Chacruna

Psychotria viridis, also known as chacruna, chacrona or, in the Quechua languages, chaqruy, is a perennial, shrubby flowering plant in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. It grows to about 5 metres tall, with leaves in opposite pairs and paired stipules, which are leafy structures that protect the young leaves. A close relative is Psychotria carthagenensis, also called samiruka or amiruca, of Ecuador. Chacruna is commonly used as an ingredient of ayahuasca, a decoction with a long history of entheogenic use, meaning use that connects people to the spirit, and it has the status of a "plant teacher" among the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest. In traditional medicine, the Machiguenga people of Peru use the juice from the leaves as eye drops to treat migraine headaches.