How Long Does Rapé (Hapé) Last?
By Christian Alfaro
How long does rapé last? The answer can vary depending on the person and the specific blend of rapé being used. Generally speaking, the effects can last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour or more. This is true when working with rapé individually or when pairing this ancient medicine with Kambo or Ayahuasca ceremonies.
However, rapé can last the whole day if facilitated in the morning, support the intention & shape of someone’s week if used at the start of their week or even last into a person’s dreams when someone sits reverently with rapé medicine before bed.
This powerful plant medicine needs to be used with the utmost reverence and gratitude. By connecting to the Spirit of Tobacco, one can learn how to work with rapé hours or even days after the medicine is initially blown up their nostrils, either by themselves or an experienced facilitator.
What Is Rapé? And Indigenous Tribes' Sharing This Medicine
Rapé (ra-peh), also known as rapeh, hapé, or hapeh, is a finely ground snuff, usually containing Amazonian tobacco species and often mixed with other healing plant teachers. Westerns might read tobacco and be turned off. But indigenous communities and new age seekers working with rapé know this as a sacred plant medicine that has been used throughout the Americas for thousands of years.
In fact, rapé continues to be produced by indigenous cultures throughout South America, such as the Yawanawa, Matse, Huni Kuin, Nukini, Kuntanawa, and many others. To these people, tobacco is considered a master plant teacher. And hapeh is a tool and teacher for spiritual and emotional growth, physical cleansing, and must be used with deep intention and respect.
Why Is Rapé or Rapeh Also Known as Hapé or Hapeh?
In Portuguese, the letter “R” makes an “H” sound. So in Portuguese-speaking nations, like Brazil, the medicine is known as Hapé or Hapeh. While there are many other names rapé medicine goes by specific to different tribes, these two tend to be the terms that have lasted.
What Are Hapé Benefits and Rapé Effects?
Hapé benefits go far beyond the physical effects. This plant teacher is considered a sacred medicine and is often used in rituals for healing and transformation. It is believed to be able to clear negative energy, help with focus and concentration, create a heightened awareness for meditation and introspection, allow you to delve deeper into your thoughts and emotions, and provide a deeper connection to the spiritual realm.
Traditionally, there are many uses of hapé, which can vary greatly geographically, but some common uses are:
Spiritual Connection: One of the most commonly reported benefits of rapé is its ability to deepen one's spiritual connection. Many people report feeling more grounded, guided, and connected to their higher self and the universe after using the medicine.
Clearing Negative Energy: Hapé is also known for its ability to clear negative energy from the body and mind. It can help to release emotional blockages, allowing for greater clarity and focus.
Physical Healing: In addition to its spiritual and emotional benefits, rapeh also has physical healing properties. Its anti-inflammatory properties can help with respiratory issues, while its stimulant effects can aid in digestion and circulation, enhance the immune system, and treat mild to moderate headaches.
Increased Focus: Rapeh is also known for improving focus and concentration or affecting the mood, thoughts, behaviors, or perceptions - this has many labeling these medicines as a nootropic or psychotropic substances. This can be especially helpful for those who are easily distracted.
Relaxation: Despite its stimulant properties, many people feel deeply relaxed and grounded after using rapé. This can be helpful for reducing stress and anxiety and promoting a sense of inner calm.
The Effects of This Sacred Tobacco
Again, it’s important to note that no one’s experience with the sacred tobacco blown up one’s nose will be the same. That said, here are some general guidelines about rapé’s effects.
Physical Sensations: One of the most common effects of rapé is a physical sensation in the body. This can range from tingling or numbness in the face to a warming or cooling sensation throughout the body.
Emotional Release: Some people report that working with hapé can help to release emotional blockages and promote a sense of emotional balance and well-being.
Purging: Sometimes, working with hapeh can lead to purging, such as vomiting or sweating. This is considered to be a natural and important part of the healing process, as it helps to release toxins from the body and promote a sense of cleansing and renewal.
Many people find that working with rapé with reverence and respect can be a powerful and transformative experience, helping to promote physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
How to Work With Rapeh
This is not a relationship to be built recreationally, although as more Western people are exposed to rapeh, they naively misuse the rapé medicine in inappropriate settings with rushed intentions.
Once in a small airport lounge in Peru, my sister asked our teacher if this was a good place to work with rapé. And as many great teachers do, she took this as a learning opportunity for the both of us as she shared, “When we work with rapé, we’re inviting the Grandfather Spirit of the Medicine into our temple. And our temple includes the environment you find yourself in.
So ask yourself, is this somewhere my ancestral Grandfather would like to commune with me? Is this place safe and reverent to receive the teachings of this sacred Spirit, as if He comes down to sit in front and above us? Would Rapé feel welcome here?
If not, choose reverence and patience. We have our whole lives to continue working with these beautiful, powerful teachers. And it is very important not to disrespect these medicines even if clarity or grounding would be a nice change of pace from the current state of a muddled or foggy mind.”
How Hapé Can Be Served
Hapé is traditionally used by blowing fine ground-up powder into the nostrils with sacred instruments. These tools look like pipes that can be carved from bone or wood or be a piece of bamboo or reed. They’re also lined with crystals, unique designs, and other spiritual practices that make them unique to the user.
There are two different types of rapé applicators:
Kuripe (koo-ri-peh) — a rapé applicator shaped like a “V” for self-administering, also called “curipa.”
Tepi (teh-pee) — commonly called a rapé pipe. A single long hollow tube is often made of bone, wood, reed, or bamboo for one person to “blow rapé” for another. Also called “tipi.”
General Guidelines Whether Working With Hapeh By Yourself Or With An Experienced Facilitator
Set Your Intention: Before using hapeh, take some time to set your intention. Consider why you want to work with the medicine, and what you hope to gain from the experience. This can help to focus your energy and create a more meaningful experience.
Create a Sacred Space: Hapé is often used in a ceremonial context, and creating a sacred space can help to set the tone for your experience. You might consider lighting candles, burning sage, or playing soft music to create a peaceful and reverent atmosphere. And working with hapeh in nature is about as sacred a space as anyone can create.
Take Time for Integration: After the experience, take some time for reflection and integration. Journaling, meditating, or spending time in nature can be helpful for processing your experience and integrating the insights and lessons gained from working with the medicine.
Keep Your Tools Sacred & Clean: When we work with hapé on ourselves, we’re working with our own energy with keeps things simpler. It’s important to blow on one end of your Kuripe before serving yourself to clear out any remaining rapé from your last experience. And it’s best to keep your instrument your own & not share your sared tool with others, no matter how close you are. If you do, cleaning them with flower water and normal tobacco are ways to purify the energy should another use the tool.
Considerations When Receiving Rapeh From Someone Else
When another serves us this plant medicine, they blow their breath, their life force right into your nostrils. This is a very sacred and delicate act. Speaking from experience, do not let just anyone serve you rapeh. When someone blows the medicine into our temple, we’re receiving the plant medicine and their energy.
If a facilitator has questionable energy or shaky intentions, wait to work with the medicine until whoever sits across from you is someone you deeply trust. It’s easy to pick up energy and attachments that aren’t yours from an unreliable facilitator that can negatively impact the receiver’s experience.
That said, if you trust the person serving you, the experience is powerful and oftentimes transformational, even if the transformations are subtle rather than immediately pronounced. Plus, a personal relationship in an appropriate setting can strengthen under the guidance of a well-facilitated hapeh experience. This medicine opens up the doors of vulnerability and awareness with a sense of ease and clarity that creates opportunities to show up and share in ways that can positively surprise you and those you find yourself with.
Working With The Medicine In The Day
When we work with hapeh in the morning or early afternoon, it can shape the rest of our day if we so choose. So set an intention that lasts throughout the day and connect to it again hours after sitting with the medicine. You’d be surprised how this intention, mindful practice can positively influence the hours to follow when the experience has technically passed.
Working With The Medicine In The Evening
Some reverently work with rapeh in the evening to connect in an intimate setting with loved ones, deepen their reflections on how their day unfolded and decompress from all that did, or to support the work they do in their dreams.
Why Is Rapé Medicine Used In Ayahuasca Ceremonies?
Rapé is often used in collaboration with ayahuasca ceremonies, as both medicines can complement and enhance each other's effects. Other spiritual medicines, like Kambo, Peyote, or San Pedro also work with the shamanic snuff rapé, as tobacco is said to be an ally of many plant medicines.
Here are some of the reasons why rapé is used in ayahuasca ceremonies:
Clearing the Mind and Body: Rapé is known for its ability to clear negative energy and blockages from the body and mind. This can be especially helpful for preparing for an ayahuasca ceremony, as it can help create a clearer and more receptive state of mind.
Enhancing One’s Intention: Working with hapé before an ayahuasca ceremony can help to strengthen your intention and focus your energy. This can help to create a more powerful and transformative experience with the ayahuasca.
Deepening the Experience: Hapé can also help deepen the ayahuasca's effects, allowing for a more profound and transformative experience. It can help open communication channels with the spirit realm and facilitate a deeper connection to spiritual benefits.
Protection: In some traditions, rapé is used for protection against negative energy or entities. Using rapeh before an ayahuasca ceremony can help to create a protective barrier and support a safe and positive experience.
My First Time Meeting Rapé’s Spirit
Interestingly enough, the first time I was served rapé was in an ayahuasca ceremony. The immediacy of the transformation, the connection to the Grandfather & Grandmother Spirits, and the subtly within the profundity I was experiencing changed my life in the best ways possible. It is truly a moment I will never forget.
I’d never had a meaningful relationship with my Grandparents because of age gaps and health issues. And it haunted me. Then I eventually accepted I wouldn’t have a deep and meaningful relationship with the figures because… they were gone. So I embraced this unfillable hole in my heart with as much love and grace as I could muster, genuinely accepting this void would never be filled.
And then I found myself laying on the floor after being served rapeh for the first time, looking up at the center of the maloca, and watching-feeling this unfillable void fill itself. I heard and felt the Spirit of my Grandparents blessing me with their love, guidance, presence, and protection. They had told me they’d always been there, even if I hadn’t known it.
In the moments that followed my heart healing, a small ceremonial dance session unfolded. And under the guidance of rapé and Ayahuasca, I knew whatever this work was, I wanted in. Beyond my own transformation, I witnessed people forgive & fall in love with themselves, find their purpose, connect to their passion, and smile so big it filled a maloca.
I had just begun to learn what happens when the modern world meets ancient traditions with intention, reverence, and community. And although I had no idea what I’d just signed up for, I knew I was exactly where I needed to be thanks to the guidance of these Divine Ancestral Spirits, Rapé, and Ayahuasca.
What Is A Rapé Ceremony?
During a rapé ceremony, participants typically gather in a sacred space, such as a temple or ceremonial hut. The space is often decorated with flowers, candles, and other offerings to create a peaceful and reverent atmosphere. The experienced users, or shaman will then lead the group in a series of prayers and chants to set the intention for the ceremony.
Once the intention has been set, the rapeh is prepared and administered by the practitioner or shaman. Participants will take turns receiving the medicine, which is blown into the nostrils using a pipe or straw. The practitioner may also use other tools, such as smudging, feathers, or crystals, to help clear and balance the energy of the individual receiving the medicine.
During the ceremony, participants may experience a range of physical and emotional sensations. Some people report feeling a sense of clarity and heightened awareness, while others may feel more grounded and connected to their bodies. It's important to remember that everyone's experience with hapé will be unique.
After administering the medicine to all participants, the ceremony will typically close with a final prayer or chant. Participants are often encouraged to take time for reflection and integration following the ceremony, as the effects of the medicine can continue to be felt for some time afterward.
It's important to note that a rapé ceremony should only be attended with the guidance of a trained practitioner or shaman. The medicine can be very powerful, and it's important to approach it with intention and respect.
Is Rapé Safe?
But rapé is not without its risks. While rapé can be a powerful and transformative medicine, it's important to consider safety when working with these medicinal plants. It can be physically and emotionally intense and should only be used under the guidance of a trained practitioner. Knowing the potential health risks associated with tobacco's psychotropic properties is also important.
Here are some things to keep in mind when considering the safety of rapé:
Choosing a Trusted Practitioner: When working with rapé, it's important to choose a practitioner who is trained and experienced in the specific tradition or practice. They should be able to guide you through the process, answer any questions you may have, and ensure that you are using the medicine safely and responsibly.
Health Considerations: It's also important to consider any health conditions you may have when working with hapé. Certain medical conditions or medications may interact with the medicine, so it's important to speak with a healthcare professional before beginning to work with rapé.
Dosage: Like any medicine, using rapé in the proper dosage is important. Too much rapé can lead to discomfort or unwanted side effects, so it's important to follow any guidelines or protocols that may be in place for the specific tradition or practice.
Frequency: Similar to the above comment on dosage, something overused in moderation can quickly become a crutch and sat with excessively. Overuse of hapeh can negatively impact one’s sinuses and respiratory system. And an unhealthy attachment can lead to the medicine becoming a crutch which dilutes the reverence and power of the medicine. As they say, everything in moderation.
Setting and Intention: Creating a safe and supportive environment for working with rapé is also important. Working with the medicine in a comfortable and conducive space to the healing process is important and to set a clear intention for the experience.
Possible Side Effects: While side effects from working with rapeh are typically mild and short-lived, they can include nausea, dizziness, or discomfort in the nose or throat. It's important to be aware of these potential side effects and to stop using the medicine if they become too uncomfortable.
Ultimately, the safety of working with rapé comes down to respect, intention, and mindfulness. When approached with care and consideration, hapé can be a powerful and transformative tool for healing and growth.
Why Hapé Medicine Is Underestimated and Disrespected
Because this plant medicine doesn’t distort our senses as intensely, or so we trick ourselves into believing, as Ayahuasca, Kambo, San Pedro, Iboga, Mushrooms, or other Medicines, many dismiss the power of rapeh.
People serve themselves in spiritual clubs in Tulum, in the car on a long drive, on the go between mind-expanding events in Bali, and in other inappropriate ways and settings.
And to disrespect the medicine is to disrespect oneself. Just like to harm nature by littering is to harm the nature of the one who litters.
This medicine holds within itself that transformative power, so don’t disrespect yourself by rushing a personal ceremony, dishonoring your process by letting an untrustworthy figure serve you medicine, or disempower the medicine by working with rapeh in a questionable environment.
While the experience rarely lasts more than an hour, whether received in an ayahuasca ceremony or in a solo ceremony in a sacred space, showing up with intentions, reverence, and humility are great ways to receive the sacred teachings of this powerful plant medicine.
About the Author
Christian Alfaro is a Marketing Consultant specializing in SEO & Email channels. He collaborates with organizations serving individuals & communities through their unique heart-based services, from retreats to masterminds, emails to blog posts. He's passionate about releasing information that builds a world with more We's than I's where the commitment to one's personal mission, purpose, or dharma is eco-centric rather than ego-centric.
Christian's path with plant medicine began in June 2022. Since then, he's continued to deepen his studies through Master Plant dietas, plant medicine retreat operations & logistics, & nonprofit work supporting indigenous leaders in their efforts to protect, preserve, & steward indigenous culture, ancestral wisdom, & sacred plants.
When he's not working with conscious for-profits & nonprofits, Christian's typically smiling, laughing with & learning from dear friends, reading or writing, being grateful, immersing himself in Nature, or deepening his musical & yogic practices.