded root bark in 125 cold neutral water for less than an hour and repeated this. Each extraction, he squeezed the pulp gently by hand.

Aardvark modified this by using a coffee grinder, two one-hour soakings and a french coffee press to remove the solids. (He suggested use of 35 grams)

Both experienced strong DMT activity confirming the reports of MAOI-less oral activity for jurema. See page 22-24 in the 1999 Entheogen Review 8 (1). Ott believes "DMT-adducts" are responsible for the activity; (look for details in his new book.)

While the use of jurema is ancient (but apparently has almost died out), this plant has no recorded traditional use as an ayahuasca additive. However, it is being quite successfully used for this application in modern times.

It is a potent and reliable ayahuasca analog admixture but the story appears to be even richer.

Many modern accounts have prepared as for a standard ayahuasca analog. For example:

Grind or pulverize 10-12 grams of Mimosa hostilis root-bark well, mix with 1/3 cup of water; add the juice of 1 lime or lemon. Let sit until dry material rehydrates (at least 20 minutes). Bring only to gentle boil and reduce heat. Simmer 10-20 minutes and strain. Filter with cloth and/or paper until clear. Serves one (requires MAOI ingestion].

(Can repeat with a second portion of water and lime juice, and combine the two liquids, if desired to recover a few more percent. Unwanted less soluble products may also be present in higher amounts in the second cooking. If wanting to go this route, use two cookings, the first with 1/3 cup and the second with 1/8. Do not squeeze the pulp in between strainings. Shorten the cooking times to 5-8 minutes after bringing to a gentle boil and starting to simmer.

Longer cooking times will increase tannin levels.

Tannins are known toxic agents.

DMT salts are very soluble and short cooking times will produce a cleaner profile of alkaloids in the tea.

While losing a few percent, the advantages may be found by the individual to off-set the loss.

I have to wonder if the cold water extraction might not help to minimize the undesirable components present.)

This could also have been allowed to sit at room temperature (closed) for 24 hours or in a refrigerator for several days. It could also have been microwaved on high for several minutes, repeated 5 minutes later and allowed to stand for 90-120 minutes before straining. The lime juice has been added after the microwaving but it may be faster if done at the start.

My best results have come when the harmine (MAOI) was taken an hour or more (up to a maximum of 3) prior to drinking the jurema.

(Using 5 grams of crushed or ground Peganum harmala seeds extracted similarly with a small amount of water and juice of a lime. Increase simmering time by 1.5-2X for the harmala alkaloids.)


See also:

A far superior approach to the isolation of DMT from Mimosa hostilis/tenuiflora rootbark.