A placebo-controlled study of the effects of ayahuasca, set and setting on mental health of participants in ayahuasca group retreats
Malin V. Uthaug, Natasha L. Mason, Stefan W. Toennes, Johannes T. Reckweg, E. B. de Sousa Fernandes Perna, Kim P. C. Kuypers, Kim van Oorsouw, Jordi Riba, Johannes G. Ramaekers
Psychopharmacology March 10, 2021 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05817-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Naturalistic observational study Placebo-controlled Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Experienced participants of ayahuasca retreats in the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany |
| Interventions | Ayahuasca Placebo |
| Topics | Anxiety Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Mental health Placebo Empathy Observational study Clinical psychology Depression economics Hallucinogen Alternative medicine |
| Citations | 116 |
| Key findings | Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress reduced in both ayahuasca and placebo groups over time, but ayahuasca increased implicit emotional empathy to negative stimuli. |
Abstract
Abstract Ayahuasca is a plant concoction containing N,N -dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and certain β-carboline alkaloids from South America. Previous research in naturalistic settings has suggested that ingestion of ayahuasca can improve mental health and well-being; however, these studies were not placebo controlled and did not control for the possibility of expectation bias. This naturalistic observational study was designed to assess whether mental health changes were produced by ayahuasca or by set and setting. Assessments were made pre- and post-ayahuasca sessions in 30 experienced participants of ayahuasca retreats hosted in the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany. Participants consumed ayahuasca ( N = 14) or placebo ( N = 16). Analysis revealed a main effect of time on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Compared to baseline, symptoms reduced in both groups after the ceremony, independent of treatment. There was a main treatment × time interaction on implicit emotional empathy, indicating that ayahuasca increased emotional empathy to negative stimuli. The current findings suggest that improvements in mental health of participants of ayahuasca ceremonies can be driven by non-pharmacological factors that constitute a placebo response but also by pharmacological factors that are related to the use of ayahuasca. These findings stress the importance of placebo-controlled designs in psychedelic research and the need to further explore the contribution of non-pharmacological factors to the psychedelic experience.
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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Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress reduced in both ayahuasca and placebo groups over time, independent of treatment, though ayahuasca increased implicit emotional empathy to negative stimuli.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on ayahuasca for anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Ayahuasca’s ‘afterglow’: improved mindfulness and cognitive flexibility in ayahuasca drinkers Ayahuasca drinkers (both naïve and experienced) | 2020 | Observational study | |
| Persisting Effects of Ayahuasca on Empathy, Creative Thinking, Decentering, Personality, and Well-Being Volunteers attending ayahuasca ceremonies | 2021 | Naturalistic observational study | n = 43 |
| Ceremonial Ayahuasca in Amazonian Retreats—Mental Health and Epigenetic Outcomes From a Six-Month Naturalistic Study Self-selected participants in ayahuasca ceremonies at a retreat centre in the Peruvian... | 2021 | Prospective naturalistic study | n = 63 |
| Therapeutic potential of ayahuasca in grief: a prospective, observational study Bereaved individuals attending an ayahuasca retreat center in Peru | 2020 | Observational cohort | n = 50 |