Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca produced significantly greater reductions in depression severity than placebo at all measured time points over seven days, with effect sizes increasing from day 1 to day 7.

randomized controlled trial Sample size: 29

Ayahuasca was associated with fast-acting anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in patients with a depressive disorder.

observational study

Ayahuasca administration was associated with significant and sustained decreases in depression rating scale scores and increased blood perfusion in mood-regulating brain regions.

open-label trial Sample size: 17

Ayahuasca significantly decreased activity in the default mode network and reduced functional connectivity within the PCC/Precuneus, supporting its modulation of brain networks linked to self-referential thought.

observational cohort Sample size: 10

Ayahuasca is an extremely effective inhibitor of MAO in vitro, with the degree of inhibition directly correlating with the concentration of MAO-inhibiting beta-carbolines, whose effects are additive.

qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis with in vitro assay

Ayahuasca produced significant subjective effects peaking at 1.5-2 hours, with DMT plasma levels coinciding, and harmine appears to act peripherally to enable DMT's central effects.

double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial Sample size: 18

The review describes the pharmacological and therapeutic effects of Peganum harmala and its beta-carboline alkaloids, including harmine and harmaline, which are also present in ayahuasca.

review

Remission of psychopathology followed the initiation of hoasca use, with no evidence of personality or cognitive deterioration and high functional status among long-term users.

observational cohort with matched controls Sample size: 30

Ayahuasca-assisted therapy was associated with statistically significant improvements in several factors related to problematic substance use.

observational study

Regular ayahuasca use was associated with better psychological well-being, lower psychopathology, and superior cognitive performance, with no evidence of maladjustment or impairment.

observational cohort Sample size: 242

The systematic review suggests that ayahuasca, psilocybin, and LSD may have beneficial effects for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety and depression associated with life-threatening diseases, and tobacco and alcohol dependence, but all reviewed studies had small sample sizes and many were open-label.

systematic review

Ayahuasca produced significant dose-dependent psychological effects, was generally well tolerated, and induced changes of longer duration and milder intensity than intravenous DMT.

single-blind crossover placebo-controlled clinical trial Sample size: 6

The review argues that ayahuasca may have therapeutic applications for alcoholism and substance abuse, but clinical investigation faces regulatory and methodological challenges.

review

God encounter experiences, whether nondrug or psychedelic-occasioned, share striking similarities and are rated as among the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant lifetime experiences.

cross-sectional survey Sample size: 4285

Ayahuasca administration increased regional cerebral blood flow in frontal and paralimbic brain regions, including the anterior insula, anterior cingulate/frontomedial cortex, and left amygdala/parahippocampal gyrus.

randomized controlled trial Sample size: 15

Argues that ayahuasca use, combined with chronic cannabis use, may have precipitated a diagnostic shift from bipolar disorder to schizoaffective disorder, with persistent psychotic symptoms and functional impairment following remission.

case report Sample size: 1

PHQ-9 scores decreased from a mean of 8.06 at baseline to 3.65 at 90 days, with significant reductions at all time points in a mixed-effects model.

prospective observational cohort Sample size: 87

Argues that ayahuasca's therapeutic effects in neuropsychiatric disorders may involve a network of interactions between its bioactive compounds and multiple targets, including hub genes like ALB, AKT1, and HSP90AA1.

review

Argues that ritual ingestion of San Pedro and Ayahuasca functions as a catalyst for differentiated states of consciousness, positioning the plants as co-authors of artworks.

qualitative study Sample size: 5

Proposes a matrix-reduced whole-plant co-extraction of B. caapi and P. viridis using a 70:30 ethanol/water system with 0.1% acetic acid, yielding approximately 8.2% crude extract from dried P. viridis and 5.4% from dried B. caapi, potentially lowering nausea and vomiting rates.

theoretical or philosophical paper

The study is pre-registered and no results are reported; the primary hypothesis is that BaZi Favorability Score positively correlates with NETI growth, but the outcome is not yet known.

pre-registered retrospective correlational study Sample size: 150

Ayahuasca use among Haredi Jews is adapted to Jewish contexts, primarily therapeutic, and linked to strengthened religious belief and practice changes, while generating tensions resolved through medicalization and religious framing.

qualitative study Sample size: 23

Australian ayahuasca dieteros practice a comprehensive way of life involving daily practices and relational ethics that foster ecological connection, which many participants could not find in mainstream health settings.

qualitative study Sample size: 35

Proposes that the subjective experience of 'being dead' may be a latent capacity of the human psyche, potentially universal, and that ayahuasca-induced experiences and Cotard syndrome may represent different conditions allowing this state to emerge.

theoretical or philosophical paper

Argues that ayahuasca research for depression requires more rigorous methodology and caution before drawing conclusions about efficacy.

theoretical or philosophical paper