Traditional Indigenous-Amazonian Therapy Involving Ceremonial Tobacco Drinking as Medicine: A Transdisciplinary Multi-Epistemic Observational Study.
Ilana Berlowitz, Ernesto García Torres, Juan Celidonio Ruiz Macedo, Ursula Wolf, Caroline Maake, Chantal Martin-Soelch
Health Education & Behavior December 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1177/10901981231213348 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 27 |
| Population | Patients treated by a traditional healer specialized in tobacco in the Peruvian Amazon |
| Duration | Weeklong treatment |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Mental health therapy Indigenous healing practices Medicinal tobacco Indigenous medicine Nicotiana spp. Peruvian amazon Psychoactive Traditional medicine Ethnobotany |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Patients showed significant reductions in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and general symptom indicators after a weeklong tobacco-based treatment by an Indigenous healer. |
Abstract
Although the tobacco plant has been employed as a medicinal and sacred herb by Indigenous cultures across the Americas, its usage drastically changed after the 15th-century colonial arrival; its large-scale commodification and global marketing once brought to Europe lead to hedonic and addictive uses harmful to health. As a consequence, tobacco smoking is now one of the largest public health problems worldwide. However, in the Peruvian Amazon, a region of origin of tobacco species, Indigenous healers still know how to use the plant for therapeutic purposes. Due to a general disregard of Indigenous knowledge and stigma, these uses have however not so far been clinically investigated. We hence conducted for the first time a clinical field study assessing a sample of patients treated by a traditional healer specialized in tobacco in the Peruvian Amazon (observational design, pilot study, N = 27). The study was conducted within a transdisciplinary and multi-epistemic medical frame, in close partnership with an Amazonian healer. We used validated self-report scales to quantitatively assess mental health variables before and after the weeklong treatment, and mixed-methods to report experienced effects. Paired-samples t-tests comparing pre- and post-treatment scores revealed significant reductions in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and general symptom indicators. Experienced effects included initial physical discomfort, followed by psychologically or existentially/spiritually significant insights. Our findings point to a sophisticated therapeutic approach based on Indigenous knowledge of tobacco applications, which should be further investigated. The study also contributes to the burgeoning scientific field on therapeutic uses of contentious psychoactive plants.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on ayahuasca, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 33
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- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression New England Journal of Medicine April 14, 2021
- Global Street Food: la cocina de la calle Diseño interior 2009
- Dose-Response Study of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in Humans Archives of General Psychiatry February 1, 1994
and 28 more in the library