Six Weeks of Sananga: The Amazonian Eye Drops That Sting Like Fresh Chilli
WHY WOULD ANYONE WILLINGLY PUT FRESH CHILLI IN THEIR EYES?
Ah yes, a great question to contemplate on those lonely winter evenings. And if you’ve tried this Amazonian eye medicine, your natural reaction might be to wince (or smile) upon merely hearing this word.
Sananga is the name given to the liquid eye drops made from the shredded root of an Amazonian shrub, scientifically known as Tabernaemontana sananho. Bechette is the name given to the eye drops with similar properties, made from the root of a related shrub, known as Tabernaemontana undulata.
From what I could gather based on the somewhat limited information available to me, sananga eye drops are made from the same plant commonly used in plant dietas alongside Ayahuasca, known as Uchu Sanango.
Perhaps someone in the know could affirm or clarify this.
Uchu Sanango is used as a purgative, diuretic, fever reducer, calmative, memory enhancer, and even to help in the healing and realigning of both the muscular and skeletal system.
As far as using sananga as an eye medicine goes, it’s said to improve eye conditions, such as cataracts, glaucoma, conjunctivitis, red eyes, itchy eyes, eye infections, styes, as well as clearing out the sinus and helping with certain types of headaches. Sananga is known to bring greater texture, detail, and depth to one’s environment; enhancing colours and sharpening visual perception.
It’s said that these eye drops help to reset the bodies energetic field; opening the third eye, balancing the chakras, and clearing out negative or dark energies, known as ‘panema’. The list of potential benefits continues on, with reports that it’s helpful in treating depression, anxiety and addictions; helping to bring clarity in general and putting things into perspective.
It’s certainly a plant medicine with a lot of claims behind it. And of course there’s really only one way to test and know the validity of these claims on a first-hand account... Experience.
CONSCIOUSLY ENGAGING WITH DISCOMFORT
While sananga can be used as a stand alone plant ally, it’s often used in conjunction with other sacred earth medicine ceremonies.
I’ve had weak eye drops, which I liken to a very mild stinging and tingling sensation. I’ve also had incredibly strong eye drops, which I might imagine feels like a solution made of fresh habanero chillies and apple cider vinegar poured directly into my eye sockets. Naturally, sananga offers an experience that’s super pleasant, extremely enjoyable, and an activity you’d want to practice often (insert sarcasm).
Despite the pain and discomfort I’d experienced many times over with these liquid eye drops, somewhere back in 2017 I was getting the message that it was a plant medicine I needed to explore and connect with further.
Hence, a six week practice ensued.
Administering these eye drops on a daily basis, I began to establish a relationship with the spirit of this plant; putting the various claims to test, and trying to stay aware of any noticeable shifts along the way.
When it comes to physically dropping the liquid into each eye, it takes a little bit of practice to administer it efficiently. Dropping it straight into the eye can be difficult, as the eyes have an automatic tendency to clamp shut as soon as one droplet is received.
I find it much more effective to close both eyelids and place a drop or two into the corner of my eye; fluttering them both in a rapid blinking motion to ensure the liquid has been properly dispersed.
While obvious to some, it pays to mention the importance of taking a moment before the application to invite the spirit -or the energy, or medicine- of this plant into the body. Taking a few deep breaths are my norm, welcoming it's healing potential and bringing conscious awareness to this connection we were developing.
The natural inclination for many people who receive sananga is to tense various parts of their body with a pronounced contraction of the facial muscles. The key here is to breathe deeply through the sensations while actively releasing and relaxing places of tension.
If you hadn’t already gotten the picture, it stings a little.
Or more accurately, depending on the strength of the medicine, it stings a lot. Such is the catch though with many of these sacred earth medicines. Not always, but often, one must go through an initiation, generally involving some level of pain, discomfort, or uncomfortable event to receive the healing and growth they’re seeking.
Sananga eye drops pictured in the two bottles to the left. The darker liquid diluted with colloidal silver - to act as preservative, and to decrease the strength of the already strong medicine.
Over those six weeks, the sting was ever-present, however I did notice a decrease in intensity.
Sometimes the sting would last for a minute, sometime for five minutes, (in the beginning - up to ten minutes, but with a decrease in intensity as it tapered off within a minute or two) with an uncomfortable inability to fully open my eyes. At times, it felt like the spirit of the medicine had hooked onto my eye tendrils; pulling from both ends. Fun times.
More often than not, my sinuses would get a great clear out, and I'd often have to blow my nose a minute or two after having the drops applied.
Dropping deep into the subtleties of the sensations, it felt like the plant would interact with different parts of my eyes on any given day; sometimes on a superficial level, sometimes deep inside, sometimes more to the left or more to the right. Although I tried to swirl the liquid around by blinking to get a uniform coverage, I can’t be sure that that happened every time.
Perhaps the varying sensations were because of this, or perhaps the essence of this plant medicine was working on subtle nuances in my eyes, recalibrating and recorrecting where necessary.
Maybe a little bit of both??
Consciously engaging in a practice that induces discomfort can certainly change one’s relationship to pain and suffering, for better or worse. The ability to find calm and stillness, and relax tension in an unpleasant situation, certainly can have some degree of transference when it comes to the stressors of modern daily life.
This was one of the gifts of sananga early on, when I was using it sporadically. At the time, I didn't notice any significant shifts on a physical health level that I could attribute to the eye drops alone, as it was always used in conjunction with other earth medicines. However, when used daily as a stand alone treatment method, more of the subtleties became more clear.
WHAT BENEFITS DID I NOTICE?
One of the benefits that sananga has bestowed upon me, (after the burning sensations have stopped radiating throughout my skull, and my eyes don't feel the need to clamp shut anymore) is the feeling of being super present and grounded in my body.
On a subtle level, it feels like the energy flow can move more freely and unobstructed throughout my body; as if blockages have been somewhat cleared or opened. I tend to embody a relaxed focus and calm awareness; a stillness of the mind.
If other people try to project their negative energy toward me, or if I find myself in a situation where I might normally be triggered to some extent, it doesn't seem to land as hard as it otherwise might have. It's a feeling of being more centered and more emotionally composed.
In terms of vision, I would often notice a sharpness, yet softening, of my immediate environment. Colours would seem slightly more vibrant and natural phenomena would captivate my attention to a much greater degree, such as the shimmering of the sunlight within the overhead tree foliage, or the flittering of tiny insects rising from the grass to dance amongst the soft currents of wind.
Another key thing I've noticed over time is the ease in which I'm able to take in more information from my visual field of perception. With this relaxed awareness, especially immediately after the initial sting subsides, I tend to have a heightened capacity to notice subtle shifts out to my periphery. Wide angled vision, wide angled listening, wide angled awareness… all phrases to depict this expansion of consciousness.
It would seem as if the amount of visual information I could process increased directly after sananga. This ranged from 15 to 30 minutes after, to sometimes being highly sensitive to visual stimuli for a couple of hours afterwards, depending on what I was doing and the environment I was in. If I was to sit down shortly after and focus on writing at my laptop, the effects were hardly as pronounced as they were if I was immersed in nature.
All in all, it’s safe to say that within my personal connection with sananga, I absolutely experienced the shifts in visual acuity and energetic recalibrations that are said to come with this plant.
KEEN TO EXPERIMENT WITH SANANGA YOURSELF?
I'm certain there are going to be others that have an affinity for embracing discomfort; for enduring adversity; for experiencing the uncomfortable - for healing, growth, or pure exploratory curiosity. If there is, just like any other sacred earth medicine, using these substances safely and responsibly is of obvious importance. Do your own research, check for contraindications, cautions & considerations, clarify your intentions, and be mindful of set and setting.
According to many accounts, 1-2 drops per eye, once a day, is a standard amount of sananga (or bechette) to administer. If you're going to take up a daily practice, pay attention to any irritation over prolonged use, and after a six week period, it's probably best to take a break for a couple of weeks to rest your eyes. It pays to mention that if you're interested in experimenting with these eye drops to treat specific eye conditions, and you wear contact lenses, take them out prior to dropping the liquid in. Common sense applies here.
Another point to mention here, is that the Tabernaemontana plants are said to contain various iboga-alkaloids, which is perhaps one of the reasons why sananga can enhance visuals when used in conjunction with Ayahuasca.
When it comes to ingestion, caution is required and it’s recommended to only work with the medicine in this way with someone highly experienced. One or two drops in a glass of water is reported to be fine, but depending on the medicine, it's hard to determine what exactly constitutes a ‘safe’ dose.
Topical applications have been reported to clear a variety of skin conditions, but again, this is something you’d need to look into further. Sananga can deteriorate quite rapidly, so it's best to keep refrigerated, and to not store bottles in sunlight or heated areas.
Overall, having developed a beautiful connection with sananga over the years, it's certainly another plant medicine that I consider a powerful ally.
I know people on both sides of the camp. Some find sananga incredibly beneficial. Other's report nothing more than an uncomfortable experience.
In the many hundreds that I’ve witnessed receive sananga, I’ve only ever heard one person complain that they thought sananga had given them prolonged eye irritation.
It pays to mention that there are never any guarantees when it comes to working with any medicine, whether Eastern, Western, shamanic, herbal, alternative or otherwise, and it’s up to each and every individual who makes the conscious decision to walk this path, to take self-responsibility for their own choices and the outcomes that occur.
