Shamanic healing, a practice rooted in transcultural worldviews involving interaction with the spirit world, shows potential benefits and a low risk of harm when used as a clinical intervention. A review of medical literature found sixteen relevant publications, including one clinical trial, two case series, and ten case reports. The authors conclude that shamanic healing is feasible to investigate further, though more research is needed to clarify its benefits.
A 35-year-old woman with prior psychedelic experience took Ayahuasca and Huachuma (San Pedro cactus) in separate ceremonies. Both medicines sharply reduced her depression scores (Ayahuasca: from 18 to 6; Huachuma: from 12 to 2 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) and increased her feelings of connectedness (Ayahuasca: from 62.3% to 95.37%; Huachuma: from 58.32% to 84.65% on the Watts Connectedness Scale). Stool samples showed that each medicine shifted the gut microbiome differently, but both reduced pro-inflammatory bacteria, normalized inflammation-linked species, and increased beneficial butyrate-producing bacteria. These microbial changes aligned with improved mood and reduced inflammation, suggesting that psychedelics may improve mental health partly through the microbiota-gut-brain axis.