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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.

  • 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

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