Introduction: the shifting journey of ayahuasca in diaspora
Clancy Cavnar Beatriz Caiuby Labate
September 1, 2016 DOI: 10.4324/9781315551425-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Diaspora |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Argues that defining 'ayahuasca' is challenging due to ethnobotanical diversity and the variety of cultural and religious practices that incorporate it. |
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew that has been historically used by indigenous and mestizo Amazonians for shamanic purposes. It is typically constituted by boiling the vine Banisteriopsis caapi with the shrub Psychotria viridis – two plants that contain sets of chemicals that are a "match made in heaven."4 Many books and articles on the topic of ayahuasca begin with a similar opening statement, and while the statement is not necessarily incorrect, it often reflects a longing for the standardization of both the "ayahuasca" brew and for a research topic that can be demarcated and objectified into the field of "ayahuasca studies." Defining "ayahuasca," however, is challenging. This is because there is very little research on the ethnobotanical aspects of these plants (although it is most probable that a variety of both the Psychotria and the Banisteriopsis species are, in fact, used in any ayahuasca preparation), and because many other plants from different species native to different continents and ecologies can be added to the mix. Also, in contemporary times, "ayahuasca" is composed of many different cultural and religious practices around the globe – including, among indigenous shamanic complexes, several Brazilian ayahuasca religions, neoshamanic New Age groups, and therapeutic and tourist centers.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The globalization of ayahuasca: Harm reduction or benefit maximization? | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Towards psychedelic apprenticeship: Developing a gentle touch for the mediation and validation of psychedelic-induced insights and revelations. | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ayahuasca healing beyond the Amazon: the globalization of a traditional indigenous entheogenic practice | 2008 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Chemical evidence for the use of multiple psychotropic plants in a 1,000-year-old ritual bundle from South America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 4, 2019
- Ayahuasca Calling: Sacredness and the Emergence of Shamanic Vocations in Denmark and Peru Anthropology of Consciousness August 9, 2022