there are many prohibitions—an interesting detail, since 
Whiffen reported that women were prohibited the use 
of tobacco in any form. 
The preparation of ambil is described by Schultes as 
follows: ‘‘The preparation of amdi/ is interesting, because 
it shows another example of the use of alkaline ashes 
with a narcotic-alkaloid, a custom widely spread in many 
parts of the world. The Witoto cultivate Nicotiana 
_Tabacum very carefully, sowing it in the plots of yuca 
(Manihot esculenta Crantz). Only the largest and greenest 
leaves of the lower part of the plant are selected for mak- 
ing ambil. One or two basketfuls of leaves are placed in 
a clay vessel which is usually three-quarters full of water. 
This mixture is placed on a pile of firewood, where it 
boils for six or eight hours, sometimes more. The mouth 
of the vessel is covered with a large leaf to lessen evapora- 
tion. When the extract is thickening and the evaporation 
slows up, the fire is put out and the extract is allowed to 
cool. The residue of the tobacco leaves is removed by 
hand, and all the excess juice is squeezed out. Before 
the extract concentrates to make a thick syrup or in some 
cases a paste, the ambil is taken out of the vessel and, 
while being carefully stirred, is mixed with alkaline salts. 
‘These salts are prepared by evaporating water which 
has been poured over and drained through the ashes of 
various plants commonly used for this purpose. A huge 
forest tree of the genus Lecythis ... is probably the 
most used source of alkaline ashes. Among other plants 
which are used now and then in the preparation of these 
ashes are two palms: a Bactris and a Chamaedorea. The 
stem and leaves of the Chamaedorea . . . and the young 
shoots of the Bactris . . . are reduced to ashes. 
‘*There are small variations in the method of preparing 
Witoto ambil. In El Encanto, for example, during the 
boiling, two avocado (Persea americana Mill) seeds are 
[ 35 | 
