Mambe is an indigenious way ( Witoto, Colombia) to consume - chew - raw coca leaves, reduced in flour (= Mate de Coca).
It is considered a medicine for the speech, to channel and speak words of wisdom, light and power.
The Mambe activation(-> freebasing) I've found optimal, it is obtained adding a 25% of carbonates, composed of 2:1:1 mix of [respectively] Calcium Carbonate:Sodium Bicarbonate:Potassium Bicarbonate.
The natives use withe ashes, or grinded and toasted shells, but then more than 25% is required for a good activation, because the farmaceutical carbonates I suggested are more pure.
The two Bicarbonates are more reactive than the Calcium C., but are more altering the taste.
Calcium C. is a more weak base but does not add any flavour. CC also is almost not soluble in water and on the long run could create deposits in the body, whereas the Bicarbonates are much water friendly. That is why I mix them in that ratio.
Another traditional way - probably the best - to activate the Mate is using Ambil, which is an alkaline "marmalade" made mostly with tobacco. But Ambil is hard to find, it is produced in limited amount around Colombia ( or in Brazil it is called Jita )- the alternative is one has to make his own (there are recipes on Shaman Australis forum) given he is able to purchase a bunch of raw organic tobacco.
One vendor suggests to drink the Mate in the morning with grapefruit juice, but i find the Mambe method more comfortable to carry everywhere, even to share with others at wish, and suitable to adding other herbs.
For example San Pedro\Peyote flour can be added to the Mambe mix at 10 or 20 % and used along the day, at least after the meals. One have to keep it in the mouth until it dissolves. Coca flour gives you a light 'friendly' anesthesia in the gum, whereas the cactus material when moisted swells and helps the coca to dissolve much slowly than it could happen without the cactus.
I've tried also to make a batch with powdered Voacanga Africana ( an Iboga cousin) and it is good.
Mambe is a good medicine, but it is antinausea, so don't use it before kambò because it could undermine the purging process.Someone suggested also to use Stevia as alkaline agent, but I've found these data which cut off that option:
Q: What is a pH level and what is the pH level of your Stevia products? Are your Stevia products acids or bases?
A: The pH level of a solution/element indicates its acidity. Solutions/elements with a pH of 0 to 6 are acids with a lower number indicating a higher acidity. Solutions/elements with a pH of 8 to 14 are bases (a.k.a. alkaline) with a higher number indicating a stronger alkaline (base) level. Solutions/elements with a pH of 7 are neutral, i.e. neither acid nor base (water has a pH of 7).
Stevioside (white powder) has a pH of +/- 6. That makes it an acid, but a very weak acid.
SteviaClear™ has a pH of about +/- 8. That makes it a rather weak base (alkaline). The combination of the +/- 6 pH of
Stevioside and 7 pH of water (the ingredients of SteviaClear™) make this alkaline.
Stevia Concentrate is also a weak alkaline (base) with a pH of about +/- 8.
Stevia Leaf (HoneyLeaf® powder) has a pH of about 6, which makes it a weak acid.
Based on these pH numbers our Stevia products are essentially neutral in their acidity. They all fall just shy of a pH of 7 on either the acid or base side.
If you read spanish cocaindigena.org is a good place to read the virtues of coca supplementation.
Coca in its raw form is useful for everyone's health and well being, but it 's mostly recommended for recovering from any debilitating illness.
I'm here quoting a personal message i received some days ago:
"... coca leaves are herbally nutritious but are also central nervous system stimulants... so there is always the affect of them pulsing through the cells and the difference when they are not present.
What separates them from hard stimulants is the nutritional backup support from all the vitamins minerals, phyto nutrients, essential oils all woven into a bio-available plant matrix that supports the activation of these alkaloids without serious or detrimental down time or damage. "
here a couple of videos in spanish about Mambe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axStCIWwDkc (here 1:1 is the ratio they use of flour and ashes, but then they snort it ?!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZDuDvyBIyIHere you can find among the comments some useful and practical infos on Mate, orienting also on how to make your own Mambe.
Vamos a mambeàr, hermanitos !