Uso inadecuado de la ayahuasca y sus impactos en la salud: percepción de consumidores
Azul Monserrathe Illicachi-Erazo, David Alejandro Toapanta-Amores
Verdad y Derecho. Revista Arbitrada de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales. October 14, 2026 DOI: 10.62574/g9gn9z5t (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quantitative descriptive study with documentary review and survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Ayahuasca consumers in therapeutic or recreational contexts |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Key findings | Consumers surveyed reported physical risks (severe nausea or vomiting, increased blood pressure) and psychological risks (traumatic memories, post-ceremony depression, anxiety, psychosis) from ayahuasca use. They valued prior information, medical evaluation, and regulation of commercial ceremonies. The authors conclude that use outside a safety framework carries risks that could be reduced through regulation and education, without dismissing the cultural value of traditional practice. |
Abstract
La ayahuasca, bebida ritual de los pueblos amazónicos, se consume hoy también en ceremonias comerciales y recreativas, a menudo sin control sanitario. El estudio analizó el uso inadecuado de la ayahuasca y sus efectos en la salud según la percepción de consumidores. Se utilizó un diseño cuantitativo descriptivo, con revisión documental y una encuesta a una muestra pequeña de consumidores en contextos terapéuticos o recreativos. Los encuestados señalaron como riesgos físicos las náuseas o vómitos severos y el aumento de la presión arterial, y como riesgos psicológicos los recuerdos traumáticos, la depresión posterior a la ceremonia, la ansiedad y la psicosis; valoraron la información previa, la evaluación médica y la regulación de las ceremonias comerciales. Se concluye que el uso fuera de un marco de seguridad implica riesgos que podrían reducirse con regulación y educación, sin desconocer el valor cultural de la práctica tradicional.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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Consumers reported physical risks (severe nausea/vomiting, raised blood pressure) and psychological risks (traumatic memories, post-ceremony depression, anxiety, psychosis) from use outside a safety framework, and favored prior information, medical evaluation, and regulation of commercial ceremonies.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey of subjective "God encounter experiences": Comparisons among naturally occurring experiences and those occasioned by the classic psychedelics psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, or DMT Adults reporting a single most memorable God encounter experience, either nondrug or... | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 4,285 |
| Adverse effects of ayahuasca: Results from the Global Ayahuasca Survey. Ayahuasca users from more than 50 countries who completed an online survey | 2022 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 10,836 |
| Ayahuasca in adolescence: a preliminary psychiatric assessment. Adolescents from a Brazilian ayahuasca sect and matched controls | 2005 | Controlled cross-sectional study | n = 80 |
| Psychological and neuropsychological assessment of regular hoasca users. Regular hoasca users from a U.S. branch of União do Vegetal and matched non-user controls | 2016 | Cross-sectional study | n = 57 |
| Indoleamine Hallucinogens in Cluster Headache: Results of the Clusterbusters Medication Use Survey People with cluster headache | 2015 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 496 |
Citations in the library
Cites 12
- Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial Psychological Medicine June 15, 2018
- Antidepressive, anxiolytic, and antiaddictive effects of ayahuasca, psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD): a systematic review of clinical trials published in the last 25 years Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology March 18, 2016
- Clinical investigations of the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca: rationale and regulatory challenges. Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 1, 2004
- Risk assessment of ritual use of oral dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmala alkaloids Addiction December 20, 2006
- The Therapeutic Potentials of Ayahuasca: Possible Effects against Various Diseases of Civilization. Frontiers in Pharmacology March 2, 2016
and 7 more in the library