Hypotheses Regarding the Mechanisms of Ayahuasca in the Treatment of Addictions

Abstract

Ayahuasca is a medicinal plant mixture utilized by indigenous peoples throughout the Amazon River basin for healing purposes. The "vine of the soul" or "vine of death," as it is known in South America, contains a combination of monoamine oxidase inhibitors and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). When ingested together, these medicines produce profound alterations in consciousness. Increasingly, ayahuasca is being utilized to treat addictions. However, the mechanism of action by which ayahuasca treats addictions remains unclear. We offer four hypotheses to explain possible biochemical, physiological, psychological, and transcendent mechanisms by which ayahuasca may exert its anti-addiction effects.

In the evidence

This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.

• State of the evidence: Ayahuasca for addiction ↑Supports

  Proposes four hypotheses—biochemical, physiological, psychological, and transcendent—to explain how ayahuasca may exert anti-addiction effects.

  Synthesized September 21, 2026

Comparable studies

Other theoretical and historical papers on ayahuasca for addiction, most cited first.