Rapé kuripe (bamboo) various colors

More about Rapé kuripe (bamboo) various colors

Rapé (pronounced “ha-peh” or “rapay”) means "dust of the ancients" and it has been used for thousands of years by the indigenous tribes of the Amazon. Although the herbs vary from rapé to rapé, the main ingredient is always the powdered tobacco leaf of the Nicotiana Rustica. When used in combination with an intention, rapé can be a powerful tool for realizing our dreams. 

About the use of a kuripe

The v-shaped wooden pipe with which you can administer rapé to yourself is called a kuripe. You put one end at a nostril, and with your mouth you blow the rapé through the pipe.

According to the Brazilian Yawanawa tribe there are three different ways to blow rapé:

• Short and strong: to wake up and be present
• Long and strong: to cleanse the mind
• Long, starting soft, and strong at the end: for meditation, entering into a trance, ceremonial use

Are you going to use rapé for the first time? Then we recommend to start with a pea-sized heap for each nostril. Listen to your body; this sacred medicine will guide you and you will feel what is best for you. Everyone has different levels of tolerance, so experiment (safely) to see what works best for you.

A few tips:

• Keep tissues and a bucket at hand.
• Try to keep the rapé in your nostrils as long as possible, so that the medicine can be absorbed through the nasal mucosa.
• Try to breathe in through the nose if possible.
• To prevent the rapé from dripping down your throat, keep your head down; this will cause it to drip out through your nose into your tissue or bucket and not into your throat. 
• If you suffer from mucus, spit it out immediately in a bucket. Think of it as negative energy that is being released so you can part from it. So don't swallow it.
• If you are very nauseous and have to vomit you don't have to be ashamed, because this is also part of the process. This is what we call purging. Don't hold back and let it go into the bucket, you will often feel much better afterwards.