Beyond the Psychoactive Effects of Ayahuasca: Cultural and Pharmacological Relevance of Its Emetic and Purging Properties.
Matteo Politi, Giorgia Tresca, Luigi Menghini, Claudio Ferrante
Planta Medica November 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1055/a-1675-3840 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Citations | 19 |
| Key findings | The purging and emetic effects of ayahuasca are culturally and pharmacologically significant but have been understudied relative to its psychoactive properties. |
Abstract
The herbal preparation ayahuasca has been an important part of ritual and healing practices, deployed to access invisible worlds in several indigenous groups in the Amazon basin and among mestizo populations of South America. The preparation is usually known to be composed of two main plants, Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis, which produce both hallucinogenic and potent purging and emetic effects; currently, these are considered its major pharmacological activities. In recent decades, the psychoactive and visionary effect of ayahuasca has been highly sought after by the shamanic tourism community, which led to the popularization of ayahuasca use globally and to a cultural distancing from its traditional cosmological meanings, including that of purging and emesis. Further, the field of ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology has also produced relatively limited data linking the phytochemical diversity of ayahuasca with the different degrees of its purging and emetic versus psychoactive effects. Similarly, scientific interest has also principally addressed the psychological and mental health effects of ayahuasca, overlooking the cultural and pharmacological importance of the purging and emetic activity. The aim of this review is therefore to shed light on the understudied purging and emetic effect of ayahuasca herbal preparation. It firstly focuses on reviewing the cultural relevance of emesis and purging in the context of Amazonian traditions. Secondly, on the basis of the main known phytochemicals described in the ayahuasca formula, a comprehensive pharmacological evaluation of their emetic and purging properties is presented.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ayahuasca, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 12
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- Examining the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interaction of N,N-dimethyltryptamine and harmine in healthy volunteers: Α factorial dose-escalation study. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie March 1, 2025
- Ayahuasca ceremonies, relationality, and inner-outer transformations to sustainability. Evidence from Takiwasi Center in Peru Ecosystems and People April 18, 2024
- Mystical and Ego-Dissolution Experiences in Ayahuasca and Jurema Holistic Rituals: An Exploratory Study International Journal for the Psychology of Religion April 13, 2023
and 7 more in the library
Cites 67
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- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors in South American hallucinogenic plants: Tryptamine and β-carboline constituents of Ayahuasca Journal of Ethnopharmacology April 1, 1984
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- Pharmacological and therapeutic effects of Peganum harmala and its main alkaloids Pharmacognosy Reviews/Bioinformatics Trends/Pharmacognosy review 2013
and 62 more in the library