1Same molecule, two rituals
Both carry harmine and harmaline. In Anatolia these alkaloids burn in smoke against the evil eye; in the Amazon they form the backbone of a ceremonial brew.
Cultures thousands of kilometres apart have often used the same molecules, or the same plant, for similar troubles. Each arc on the map is a bridge; hover over it or pick one from the list below.
Both carry harmine and harmaline. In Anatolia these alkaloids burn in smoke against the evil eye; in the Amazon they form the backbone of a ceremonial brew.
Rue is hung against the evil eye in Anatolia; in Peru, as ruda, it is the core herb of limpia cleansings.
Both trees are harvested for their resin and scent; both are under pressure from rising demand.
Aching joints in Anatolia and bodies in Andean limpias are struck with nettles.
Both are roots dried into powder and believed to give strength. Both stories show how trade affects wild nature and local growers.
Henbane, mandrake and toé carry the same poisonous alkaloids. In all three regions they were seen as plants of both healing and magic.
Yörük juniper, Kyrgyz arça and California’s white sage: similar rites that grew up independently.
Nicotiana rustica is the healer’s basic tool in the Amazon; in Kahramanmaraş it is placed under the lip as Maraş otu.
The Andes’ cinchona bark and Asia’s wormwood became the two cornerstones of modern malaria treatment.
Henna on the hands at the kına night in Anatolia, huito on the body in Amazonian ceremonies. Both dyes are temporary marks that last a few weeks.
The red of Anatolian carpets comes from madder, the face paint of Amazonian peoples from achiote. This shared red is also this site’s main colour.
Anatolia’s rose hip and the Amazon’s camu camu are people’s vitamin C sources against winter and the rainy season.
Asia’s ephedra and the Andes’ coca were used against fatigue and altitude for their stimulant alkaloids; modern drugs came from both.
Bitter melon is an ulcer remedy with olive oil in Anatolia and, as sorosi, a malaria tea in the Amazon.
East Asia’s ginseng and the Mediterranean’s mandrake were seen as magical and sacred because their roots look human.
North America’s peyote and the Andes’ San Pedro carry the same molecule and sit at the heart of ceremonies thousands of years old on two continents.