Shamanic medicine: All about differences between a cigarette and Rapé

Author: Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

More and more normal we are beginning to find shamanic rituals. In the West, more and more people are being introduced to the magical world of shamanism and the remedies that have been used since time immemorial to purify the body and mind, make them healthy and strong. An example of this is rapé, a healing herbal mixture native to the Amazon jungle.

What is rapé and what is it used for?

Rapé is a snuff mixture based on herbs, flowers, tree bark and tobacco (Nicotiana rustica). 

This mixture consists of different compositions, each with its own effects. Sirius Smartshop sells rapé of different compositions. 

These different types of rapé consist of a unique blend of different ingredients and all work in a different way. 

In this blog I will explain more about this plant medicine and the difference with smoking tobacco. 

As a disclaimer, I want to add that it is important to use rapé only when you have knowledge about it and are supervised by a person with experience. 

How do you use rapé?

Rapé is a dried powder, finely ground so that it easily enters the nose. Using a special pipe, made of bamboo, it is possible to blow rapé into your own nostril. This pipe is called kuripe. 

There are also rapé pipes that are used to blow rapé into someone else's nostril. These pipes are called tepi. They are usually used by the shaman, who blows rapé into each participant's nostril along with some of his own energy. Therefore, according to traditional customs, it is important that the person blowing also sets an intention and transfers his energy to the recipient.

Traditionally, rapé is used as a means to clear the body and mind of negative energy. The experience of rapé depends greatly on the intention with which you use the remedy. Subsequently, rapé can bring about a powerful, spiritual experience where the user can become more grounded, be more in the here and now and release negative energy. 

This is a practice widely used in the shamanic world and can be a great way for you to connect and clean up as well.

Rapé is traditionally prepared by indigenous peoples in South America, especially the Amazon jungle in Brazil and Peru. For them, the use of herbs, including tobacco, is more than just pleasure and relaxation. It is a means with the goal of purifying the body and mind.

Benefits of rapé

The use of rapé has several benefits and for these reasons it is usually used during shamanic rituals, or for example during a ceremony with other plant medicines such as Ayahuasca, kambo or magic mushrooms.

Rapé can help recover from an addiction (for example, an alcohol addiction, or an eating addiction).

Rapé is said to purify the chakras and make them more balanced. In particular, the heart chakra is addressed and opened more so that love can flow better.

Rapé helps with "grounding. This means that you are more in touch with yourself and your surroundings. You are less in your "head" and more in your "heart". 

In preparation for a plant medicine such as Ayahuasca. Rapé purifies your system, already working through some of your 'shit'. This can cause you to enter the Ayahuasca ceremony clear, allowing the medicine to work deeper.

Side effects of rapé

In addition to the various benefits of using rapé, there are some side effects associated with it. It is a powerful drug that will produce a more intense effect for some than others. Tolerance also plays a role; your body is not familiar with different substances, so it may react more intensely to the drug. For people who use rape regularly, these effects may be less likely to occur.

Dizziness

Lightheadedness, dizziness and even fainting are side effects that could possibly occur. With this information, then, it is clear that rapé should only be used when you have 

Nausea & Vomiting

It is common for a user to experience nausea or even vomiting from rapé. This is the body cleaning itself and is actually seen as positive. Although, of course, it can be an unpleasant experience.

It is important to take these things into account so that you are prepared. Keep a toilet nearby and make sure you have plenty of water.

Rapé contains tobacco: how does it differ from cigarette smoking?

The basis of rapé is the tobacco plant, Nicotiana rustica. By the way, the is not the tobacco species used in the tobacco industry. That, in fact, is Nicotiana tabacum. The Nicotiana plant is related to the nightshade. The part of the plant that is used are the leaves. 

Although tobacco contains the addictive substance nicotine and evokes connotations of abuse and disease, the herbal mixture rapé is explicitly used as a medicine. 

The reason is that any medicine can become a poison if the dosage is not correct. And over time, we have come to overconsume tobacco. 

Today, the tobacco industry is a tough player with an influential role on society. Although tobacco advertising is increasingly restricted, this industry is still a major source of revenue for large corporations and governments. As a result, cigarettes remain visible on the streets everywhere, even though the negative consequences of smoking are known to more and more people.

The differences between rape and tobacco smoking

Smoking is more harmful to health

One difference between cigarette smoking and rapé use is in the method of use. You smoke a cigarette and this releases all kinds of additional harmful substances. Smoking is carcinogenic and harmful to the body. In particular, the lungs, blood vessels and heart suffer from tobacco smoking.

Rapé, however, is not smoked but ingested through the nose. This eliminates many harmful combustion substances. However, it is important to note that the tobacco plant contains harmful substances of its own. So it is important to also measure up when using tobacco in the form of rapé. 

Why do you smoke a cigarette and why do you rapé?

A second difference between smoking tobacco and using rapé is intention. For most people, smoking tobacco is a habit, one they are usually not proud of. When lighting a cigarette, not many people will think: 'I am doing this intentionally, to learn from it'.

The use of rapé has a totally different connotation. Here the tobacco plant is used as a ritual, as a way to learn something. Many users experience a profound effect when using rapé. The influence of the tobacco plant provides "grounding". It is possible to get more in touch with yourself.

The chance of abuse is still there because rapé also has an addictive quality. However, the chance is many times smaller and this is partly due to the intention behind the use.

Planetary health: can shamanic medicine help our health?

All kinds of information can be found on the Internet about rituals and medicines of indigenous peoples in South and Central America. Although decades ago there were hardly any sources available for the average person - and even for scientists - to gain information on these topics, by now it is almost impossible to overlook.

Shamanism, psychoactive plants and magic are intimately connected to humanity and form the basis of our culture. Yet we have gradually learned to throw off much of this baggage and forget what powers lie hidden in nature. 

Partly because of religion, but also because of science, our culture has changed greatly and our focus has become more and more on individualism, materialism and growth. 

As a result, we forget certain valuable lessons of life, with all the consequences that this entails. Meanwhile, we live in a time when those consequences are everywhere.

The earth, our home, is in bad shape and entire ecosystems have been destroyed or are in danger of disappearing completely. Many people are struggling with some kind of physical or mental illness. From burnout to depression to cancer, a lot of people are dealing with some poison related to the condition of this planet.

Would this critical planetary condition cause more people to wake up? For many, it feels that way. And that, I think, is a very good thing. Pyschoactive plants, medicine from nature, as well as yoga and organic farming, are all ways you can seek outside help to regain health and strength. 

Are you eager to experiment with rapé and curious about what types of rape are available? Read on below and discover the different types of rapé and how they work. Check out our Rapé category in our online webshop. In the next blog I will focus on the different types of rapé.

Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

Elena studies Organic and Biodynamic agriculture because, besides psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants, she also has a passion for healthy food. Learning about the endocannabinoid system, different cannabinoids and terpenes is super interesting.

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