Survey-based studies suggest naturalistic psychedelic use provides mental health benefits similar to those observed in clinical trials. The current study sought to confirm these findings in a large group of psychedelic users and to conduct a novel examination of associations between amount of psychedelic use and behavioral outcomes, as well as frequency of harms ascribed to psychedelic use. A...
INTRODUÇÃO: A ayahuasca é uma bebida preparada utilizando-se a casca do cipó Banisteriopsis caapi junto com as folhas de Psychotria viridis, apresentando o alcaloide dimetiltriptamina (DMT), responsável pela ativação do receptor serotoninérgico, e as β-carbolinas harmina e harmalina, as quais possuem função de inibição da enzima monoaminoxidase. O decocto, que é tradicionalmente utilizado em...
Ayahuasca tourism in Peru has been widely examined, but few accounts consider all factors leading to a sense of transformation, or discuss the integration phase. This phenomenon has been conceputalised as drug, medical, and spiritual tourism, but considering the underlying desire to transform, this thesis will suggest a new label: tourism for transformation. Through ethnographic fieldwork at an...
D’invisibles à hyper-médiatisées : femmes chamanes shipibo-konibo et tourisme par ayahuasca en Amazonie occidentale. Un article de la revue Les Cahiers du CIÉRA (Genres et identités : perspectives autochtones contemporaines. Actes du 17ème colloque du CIÉRA 2019) diffusée par la plateforme Érudit.
Abstract Ayahuasca (AYA) is a psychedelic beverage with therapeutic potential for many mood and anxiety disorders. Although there are some preclinical studies, no published reports have tested the behavioral effects of AYA gavage in animal models. This investigation aimed to characterize the behavior of Wistar rats after acute ingestion of AYA for 40 min in the open field test (OFT). The sample...
In 1986, American scientist and entrepreneur Loren Miller received Plant Patent No. 5, 751 on a “novel” strain of the ayahuasca plant, which he named “Da Vine.” Indigenous tribes and healers had been using ayahuasca for hundreds of years before it was brought into Western culture. Miller’s accepted claim to novelty, however, was founded on this particular strain’s color and medicinal...
El 24 de junio de 2008, el Gobierno peruano declaró el «conocimiento y usos tradicionales de la Ayahuasca practicados por las comunidades nativas amazónicas» como Patrimonio Cultural de la Nación. La inspiración que llevó a este importante logro fue proteger el uso ritual del brebaje Ayahuasca como tradicionalmente practicado durante siglos por las comunidades indígenas amazónicas, incluyendo...
During the 2020 COVID-19 epidemic a variety of social activities migrated online, including religious ceremonies and rituals. One such instance is the case of Santo Daime, a Brazilian rainforest religion that utilizes the hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca in its rituals. During the pandemic, multiple Santo Daime rituals involving the consumption of ayahuasca took place online, mediated through Zoom...
Medicine is currently experiencing a "psychedelic renaissance", said by many to have commenced in 2006. Since then, clinical trials have consistently demonstrated promising findings for psychedelic-assisted therapies in the treatment of various mental health conditions and addictions. While most of this work has been privately funded, governmental biomedical research funding bodies in countries...
Psychosis induced by ayahuasca is a rare occurrence. However, due to an increase in the access and distribution of this substance, it is necessary to highlight the cases in which it occurs. We describe the case of a 26-year-old man who was admitted to the psychiatric service after seven months of changes in behaviour, delusions and the subsequent exacerbation of symptoms, after participating in...
Psychotria viridis (Rubioideae: Rubiaceae), popularly known as chacrona, is commonly found as a shrub in the Amazon region and is well-known to produce psychoactive compounds, such as the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Together with the liana Banisteropsis caapi, P. viridis is one of the main components of the Amerindian traditional, entheogenic beverage known as ayahuasca. In this work, we...
Background: Naturalistic and placebo-controlled studies suggest ayahuasca, a potent psychedelic beverage originating from Indigenous Amazonian tradition, may improve mental health, alter personality structure, and reduce alcohol and drug intake. To better understand ayahuasca's therapeutic potential and to identify factors that influence therapeutic efficacy, we conducted a naturalistic,...
Recent research suggests that ayahuasca and its alkaloid-containing ingredients may be helpful in the treatment and prevention of certain movement and neurodegenerative disorders. However, such research is still in its infancy and more studies in normative samples seem necessary to explore effects of ayahuasca on clinically relevant brain structures, such as the corpus callosum. The purpose of...
Observational studies of long-term users of ayahuasca, an Amazonian psychedelic brew, suggest an increase in resilience via improvements in emotion and cognition. Ayahuasca has also demonstrated clinical antidepressant effects in human and animal studies; however, its potential prophylactic action in depression has not been previously studied. Therefore, this experimental study sought to...
Ayahuasca is a plant-based decoction native to Amazonia, where it has a long history of use in traditional medicine. Contemporary ritual use of ayahuasca has been expanding throughout the world for mental health purposes, and for spiritual and personal growth. Although researchers have been conducting clinical trials and observational studies reporting medical and psychological benefits, most...