Indigenous-Amazonian Traditional Medicine’s Usage of the Tobacco Plant: A Transdisciplinary Ethnopsychological Mixed-Methods Case Study

Ilana Berlowitz; Ernesto García Torres; Caroline Maake; Ursula Wolf; Chantal Martin-Soelch

doi:10.3390/plants12020346

Indigenous-Amazonian Traditional Medicine’s Usage of the Tobacco Plant: A Transdisciplinary Ethnopsychological Mixed-Methods Case Study

Ilana Berlowitz, Ernesto García Torres, Caroline Maake, Ursula Wolf, Chantal Martin-Soelch

Plants January 11, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/plants12020346 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract

Characteristics	Case study Qualitative Case report Peer reviewed
Sample size	1
Population	A 37-year-old woman with mood, anxiety, attention deficit disorders, and a chronic somatic condition
Intervention	Ritual tobacco ingestion
Duration	Weeklong retreat
Topics	Ayahuasca
Keywords	Amazonian medicine N. rustica Nicotiana Peru Case study Ecological momentary assessment Experience-sampling Indigenous medicine Mapacho Mixed-method Psychoactive Traditional medicine Folk medicine Ancestral medicine Ethnobotany medicinal plants Plant medicine Botanical medicine Tobacco healing
Citations	14
Key findings	Ritual ingestion of Nicotiana rustica in a traditional Amazonian retreat was associated with clinically relevant improvements in the patient's well-being.

Abstract

Harmful usage of tobacco is a global public health problem associated with adverse health effects and addiction. Yet, in the Peruvian Amazon, the native region of Nicotiana rustica L., this plant is used in remarkably different manners: it is considered a potent medicinal plant, applied in liquid form for oral ingestion to treat mental health problems, a common and ancient healing practice in this region. Using a transdisciplinary field research approach with mixed ethnopsychological methods, this work aimed to report for the first time a case study in this context. The intervention took place in the Peruvian Amazon (Loreto) and involved ritual tobacco ingestion in a weeklong retreat-like frame, administered by a specialized traditional Amazonian healer. The patient was a 37-year-old woman with diagnosed mood, anxiety, and attention deficit disorders, as well as a chronic somatic condition. We applied qualitative experience-sampling during and quantitative symptom assessments pre- and post-treatment. Our findings offer a detailed description of the experiential therapeutic process during the treatment week and suggest clinically relevant improvements in patient well-being. This work is significant in view of the globally prevalent harmful uses of tobacco and the current scientific trend of revisiting herbal psychoactives (e.g., cannabis, psilocybin) for their therapeutic potentials.

Comparable studies

Other case reports and case series on ayahuasca, most cited first.

Study	Year	Design	Participants
A fatal intoxication following the ingestion of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine in an ayahuasca preparation. 25-year-old white male	2005	Case study	n = 1
The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions	2013	Ethnographic case studies
EEG Gamma Coherence and Other Correlates of Subjective Reports During Ayahuasca Experiences Experienced ayahuasca users	2005	Exploratory case series	n = 2
Reply to “Ayahuasca turned on my mind’s eye”: A case of acquired versus congenital aphantasia, as evidenced with DMT use? Individual with apparent congenital aphantasia	2018	Case study	n = 1
“Ayahuasca turned on my mind’s eye”: Enhanced visual imagery after ayahuasca intake in a man with “blind imagination” (aphantasia) A man self-diagnosed with long-lasting aphantasia	2018	Case study	n = 1

Citations in the library

Cited by 5

Cites 42

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