Jordao, a tributary of the Rio Tarauaca. | have examined the 
type specimen of B. Tastevinii which is preserved at the 
Museum of Natural History in Paris. This plant is clearly B. 
grandiflora and Benoist’s B. Tastevinii must therefore be 
placed in synonymy with this species. 
The Kachinaua were said to cultivate the plant, which they 
called keva-honi, and to prepare a beverage from it. The effects 
of Keva-honi were described by Tastevin as follows: 
The juice of this plant plunges them [the Indians] into a kind 
of intoxication or stupefaction which lasts a littke more than a 
quarter of an hour and from which they acquire magical powers, 
enabling them to heal all sorts of diseases through incantations. 
While the effects of the drink act on their brains, they are unable 
to fall asleep. They believe they see all kinds of fantastic animals: 
dragons, tigers, wild boars, which attack them and tear them to 
bits, etc. This action of honi lasts four or five hours depending on 
the quantity ingested.” 
This account raises some points of skepticism. The descrip- 
tion of the effects of keva-honi is strikingly similar to that often 
given for Banisteriopsis intoxications (Rivier & Lindgren, 
1972; Naranjo, 1973) and unlike any other reports of Brunfelsia 
intoxication. It is my contention that Tastevin confused these 
two plants. He himself stated earlier (Tastevin 1926) that the 
Kachinauas of the Upper Tarauaca knew and esteemed caapi 
(Banisteriopsis) for “‘learning the future, conversing with 
spirits, or dispelling bad luck’’. He further stated that the 
Panoan name for caapi is keya-honi or simply honi, *‘the 
liana’. It seems possible that he was shown a plant of Brunfel- 
sia used as an admixture to caapi and took it to be the main 
ingredient of the hallucinogenic mixture. Studies of hallucino- 
gen use among the Kachinaua in neighboring Peru (Der Mar- 
derosian et al. 1970; Kensinger, 1973) demonstrated the use of 
Banisteriopsis and Psychotria species to prepare the hallucin- 
ogenic drink called nixi pai. No mention is made of Brunfelsia 
admixtures, and it is possible that knowledge of the use of this 
drug is dying out, at least among certain segments of the tribe. 
Other reports of the use of Brunfelsia as an admixture to 
Banisteriopsis preparations are more substantial. In Iquitos, 
Peru, B. grandiflora is added to ayahuasca ‘“‘to give more 
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