The Ancestral Medicine of Hapé Snuff: Science, Tradition and Facilitation of Ceremonies

Hapé, the sacred tobacco snuff, has been derived from one of the most respected plants among Indigenous peoples of the Americas for thousands of years, traditionally prepared using dried tobacco leaves and ash from special trees from the Amazon rainforest. 

By applying hapé medicine to the nostrils, users activate their senses in unique ways. The potent blend stimulates both physical sensations and inner visions, enabling individuals to explore their spirituality on a deeper level. This sensory experience often leads to profound insights and revelations about one’s purpose in life. 

The Global North is now experiencing an explosion of interest in psychedelics and plant medicine, leading therapists, doctors, artists, businesses, non-profit organizations, and researchers to embrace sacred plants as tools for improving health, awakening spirituality, and enhancing creativity. In this workshop, we will talk about the therapeutic, scientific, and cultural dimensions of hapé, covering the diversity of its uses and the most appropriate and beneficial ways to consume it. 

Together, we will: 

• Identify key points for building good practices in diverse contexts to facilitate and integrate the use of hapé snuff.
• Discuss the complex ethical and cultural challenges associated with the use of hapé.
• Address ways to give back and cultivate reciprocity with Indigenous peoples.
• Learn scientific aspects and traditional perspectives on this plant medicine.
• Prepare the hapé medicine with our own hands, a complex and sacred process that is still largely unknown in the Global North.
• Participate in a hapé ceremony.

Though hapé is legal in the US and is spreading rapidly around the world, it is important to recognize that this is a traditional medicine with different ways of preparation, different types of blowing, and different plants that can make up each recipe. We will explore how to responsibly manage a relatively complex set of procedures and activities. Cultural sensitivity, preparation of the container, silence, music, scent, dose size, and duration are all important aspects to consider for a safe and meaningful experience.

Recommended reading: https://plantmagiccollective.org/hape-medicine-sacred-shamanic-snuff-explained/

This workshop includes a $25 material fee.