Global pressure on ayahuasca threatens Amazonian plants and knowledge systems
June 23, 2026 DOI: 10.66709/news-321692 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractBenki Piyãko, an Ashaninka leader in the Brazilian state of Acre, warns that the Amazon rainforest, which he calls one of the world's largest pharmacies, is being destroyed. This statement highlights multiple threats to the Amazon and underscores a growing debate about ayahuasca, an Indigenous psychedelic beverage considered a forest medicine.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical |
|---|---|
| Population | Amazonian Indigenous communities and global ayahuasca users |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Amazon rainforest Indigenous Traditional knowledge Amazonian |
| Key finding | Argues that the Amazon is being destroyed, threatening its role as a source of medicines, and that ayahuasca is a subject of growing debate. |
Abstract
“One of the world’s largest pharmacies is being destroyed,” says Benki Piyãko, a leader of the Ashaninka Indigenous people in the Brazilian state of Acre. The warning points to multiple threats advancing on the Amazon but also to growing debate surrounding one of the so-called forest medicines: ayahuasca. This Indigenous beverage with psychedelic properties is […]