The Medicine of Nunu
Benefits on the energetic level: It opens up the third eye and the heart chakras, making you feel instantaneous connection to all that is around you, including people, uplifting your mind and spirit. Its also very grounding and calming at the same time, mostly due to tobacco content. Another benefit in using Nunu is that it literally expels all the negative and low vibrations from your being, which are also referred to as the “bad spirits” in the shamanic traditions. Your mind becomes clearer and sharper and you feel overall cleansed and purified.
Dosage: small to moderate, depending on the person. Normally we start everyone off with a smaller dose, to see how they react to the medicine. Some people are just fine with a little bit of Nunu, whereas others might need a double amount to feel the desired effect. Since we will be administering Nunu twice (in one evening), you will have an opportunity to either ask for more, less, or the same amount during your second “shot”. Please note that the dosage we administer at the centre is not even close to the full dose the Matses people would administer to each other. A full Matses dose is very potent and can easily make the person purge. We don’t go to such extremities, because one would require several years or practice with the medicine of Nunu to be able to stand such a dosage. We give you just enough for you to connect with the medicine and experience its primary benefits
Immediate effects include a stinging sensation and quickening of the carotid pulse. Patients may feel a flushing fever sensation in the arms and face, followed by weakness. Users should expect to vomit and experience stomach cramps. These effects subside within about 45 minutes, after which the patient should rest for the remainder of the day and enjoy a good night’s sleep
Side effects: even though the dosage will be relatively small/moderate, you might still feel a little bit nauseous, if you are a sensitive type of person. Note that this doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes it occurs and on a rare occasion people can even purge from Nunu. Don’t worry if this happens, it’s normal. We will have buckets for you in the maloca to use. From a shamanic perspective, it simply means that you needed a deeper cleanse, whether it be something physical, mental or emotional to release. It won’t be as intense of a purge as the ones which often occur during the Ayahuasca sessions.
Recommendations: Make sure there is at least 30 minutes of time that passed by after you had the dinner, for food to digest in your stomach before the Nunu ceremony. Bring your bottle of water with you and make sure to drink lots of it after you get your shot of Nunu, especially if you feel a bit hot in your body/head. You can also rinse your face off with water in the bathroom, or even take a refreshing shower if you feel a bit uncomfortable. Once again, it normally doesn’t get to such point with the dosage we give.
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Trust in the medicine with all of your heart (just like you would with any other medicine). Set your intention before connecting with it. Connect with the Spirit of Nunu through your trust, gratitude and communication with it. It may be something as simple as acknowledging the fact that Nunu does have a spirit and you are grateful for the opportunity to connect with it! Have faith in the medicine and accept what it gives you with love