Editing Banisteriopsis caapi (section)

{{short description|Species of plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Caapi.jpg
|image_caption = Young ''B. caapi''
|genus = Banisteriopsis
|species = caapi
|authority = ([[Richard Spruce|Spruce]] ex [[August Heinrich Rudolf Grisebach|Griseb.]]) [[Conrad Vernon Morton|C.V.Morton]]<ref>{{GRIN | access-date = 15 December 2017}}</ref>
|synonyms_ref = <ref name="716679-1" >{{cite web |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:29180-2#synonyms |title='' Banisteriopsis caapi'' (Spruce ex Griseb.) Morton |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2017 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=18 December 2020 }}</ref>
|synonyms = {{Collapsible list|
*''Banisteria caapi'' <small>Spruce ex Griseb.</small>
*''Banisteria inebrians'' <small>(C.V.Morton) J.F.Macbr.</small>
*''Banisteria quitensis'' <small>Nied.</small>
*''Banisteriopsis inebrians'' <small>Morton</small>
*''Banisteriopsis quitensis'' <small>(Nied.) Morton</small>
}}}}

'''''Banisteriopsis caapi''''', also known as, '''caapi''', '''soul vine''', '''yagé''' ('''yage'''), or '''ayahuasca''' (the latter of which also refers to the psychedelic [[decoction]] made with the vine and a plant source of [[dimethyltryptamine]]) is a [[South America]]n [[liana]] of the family [[Malpighiaceae]]. It is commonly used as an ingredient of [[ayahuasca]], a [[decoction]] with a long history of its [[entheogen]]ic use and holds status as a "plant teacher" among the [[Indigenous peoples]] of the [[Amazon rainforest]].

It was used by [[Indigenous peoples of South America]] for centuries, but it was first documented by [[Europeans]] in the 16th century and formally identified by botanist [[Richard Spruce]] in 1851.<!--Per WP:CITELEAD, references are not needed in the lead if it is sourced in the body of the article.--> According to ''The CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names'' by Umberto Quattrocchi, the naming of the [[genus]] ''[[Banisteriopsis]]'' was dedicated to [[John Banister (naturalist)|John Banister]], a 17th-century English clergyman and naturalist. An earlier name for the genus was ''Banisteria'' and the plant is sometimes referred to as ''Banisteria caapi''. Other names include ''Banisteria quitensis'', ''Banisteriopsis inebrians'', and ''Banisteriopsis quitensis''.<ref name="Christian" />

It is a giant vine that can grow up to 30 meters long, with pale [[flower]]s that bloom infrequently and resembles related species like ''Banisteriopsis membranifolia'' and ''B. muricata''. It contains [[beta-carboline]] alkaloids and [[polyphenol]]s. <!--Per WP:CITELEAD, references are not needed in the lead if it is sourced in the body of the article.-->

Its legal status varies by country: it is largely unregulated in the [[United States]] (with specific religious exemptions for use of the ayahuasca decoction), ambiguously legal in [[Canada]] and parts of [[Australia]], and effectively illegal in France despite past religious use rulings. <!--Per WP:CITELEAD, references are not needed in the lead if it is sourced in the body of the article.-->