cohoba

Cohoba (Anadenanthera peregrina), also known as Yopo or Parica, is a large leguminous tree in the family Fabaceae native to the tropical savannas (llanos), gallery forests, and dry to moist forests of South America, with its range extending from Venezuela and Colombia south through the Guyanas, Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. Trees grow 5–20 metres tall, bearing bipinnate leaves and spherical, fluffy white flower heads characteristic of the mimosoid legumes. The flat, curved seed pods split open to reveal seeds rich in tryptamine alkaloids, particularly bufotenin (5-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and related compounds. Seeds are traditionally prepared by indigenous peoples of the Orinoco and Amazon basins as a psychedelic snuff called cohoba or yopo, inhaled through hollow bird-bone tubes during shamanic and ritual ceremonies. This use, documented since pre-Columbian times and depicted in archaeological artefacts, gave rise to the common name cohoba used in Taíno language. The tree is not threatened and has a broad natural distribution; it is not formally evaluated by the IUCN. Beyond its ethnobotanical significance, Anadenanthera peregrina is valued for its tannin-rich bark used in leather tanning, and the wood serves locally for construction and fuel.