Forget the jungle retreat new ayahuasca supplements promise benefits without the brutal trip

Forget trekking into the Amazon — or dropping thousands on a luxury jungle retreat.For centuries, ayahuasca has been a cornerstone of Indigenous healing practices and spiritual traditions across the Amazon.More recently, the potent brew has gained a following among Westerners seeking everything from emotional healing and enlightenment to a mind-bending adventure.But what if you could tap into some of the compounds found in ayahuasca without the intense, and sometimes brutal, psychedelic trip?That’s the idea behind Happy Caapi, a new oral supplement derived from the Amazonian vine used to make ayahuasca.Its makers say the product can support mental well-being, cognitive function and brain health without the hallucinations, intense psychological effects and other experiences associated with the tea.

“You don’t need to take 50 different things for your mood, focus and performance,” Harmony Morgan, one of the founders of Happy Caapi, told The Post.“This will really cover your whole baseline.” To understand Happy Caapi, it helps to know what gives ayahuasca its power.Traditionally, ayahuasca is made by combining the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with the leaves of other plants, often Psychotria viridis, which contains N,N-dimethyltryptamine, better known as DMT.DMT is a potent hallucinogen, but when swallowed on its own, it’s quickly broken down by enzymes in the gut before it can produce its characteristic effects.That’s where the caapi vine comes in.

It contains compounds called beta-carbolines, including harmine and harmaline, that block an enzyme known as monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A).By inhibiting this enzyme, DMT is able to survive the stomach and small intestine, enter the bloodstream and reach the brain, where it can trigger its powerful psychoactive effects.Together, the plants can produce profound shifts in consciousness, with effects ranging from vivid visual and auditory hallucinations to altered perceptions of time and deep emotional introspec...