Ayahuasca: What Healthcare Providers Need to Know.
Deana Goldin, Deborah Salani
Journal of Addictions Nursing DOI: 10.1097/jan.0000000000000405 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Ayahuasca carries potential risks including psychotic episodes and serotonin syndrome, and its consequences remain uncertain due to poor quality control, unpredictability, and polydrug interactions. |
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a pan-Amazonian botanical hallucinogenic decoction made from a mixture of the bark of the Banisteriopsis caapi plant, containing a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, and Psychotria viridis (Rubiaceae) or Diplopterys cabrerana shrubs containing a serotonergic 2A receptor agonist, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, a powerful psychoactive substance. Ayahuasca is a traditional psychoactive sacrament that has been used for shamanic ceremonies for centuries. Ayahuasca is acclaimed for spiritual and psychotherapeutic benefits and is gaining popularity in the United States. Potential risks involved with usage of this hallucinogenic drug include psychotic episodes related to N,N-dimethyltryptamine and serotonin syndrome, which can be potentially life threatening. The consequences of ayahuasca use remain uncertain because of poor quality control, unpredictability, and polydrug interactions. Nurses, advanced practice nurses, and other healthcare providers working in outpatient settings, hospitals, and treatment centers need to be familiar with the pharmacology, possible drug interactions, and management for ayahuasca ingestion for optimal decision making. Nurses are well positioned to facilitate understanding and to advise and educate the public about the potential risks associated with ayahuasca ingestion.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ayahuasca, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Psychedelics for treatment resistant depression: are they game changers? Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy November 10, 2023
- The Abuse Liability of Classic Psychedelics: A Methodological Critique and Assessment of the Quality of Evidence of Recent Studies Current Addiction Reports August 18, 2026
- Naturalistic Psychedelic Use: A World Apart from Clinical Care Journal of Psychoactive Drugs August 11, 2022
Cites 26
- Seeing with the eyes shut: Neural basis of enhanced imagery following ayahuasca ingestion Human Brain Mapping September 16, 2011
- The Therapeutic Potentials of Ayahuasca: Possible Effects against Various Diseases of Civilization. Frontiers in Pharmacology March 2, 2016
- Ayahuasca: Pharmacology, neuroscience and therapeutic potential Brain Research Bulletin March 11, 2016
- Sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca on affect and cognitive thinking style and their association with ego dissolution Psychopharmacology August 13, 2018
- Ayahuasca enhances creative divergent thinking while decreasing conventional convergent thinking Psychopharmacology July 19, 2016
and 21 more in the library