Reports by explorers and travelers and the first scientific studies on ayahuasca (dating from 1850 to 1950) within the current debate on the "psychedelic renaissance".

Between 1850 and 1950, reports from expeditions to Amazonia described indigenous uses of ayahuasca, which later became entangled with Western scientific and pharmaceutical interest. This history sheds light on current controversies in the "psychedelic renaissance"—a movement that gained scientific attention after 2000 but traces back to research halted by anti-drug policies in the 1960s and 1970s. The article uses actor-network theory to analyze historical reports and argues that this history illuminates ongoing political debates about indigenous classifications, meanings, pharmaceutical interest in ayahuasca, and the broader debate about "drugs."

Study at a glance

Abstract

This article describes the associations and controversies between indigenous and western uses of ayahuasca between 1850 and 1950 in relation to the "psychedelic renaissance." This movement has gained scientific attention since 2000, but hearkens back to the 1960s and 1970s, when anti-drug policy halted research on the "therapeutic potential" of psychoactive substances. Pioneering studies on ayahuasca date back to the early twentieth century and mention reports of expeditions to Amazonia from 1850 onward. Here, these articles and reports are analyzed according to the historical aspect of actor-network theory and recent studies. We infer that history casts light on the current political debate about indigenous uses, classifications, and meanings, pharmaceutical interest in ayahuasca, and the debate on "drugs."