Buy rapé

What is rapé medicine and where does it come from?

Rapé, pronounced "hapeh," has been used for a very long time by the indigenous tribes of the Amazon. 
You can buy rapé at Sirius as a  powdered snuff, with different ingredients.

Although the spices vary by type of rapé, the main ingredient is always powdered tobacco leaf of Nicotiana rustica. This plant is called Mapacho by the natives, or sacred tobacco. Other names are Aztec tobacco, or strong tobacco.
Mapacho contains a very high level of nicotine. Nicotiana rustica contains up to 9 times more nicotine than the common tobacco plant (Nicotiana tabacum). Keep that in mind, when you buy rapé.

Rapé tobacco is regarded by indigenous peoples in South America as a sacred shamanic medicine, used in ceremonies. 

The purpose of using rapé is to connect deeply with nature and invoke these forces for physical and spiritual healing. 

What are the ingredients of rapé?

The ingredients of rapé vary depending on several factors, such as where the blend comes from and the reason for which the rapé medicine is used.

Some ingredients of rapé that may occur are tonka beans, spices such as cloves, cinnamon, banana peel, passion flower, Banisteriopsis caapi and Anadenanthera colubrina.

Keep in mind that some ingredients of rapé are psychoactive and can have hallucinogenic effects. Especially when you buy rapé with the intent to combine it with psychedelics such as ayahuasca and magic mushrooms. It is important to know what effects to expect when you buy rapé. Rapé contains harmala alkaloids that can cause negative effects when combined with certain substances. Check the warning at the bottom of this page before you buy rapé.

Where can you buy rapé?

Sirius offers a wide selection of rapé varieties. In our Smartshop, you can buy rapé online. Each rapé blend is carefully selected, with knowledge of the different tribes who created them. Each tribe has its own secret recipe of sacred plants, trees and seeds combined with ash, also called Tsunu, Cumaru or Murici.

How do you use rapé?

The traditional way to take rapé is when someone else (usually a shaman) blows the powder into your nose with a tepi. However, you can also administer rapé to yourself with a v-shaped wooden pipe called a kuripe.

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

Don’t forget to get a kuripe, when you buy rapé.

How long does the effect of rapé last?

Do you want to buy rapé and try it out for the first time? Then we recommend starting with a dose no bigger than a pea for each nostril. Because of the side effects, it is important for a beginner to be accompanied by someone with experience. How long the effect of rapé lasts depends on the circumstances. Usually it is between 5 and 15 minutes.

What is the effect of rapé tobacco?

Traditionally, the effect of rapé is seen as purifying and healing. Rapé cleanses the body of negative energy. Rapé medicine is seen as being able to balance the body.

Since rapé tobacco contains a large amount of nicotine, this snuff has a powerful stimulating effect. The nicotine releases hormones that cause the user to become more alert, focussed and awake.

Because each type of rapé is a different blend, the effects of rapé can vary greatly. Here are some possible effects you can expect when you buy rapé from Sirius:

• Alertness 
• Detoxification and cleansing of body and mind
• Preparation for a psychedelic trip
• Helping with calming and grounding
• Releasing tension
• Opening the third eye
• Opening and cleansing the chakras

The way rapé is administered plays a major role. By blowing the snuff into both nostrils, the active substances enter powerfully and are quickly absorbed by the body. As a result, you can experience the effects of rapé almost immediately. Rapé can produce both a stimulant and psychoactive effect.

Side effects of rapé

Be prepared for any side effects of rapé. The rapé medicine is blown in through your nostrils, and various effects of rapé may occur that are perceived as less pleasant. They are part of the purifying effect of rapé. Side effects of rapé may include:

• Runny nose
• Watery eyes
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Diarrhea

Rapé ceremony: how does it work?

Rapé medicine is often used during ceremonies. Rapé is traditionally used as a purifying and healing element, for example during an ayahuasca ceremony or a ceremony with magic mushrooms. During the rapé ceremony the shaman offers the participant a small amount of rapé and blows it into each nostril through a special pipe called a tepi. 

Rapé medicine is not only used during ayahuasca ceremonies, there are other rituals where this sacred tobacco medicine is used. Examples where rapé is used are kambo ceremonies, Bufo Alvarius ceremonies, San Pedro ceremonies.... If you buy rapé with the intention to use it in combination with other plant medicines, always be sure to check our warning below.

Is rapé tobacco addictive?

Nicotine is an addictive substance. Regular users of nicotine can develop a strong addiction quickly. Sirius recommends treating rapé with respect and not using it for recreation. If you buy rapé it should be intended for spiritual purposes.

A few tips:

• Keep tissues and a bucket handy.
• 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 allows it to drip out through your nose into your tissue or bucket and not down your throat. 
• Spit out rising mucus into a bucket
• Nausea and vomiting are common when using rapé. This is also considered a way of detoxification.

Warning combination MAOIs.

Use of MAOIs carries many risks! Rapé contains harmala alkaloids and these are classified as MAOIs. 

MAOs (Monoamine oxidases) refers to enzymes that are responsible for breaking down a lot of substances in your body, such as drugs and food. MAO-Inhibitors block the enzymes, so your body needs longer to process and recover.

In short, you must understand that MAOIs not only enhance the effects of the other drug you want to take with it, but also those of other drugs or harmful substances in your body, such as caffeine, THC and nicotine. Even substances the body receives via certain (fermented) foods, such as tyramine, can have an adverse effect. 

Combining MAO-Is with stimulant drugs ("uppers") like cocaine or (meth)amphetamine  is extremely dangerous and can be deadly, because of severe heart complications. This also holds for certain medications that contain ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. If you take any medication, make sure to always consult a healthcare professional before you take MAO-I containing products like rapé.

Therefore, always read our detailed explanation before experimenting with MAOIs, and be sure to check out this list of dangerous combinations with MAOIs. It contains substances you should not use for at least 24 hours before and 24 hours after using MAOIs.

For further questions  if you want to buy rapé, don’t hesitate to contact Sirius via email or phone.