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.”
A mind-bending brew
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 introspection.
For some, the experience can feel transformative, but for others, it can be grueling. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are common, while intense hallucinations, anxiety and paranoia can turn the journey into a frightening ordeal.
There are also more serious risks. Ayahuasca can be dangerous for people with certain psychiatric or cardiovascular conditions, and it can trigger potentially serious interactions with some medications, including certain antidepressants.
Happy — without the high
In recent years, ayahuasca has caught the attention of scientists, with researchers exploring whether its psychoactive compounds could hold promise for treating mental health conditions such as depression and substance use disorders.
But there’s a catch: In the US, DMT is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, making ayahuasca generally illegal, with limited exceptions for certain religious groups.
The caapi vine itself, however, isn’t federally scheduled. That means supplements like Happy Caapi, which contain no DMT, can be sold in the US — and its makers say the extract offers benefits of its own.
“There are more things than MAO inhibition does for your brain health than just allowing the DMT to get to your brain,” Gonzalo Bisquerra, the founder and CEO of Happy Caapi, told attendees crowded around the company’s booth at Dave Asprey’s Beyond Psychedelics conference in Austin, Texas, earlier this month, where the product sold out. “This is nature’s antidepressant.”
Laboratory studies suggest that harmine and other beta-carbolines found in the caapi vine may influence brain processes involved in neurotransmitter signaling, inflammation and neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to adapt, learn and form memories.
Researchers are also exploring whether these compounds could protect brain cells from oxidative stress, a form of cellular damage linked to aging and various diseases, and influence pathways involved in mood regulation.
Happy Caapi’s makers say users have reported less mental chatter, better focus, an easier time staying present and an improved mood after taking the supplement.
“You’re not going to feel a high or any sort of distortion,” Morgan said.
When I tried it after a long day of schmoozing with psychedelic and neuroscience experts at a conference, I felt more alert — kind of like I’d had a cup of coffee, minus the jitters or trouble sleeping that night. My mood was upbeat, too, though it’s hard to say whether that was the supplement or the kumbaya vibes in the room.
Others I’ve given samples to have reported similar effects, while some haven’t noticed much of anything in the moment.
Of course, personal experiences are just that: personal. Many of the claims surrounding the caapi vine are still being investigated, and more clinical studies are needed to better understand how reliably the supplement delivers these effects.
And while Happy Caapi won’t get you high, that doesn’t mean it’s risk-free.
The company advises people taking prescription medications to consult a healthcare professional before using the product. They also warn against combining it with SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, tramadol, DXM (dextromethorphan) or large amounts of tyramine-rich foods, including some aged and fermented products.
Happy Caapi isn’t recommended for people with bipolar disorder, psychosis or seizure disorders, as well as those with significant liver disease. There isn’t enough evidence to establish whether the product is safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Happy Caapi’s products are tested by a third-party laboratory accredited to ISO standards to check for pesticides, heavy metals, DMT and other substances. The company sources its caapi vine from a single, traceable supplier in South America and provides a certificate of analysis for each bottle.
The supplement officially launched in July and is available online for $40 for a 50-milliliter bottle.