What is Ayahuasca? Origin, Effects, Benefits, and Risks

Ayahuasca is a plant-based brew that people in the Amazon have used for centuries. In recent years, it has gained global attention as more people travel to Peru, Brazil, and other parts of the world to take part in ayahuasca ceremonies. 

In this guide, we’ll explain what ayahuasca is, where it comes from, how it works, its possible benefits, and its risks.

Key Takeaways

• Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew from the Amazon that combines plants containing DMT and MAOIs.
• Indigenous groups use it for healing, spiritual, and cultural purposes.
• Effects include physical purging, visions, and profound emotional experiences.
• Ceremonies are structured events led by guides and may include prayers, songs, and dietary practices.
• Research suggests ayahuasca may help with trauma, depression, and addiction, though risks remain.
• Ayahuasca can cause harmful side effects, especially with certain medications or in unsafe settings.
• Legal status changes by country, so laws must be checked carefully.

What is Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew made of different plants. There are many names for ayahuasca, such as yagé, caapi, and hoasca, and several variations of the brew with different ingredients and preparations. 

Ayahuasca contains the two main components:

• DMT (dimethyltryptamine): A powerful psychedelic compound that induces out-of-body experiences. On its own, DMT is rapidly broken down by the body and is typically not active if consumed orally (i.e., through eating or drinking). 
• MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors): Compounds that prevent DMT from being broken down, so it can reach the brain and have a prolonged psychoactive effect. 

These active chemicals are traditionally found within plants in the Amazon, where ayahuasca is from. DMT occurs naturally in the Psychotria viridis shrub, also known as chacruna. MAOIs typically come from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine. 

Ayahuasca is often referred to as a medicine, with a historical and contemporary use in healing. Some people call it mother ayahuasca, seeing the brew as a “plant spirit,” with its own form of consciousness and maternal qualities. 

Cultural Origins of Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca comes from the Amazon rainforest, where many indigenous groups have used it for generations. Each culture has its own unique practices, songs, and rituals associated with the brew. 

For some groups, ayahuasca is a tool to connect with spirits or ancestors. This includes Shipibo people, based in the Peruvian Amazon, who use ayahuasca to communicate with plant spirits. Traditionally, a curandero would drink the brew to channel energies from the plants that help bring a patient’s body, mind, and spirit into alignment. 

In more modern style ayahuasca ceremonies, people now tend to drink the medicine themselves, with the oversight of a shaman or guide. Like a curandero, these facilitators have a deep relationship with the plant spirit. 

As well as personal healing, ayahuasca is also used to strengthen community ties and address social problems. Historically, it has also been used in hunting practices. 

The exact origins of ayahuasca remain uncertain, though its documented history stretches back about 150 years. Its wider use began in the 1930s, when it spread from the Amazon to Brazil’s urban centers and became part of certain religious practices. 

In recent decades, as interest in psychedelics has grown, ayahuasca has drawn increasing public attention, including from celebrities. A new tourism industry has emerged in South America, attracting people who fly in to participate in retreats and ceremonies. 

What Are the Effects of Ayahuasca?

The effects of ayahuasca vary from person to person and can be extremely different from one experience to the next. However, there are some common effects. 

Physically, people can experience nausea and vomiting, often referred to as purging. While this sounds unpleasant, many find that it can help release and unblock emotions. Some people can feel extremely tired in their bodies and unable to move, whereas others may feel energetic. 

Ayahuasca trips tend to include internal visual hallucinations, though they don’t occur for everyone. This may include moving fractal imagery—similar to other classical psychedelics—or full, dream-like visual scenarios, often holding personal significance. 

People may also experience a sense of leaving their own body. They may find that they’re able to approach aspects of their lives and thoughts from an outside perspective, or feel as if they enter a different realm. 

The quality of experiences is also highly variable. Some people report feeling bliss and euphoria, while others may become extremely distressed and paranoid. Often, people describe their experiences as highly meaningful, gaining insights about their lives and forming new perspectives. 

However, they can also leave people feeling confused, which is why it’s essential to have integration support available where you can discuss and make sense of what happened.

Ayahuasca Ceremonies – What to Expect

In traditional and modern settings, ayahuasca is not consumed alone. It is taken as part of a guided ceremony. The ceremony usually takes place at night and can last anywhere from 4 to 8 hours.

Common elements of an ayahuasca ceremony include:

Modern ayahuasca retreats typically include one or more ceremonies, along with other group and personal activities, that contribute to overall well-being. This includes activities such as yoga, meditation, and sharing circles.

Mental Health Benefits of Ayahuasca

Researchers are studying ayahuasca for its possible effects on mental health. Although the research is still in its early stages, some findings are promising.

Potential mental health benefits include:

• Trauma and PTSD: Some people report that ayahuasca helps them revisit and release painful memories in a new way. Research has shown that ayahuasca reduces symptoms of PTSD in military veterans.
• Depression: Clinical studies suggest ayahuasca can reduce symptoms of depression and other mood disorders with lasting effects. 
• Addiction treatment: Ayahuasca has been studied in programs helping people recover from substance use disorders.
• Eating disorders: A small study found ayahuasca improved people’s relationship with their body and body image. 

Researchers are looking to back ayahuasca’s healing effects with neuroscience. Studies show ayahuasca can stimulate the growth of new nerve cells, and so may be able to help repair damage associated with mental illness. 

However, it’s also important to note that some indigenous groups view ayahuasca as a medicine that works beyond what Western science can measure. For them, healing is not only physical but also spiritual and communal.

Moreover, while ayahuasca may be helpful for some, it’s not always suitable. If you’re struggling with a severe mental health disorder and have lots of unprocessed trauma, ayahuasca could exacerbate symptoms and cause more harm than good. 

Look for a retreat centre with accredited mental health professionals in the team. They should be able to advise you about whether it is safe for your condition. 

Risks and Harms of Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is not safe for everyone. It carries risks that you need to consider.

Short-term side effects include:

• Intense nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Anxiety, fear, or confusion
• Increased blood pressure and heart rate

Drug interactions can also be dangerous. Mixing ayahuasca with certain drugs and supplements can pose serious health risks. As well as DMT, MAOIs prevent the breakdown of serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain. If ayahuasca is combined with other drugs that increase serotonin, this can lead to dangerously high levels and a condition known as serotonin syndrome, which can be fatal. 

Possible long-term risks include:

• Psychological distress that lasts beyond the ceremony
• Worsening of mental health conditions
• Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) – where people continue having sensory hallucinations (mostly visual), weeks after the psychedelic experience has ended

Integration therapists are therapists who can offer specialized support if you’re experiencing long-term challenges related to the use of ayahuasca or other psychedelics.  

Another concern is malpractice. Not all individuals who identify themselves as shamans or facilitators are adequately trained or of high integrity. Reports of financial exploitation, unsafe practices, and even abuse highlight the importance of finding a well-trusted guide. 

Is Ayahuasca Legal?

The legal status of ayahuasca varies worldwide.

Before attending a ceremony, you should research the legal situation in that location.

FAQs 

Sources

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29366418/ 
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11114307/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38576633/ 

Martha Allitt

Martha is a freelance writer and journalist, whose work specialises in psychedelics, ketamine and mental health. She is a co-owner of the UK Psychedelic Society, and regularly curates, hosts and facilitates events around these topics. You can read her work on various platforms including Psycle Health, Double Blind , Lucid News, The Third Wave, and more. Martha is also a yoga teacher and–with a BSc in neuroscience—she is particularly fascinated by the interrelation of science and spirituality. She is currently making a documentary about Datura, exploring the lines between indigenous wisdom, hallucinations and the supernatural. Martha has volunteered with the charity PsyCare, providing welfare and harm-reduction advice at music events since 2019. She has facilitated workshops on the safe use of psychedelics and runs psychedelic integration events to help people process difficult experiences.

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