União do Vegetal

Jose Gabriel da Costa, o Mestre Gabriel, em Porto Velho, Rondonia, em 1961, com a bebida "Vegetal" e o ritual "Uniao do Vegetal"

One of Ayahuasca’s branches of religious ingestion, the União do Vegetal was created in 1961 by a man from Bahia state who had moved to the north decades earlier to work in rubber farms: José Gabriel da Costa was introduced to Hoasca Tea on the Bolivian margins of the country. That was when it occurred to him that the Vegetable – that’s how he named the liquid prepared from Chacrona (Psicotria viridis) leaves and Mariri (Banisteriopsis caapi) vines should be shared so more people could reach peace.

Master Gabriel was born in 1922, in the hinterlands of Bahia state, close to the city of Feira de Santana. And it was in that region that he first incorporated the entity that would spend a lifetime by his side; the wise and simple man admired by so many people had been considered special and enlightened since his childhood, and was embraced and made a part of Umbanda from an early age. He was the Sultão das Matas himself, he knew the plants and remedies made from the forest’s wisdom. From the northeast to the north, he built a path marked by respect and charisma: he healed bodies and cared for people, and he continues to spread joy and peace.

During the Christian and spiritualistic practices founded by Master Gabriel, Ayahusca is included as an aid to reaching mental focus. The ritual consists mainly on meditation.

Along with other infusions made from the forest’s herbs and plants, Ayahuasca is administered every other Saturday or at healing sessions to those believers who slowly but surely reconnect with their essence and show signs of independence and recovery: the thing with the rubber plant, as Ayahuasca is known for its impact, is that it’s really strong!