Matico Rapé

Wat is Rapé Matico?

This rapé blend contains Matico (Piper aduncum), also known as the ‘prickly pepper’ or the ‘soldier’s herb.’ This tropical, evergreen, shrubby tree can be found throughout Central and South American coasts and forests and in the Interandean Valleys. It has spear-shaped leaves and orange drupe fruits, and it can grow up to 6 or 7 meters tall.

According to a legend, a wounded Spanish soldier named Matico learned from the local tribes that applying the leaves to his wounds stopped the bleeding, and the plant became known after him. Western medicine has used it since the 19th century for its antihemorrhagic and astringent (wound-healing) properties.

More recently, the plant has gained recognition for its alleviating effect on COVID-19 symptoms; a movement by the name of Comando Matico was founded in Peru in order to educate local communities on its therapeutic benefits.

What is Rapé Matico used for?

Traditionally, it is used for producing salves for wounds or brewed in water either drunk as a stimulant and aphrodisiac or the vapor inhaled to soothe the lungs. However, in this rapé blend, it’s powdered and mixed together with Carianina ashes to produce a spicy, high-vibrational buzz, excellent for expanding your airways, healing after a cold, and for increasing blood flow to the brain as a natural energizer. In ayahuasca ceremonies, this rapé can help elevate energy and reduce nausea.