a Brazilian plant, Banisteriopsis caapi, that has winged fruits and yields a powerful hallucinogenic alkaloid sometimes used to treat certain disorders of the central nervous system: family Malpighiaceae
Word origin
C20: from Quechua
ayahuasca in American English
(ˌɑːjəˈwɑːskə)
noun
a woody South American vine, Banisteriopsis caapi, of the malpighia family, having bark that is the source of harmine, a hallucinogenic alkaloid used by indigenous people of the Amazon region