Diplopterys cabrerana (Chaliponga)

Diplopterys cabrerana (Chaliponga) is a plant native to the Amazon Basin, spanning Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. In the Quechua languages it is called chaliponga. In parts of Ecuador it's known as chacruna — a name that is reserved for Psychotria viridis.  Therefore, the two plants have become interchangeable among laypeople, but shamans know the distinct difference between these two plants.

Both have been traditionally used as an admixture plant in South American ayahuasca brews. Diplopterys is favored by shamans in Amazonian Ecuador and western Colombia, but is less often used in the Peruvian Amazon and Brazil. 

When chaliponga was first discovered, it was initially named Banisteria rusbyana, sometimes confused with Banisteriopsis caapi. Caapi is often added together with chaliponga to Ayahuasca brews. This is due to the MAO inhibiting properties contained in caapi. It is rarer and less abundant than Chacruna, therefore it's usually costlier.

Due to the nature of this plant material, we offer it for external use only as a homeopathic analgesic, as an incense, or as a botanical specimen for those who want the energy of this plant to fill their Shamanic spaces.