sembling psychosis. Consequently, solanaceous drugs 
have been widely employed in native cultures for witch- 
craft and shamanism. Medicine men consider these plants 
valuable agents for communicating with the spirit world 
in order to diagnose the cause of illness. As in the case 
of other hallucinogenic plants, these species have definite 
therapeutic value and have long been administered for 
strictly medicinal purposes in diverse parts of the world. 
One of the rarest and most interesting genera of the 
Solanaceae with these striking narcotic and toxic proper- 
ties is Latua, an endemic from southern Chile with a 
single species: L. pubiflora. Owing to its great beauty 
and toxicity, Latua evoked some interest among bota- 
nists and pharmacologists shortly after its discovery in 
the middle of the 19th Century—an interest which led 
to anumber of articles on the characteristics and effects of 
the plant. Yet, Latwa still remains relatively unknown 
for two reasons. First: the plant grows only in the nar- 
row coastal cordillera between Valdivia and Chiloé, a 
difficult mountainous terrain with an extremely wet 
climate and few roads; during the rainy season, the ex- 
isting roads are nearly impassable. Second: the occur- 
rence of Latwa and its use is a closely guarded secret 
surrounded by much superstition, since the plant is em- 
ployed primarily by local shamans and sorcerers in their 
magical healing rites. Those familiar with Jatwa and its 
properties are very protective of this knowledge and are 
unwilling to discuss it with outsiders. For this reason, 
little has appeared in the literature concerning the ethno- 
toxicity of Latua. We hope to summarize present knowl- 
edge of this plant and to add the results of our own 
chemical, botanical and anthropological research. 
Latua pubiflora (Griseb.) Baillon, Hist. Plant. 9 
(1888) 834. 
[ 62 ] 
