Rapé: Dust of the Ancients

Chances are unless you have spent time either researching or participating in South American plant medicine retreats/rituals or have traveled through the jungles of the Amazon you may not know what Rapé is. To put it simply, Rapé is a tobacco based snuff that is used nasally (similar to illicit substances such as cocaine), but unlike cocaine it does not carry with it the same addictive properties or stigma. It’s appearance is can range from grey to sand in color, and it’s texture is very fine and dry dust-like powder.

Rapé is prepared by grinding Mapacho (wild South American tobacco), mixing it with tree ashes, followed by filtering the mixture through a fine mesh. With varying recipes there can also be other plants or plant ashes mixed in. The ratios in which the ingredients are used are often regarded as secret among the tribes that produce it.

Not only is the preparation and consumption of this type of tobacco different from the modern tobacco we often encounter in the West, but the effects are also more complex and spiritual. It’s it’s commonly known to assist the consumer in feeling more grounded and mentally stimulated. These life-altering effects typically come from the usage of this sacred tobacco, which further showcases the contrast it holds in comparison to the effects of modern hybridized tobacco products.

While nicotine is one of the mostly widely abused substances worldwide, to the many indigenous cultures of the Americas, tobacco is a sacred plant and is used to cleanse ceremonial spaces as well as to cleanse the aura or energetic field of an individual. This is particularly true for Rapé, which is pronounced “ha-peh”. It is a powerful snuff used by the shamans of the Amazon as it has a special place in their medicinal rituals. Thanks to the internet, Rapé is gaining popularity worldwide and there are a number of websites that readily sell it (yes it is legal in the US for adult use over the age of 21). The way it is traditionally used is by administering it into one nostril at a time via a ceremonial snuff pipe called a “Tepi”. The Tepi is used when two people are involved in the ceremony, as is tradition. When it is self administered, the pipe that is used is called a “Kuripe”. One end is loaded with a small to medium amount of the powder, then the side of the Tepi that was loaded up is placed deep into the nostril of the recipient who then closes up their throat and holds their breath. As two people are required for the rapé dance, the administrator then blows a powerful yet short and quick burst of air into the Tepi, similar to shooting a blow dart. The sensation is therefore quite forceful and typically not very pleasant. What ensues afterwards varies from person to person, but in my experience it is generally met with a great discomfort for a few seconds to half a minute. After all, sacred tobacco and its ritual uses are deemed as “ordeal medicines”, meaning there is a brief moment of unpleasant feelings one must journey through in order to receive to the benefits.

The first time I was blessed by the experience of Rapé, I was in a marketplace called “Mercado 2” in Pucallpa, a city in the amazon of Peru. I was standing with a vendor and John, an acquaintance I had met at a local plant medicine retreat center where he was working. John was well known among the staff and visitors for always going all out with plants- which meant he took large doses and blew very hard when it came to administering Rapé. I had no idea what to expect and there were so many containers of the stuff that I didn’t even know which one to pick. The vendor asked me if I would like to try some and then proceeded to hand a small vial of the grey powder along with a large Tepi to my guide, who proceeded to dump out what I thought was a “normal” introductory dose into his palm, scape it up into the Tepi, instructed me to put it far up my right nostril, then blew shockingly hard. The feeling that hit me I will never forget. It literally felt like I had been punched up the nose and straight into the back of my head. Everything went silent, my eyes were blurry and watery, my legs turned to jelly, and I couldn’t breathe for about 20 seconds. John stood there grinning and staring at me telling me to breathe deep through my mouth, which I was trying to do, but was completely unable to. Once I could breathe I felt my legs becoming increasingly wobbly. I expressed that I thought I was going to collapse and asked if it was normal. To which he replied, “I don’t know, I’ve only taken it lying down.” I couldn’t believe that was his answer,. It was so perfectly absurd in that moment, in the most delightful way. I learned later that you’re supposed to balance out the dose with one in each nostril, one right after the other, which helps with the intensity of the experience. I was so overwhelmed by this first dive into the experience that I couldn’t even understand what was going on for the first 2-4 minutes after administration. I decided not to purchase any of the powders and was contemplating whether I liked it or not.

Fast forward to a few months later when I was back in Peru for the second time, I reacquainted myself with this amazing medicine and learned to love it. I also developed a deeper relationship with it and sacred tobacco in general. I was reintroduced to it by Michael, a good friend of mine who was visiting from Europe. I had met him in Peru several months prior, during my first retreat. He had been traveling around the country, visiting different teachers and shamans, learning about the plants. He had developed a fondness for rapé and felt compelled to show me how the shamans were using it. Michael had obtained some choice product from Brazil, made by a tribe called the Kaxinawà, or Huni Kuin, which translates to “the real people.” He also had another type from Peru which is known as the “7 powers” because it is a mixture of 7 scared plant medicines- one of which is cacao, the seed that chocolate is derived from. This blend was a bit more energizing, less bitter, and much more flavorful, as drips from the nasal passage to the throat are common with Rapé.

Michael and I both agreed that the Huni Kuin Rapé was our favorite, so consuming it became a daily ritual for us. We would sit at least 1-2 times each day, partaking in it, and practicing meditation and pranayama, or yogic breathing. It was also a huge part of our pre-ceremony ritual, as a preparation for the consumption of Ayahuasca, Mapacho tea, or San Pedro. Over the course of our travels together we sampled many types of Rapé, but we always concluded that we had a predilection for the Brazilian blend. Michael told me that the Huni Kuin specialize in two things: Rapé and Sananga, which is a medicine derived from the roots of a tree and administered via the eyes like eye drops. (Check out my other blog posts for more information about Sananga). Overall, the we used the snuff the more we became accustomed to it and naturally a delightful fondness grew over time. It is a very beautiful medicine many people we encountered sang its praises or fell in love with it after being introduced to it by us.

Here is a list of ways rapé can enhance ones life:

Clears and focuses the mind, which is prefect for meditation

Cleanses and rejuvenates ones mental and emotional energy bodies, which can be crucial for intention setting, especially when used synergistically with other psychedelic plant medicines

Detoxes the body

Clears the sinuses of mucus and bacteria

Provides a calming, grounding effect

I have absolutely benefited from each of these benefits.

There were only two types I tried that had what felt like an adverse effect. They both caused me to have congestion for anywhere between 20-60 minutes. It may have been due to a sensitivity or allergy to a particular ingredient in the mix. Since there are so many different recipes for rapé it is hard for me to say what it was exactly that caused this reaction. Overall, I generally had positive interactions with the medicine. If you are interested in trying out some rapé for yourself, then click this link to see the kind I recommend.

https://chakraopenings.com/collections/rape/products/kaxinawa

Here are some of the highlights of my experiences with rapé:

As I mentioned, my friend and I would sit daily and meditate before and after administering the medicine to each other. There were a few occasions in particular that struck me as extremely profound and insightful.

One day after a night of drinking ayahuasca, we woke up, practiced our pranayama, Michael meditated while I practiced some calisthenics, and then we sojourned to a quiet area above a creek to settle in with a relaxing rapé ceremony. I blew him first (we had a running joke that involved references like blowing each other, and that a true friend will blow you), Upon receiving my dose, I let out a loud involuntary howl and felt my body become electrified. We were sitting in half lotus, facing each other, and he began to move his hands around my head and up and down my chakras, as the sensations grew stronger. We held hands and began to synchronize our breath. I saw beams of light connecting our chakras one at a time from the sacral to the crown and they were pulsating for minutes on end while we meditated. This was the first time I experienced the chakras lighting up and syncing with someone else while using this medicine, but it would not be the last. It has been quite some time since that first experience, but the insights this particular mixture (as well as other plant medicines I used with intention during that time) have stuck with me.

After that experience, I noticed that each time I experienced rapé I would encounter similar sensations with every use. Part of what was driving us to explore it so much was that we both separately had built a deep relationship with its main ingredient, which is Mapacho, the sacred tobacco. The development of my relationship with it, and the experiences I have had will be covered in another post. However, as it is an integral part of the mixture, I found that it built upon the studying I was doing with Mapacho and the other Amazonian plant medicines, as they are traditionally all used together.

I would have to say my favorite Rapé experience was during a particularly strong San Pedro ceremony. We would stay up all night while imbibing San Pedro, starting at 5-6pm and finishing at 12-3pm the following day. I will detail all of my San Pedro ceremonies in other posts but for now I will go through what made the rapé so special during such ceremonies. After a shockingly intense journey through the night, we decided it was time include snuff. When I received it, my spine lit up, every cell in my body became will with electricity, and I became cold and clammy. I couldn’t breathe for a long time and I felt like I was going to throw up and black out. This went on for a considerable amount of time, and while it may sound unpleasant, I had grown so accustomed to the ordeals of these plant medicines, that I relished every minute of the journey. In fact I now crave it. It felt so wonderful, like being between this world and the world unseen, being alive and being dead. Once the intense physical sensations subsided, I was left with a prolonged meditative buzzing throughout my entire being. My mind was calm and clear, yet stimulated, and I was dissolved into the essence of just Being.

Here is my breakdown of how I would generally receive Rapé:

Clear my mind

Meditate for a few minutes, slow down my breathing rhythm, and set an intention

Blow my nose to empty the pathways

Take a deep breath, then let it out 3/4 of the way while placing the pipe in my right nostril. I have to make sure it is in there deep-too shallow can cause the Rapé powder to spray out around my face instead

Open my mouth and keep it open while closing the throat during the blow (if someone else is administering the snuff)

Close my eyes and be open to receiving the teachings and benefits that the medicine and my highest self can provide

The person blowing takes a deep breath, and then with a short yet powerful energy, shoots a burst of air through the pipe as if it were a blow gun. It may take some time to perfect the technique so it’s important to be open in communicating with each other in regard to how it feels

After receiving the first dose, move the pipe to the left nostril and repeat

Resist blowing my nose and instead swallow my snot to absorb the most benefits (this is commonly recommended)

After all is done, sit in quiet mediation and listen to the silence within

I’ve learned that it’s important for me to have certain level of trust with the person who is blowing the Rapé. In the traditional setting, the shamans teach that since this medicine can open you up energetically and adjusts your energy field, the person administering it to you can enter your energy field, which makes it a very intimate procedure. It is wise to be sure this is someone who don’t mind engaging within this energetic space.

So all in all, if anyone over 21 out there wants to try this amazing plant guide/medicine, I highly recommend you check out the YAWANAWA kind I linked here, as it is very similar to the Huni Kuin type which is a little harder to find if you’re not in South America. The only real potential “downside” (if you want to call it that) is the initial shock after it is blown up the nose, and that fact that it can cause sneezing, congestion, or a bitter tasting dripping down the throat. These things aren’t that big of a deal, and you can get used to them and learn how to avoid them relatively easily through experience. In my opinion, these short term effects are well worth the life-changing benefits Rapé is capable of blessing us with.

Until next time,

Baba Jatin