Piptadenia peregrina

plant

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

Piptadenia peregrina is a tropical American tree whose seeds are used to create cohoba, a hallucinogenic snuff. This snuff was used by Indigenous peoples in the Caribbean and South America during the time of early Spanish exploration.12

The active compounds in cohoba are believed to be DMT and bufotenine. Bufotenine is an indole hallucinogen that can also constrict blood vessels, leading to increased blood pressure. Cohoba was traditionally inhaled deeply using special tubes.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

cohoba
…a tropical American tree (Piptadenia peregrina) and used by Indians of the Caribbean and South America at the time of early Spanish explorations. DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and bufotenine (qq.v.) are thought to have been the active principles. Cohoba was inhaled deeply by means of special bilateral tubes.
Read More
…a tropical American tree (Piptadenia peregrina) and used by Indians of the Caribbean and South America at the time of early Spanish explorations. DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and bufotenine (qq.v.) are thought to have been the active principles. Cohoba was inhaled deeply by means of special bilateral tubes.
Read More

bufotenine
…and the tropical American tree Piptadenia peregrina, the seeds of which were used at the time of the early Spanish explorations by the Indians of Trinidad and of the Orinoco Plain to make the hallucinogenic snuff called cohoba, or yopo.
Read More
…and the tropical American tree Piptadenia peregrina, the seeds of which were used at the time of the early Spanish explorations by the Indians of Trinidad and of the Orinoco Plain to make the hallucinogenic snuff called cohoba, or yopo.
Read More

drug cult
Other psychedelic substances
…from parts of a tree, Piptadenia peregrina. This narcotic snuff may be confused with others, as yet not clearly differentiated.
Read More
…from parts of a tree, Piptadenia peregrina. This narcotic snuff may be confused with others, as yet not clearly differentiated.
Read More