The Maastricht Journal of Liberal Arts

Medicalisation of Ayahuasca as a Depression Treatment

The Maastricht Journal of Liberal Arts September 19, 2023 Elena Gomel Cordeiro

This paper examines the possible consequences of medicalising the psychedelic Ayahuasca to be used as a treatment for depression. Through a science and technology studies (STS) understanding of the social construction of scientific facts, I consider how traditional indigenous uses of Ayahuasca are translated into Western medicine. Two special points of attention are: (1) the cultural...