Ayahuasca: its history, use, effects, ingredients and safety

In addition to Psilocybin, Mescaline and other medicinal psychedelics, Ayahuasca is gaining prevalence in our global society as a tool for personal growth and healing.  But where does Ayahuasca come from, how is it used what is it made of and how to take it safely?

What is Ayahuasca

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Ayahuasca can help you optimize your psychological performance and emotional control, explore and learn about your true self, confront major issues, and have personal breakthroughs.

It is now more and more common for people to organize treks to Amazonian Shamanic Retreats and Ceremonies, where Ayahuasca has been used by native tribes in and around Peru for countless centuries.

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Ayahuasca (or Yagé), when used in a natural setting with preparation, a shamanic ceremony and a practiced facilitator or Shaman, has healed addictions, past traumas, PTSD and more. After a trip, some people feel they can more clearly make major life choices –such as a career or relationship changes– and feel a greater sense of interconnectedness and purpose.

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It is also called yage or yaje, particularly in Colombia and Ayahuasca in Peru and Ecuador, caapi in Brazil.  Once completed and ingested, the brew can provoke powerful hallucinations.  It is considered as a medicine that allowed people to enter the sacred supernatural world, to heal, divine and worship.

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What is it made of?

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Ayahuasca is a brew, or a mix of various ingredients. 

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The drink is made out of the stem of the ayahuasca vine, what we call Banisteriopsis caapi.  Nevertheless, the drink is rarely made of just the vine.  In order for it to have its effect it needs other plants, usually three: chacruna (Psychotria viridis), sameruca (Psychotria carthaginensis), and a vine called ocoyagé, chalipanga, chagraponga and huambisa (Diplopterys cabrerana).  There are some one hundred different species that are known to have been added to the brew at different times and places.

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It is in those companion plants where we find the potent hallucinogen dimethyltryptamine (DMT), not in the ayahuasca, the brew got its name from the only ingredient that is does not contain the active ingredient that produces the trip. 

This is explained by the fact that DMT is inactivated by an enzyme (the MAO) found in the lining of the stomach, the only what to ingest DMT by the digestive tract is to mix it up with an MAO inhibitor, hence the presence of the ayahuasca vine which is a well-known potent inhibitor.   It is only by combining the ingredients of the brew that the DMT can produce the effects it is known for.   

There is another way to ingest DMT, this method has been used by the local native people way before the brew method.  We are talking about using a route other that the digestive trackt, like smoking or injection or inhalation.  This bypasses the MAO in the stomach.

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History of Ayahuasca … or DMT

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There is no doubt that Ayahuasca history dates many centuries back, the fact that we can find mentions of Ayahuasca in native philosophy and mythology is proof of how ancient it is, nevertheless, Ayahuasca as we know it today was not around in the beginning….

When Columbus came back to America in his second voyage, 1493-1496, he talked about a mysterious ‘’powder’’ used by the indigenous tribe of the Taino Indians.  They would ‘’snuff it up’’ ''and  lose consciousness as they  became like drunken men’’

So in reality it is DMT (the active ingredient) usage that dates even further than ayahuasca.  Many anthropologists believe that it goes back about 5000 years BP.   

To give you a little perspective, 3000 BC would make the origins of the Ayahuasca drink as old as the founding of the first Egyptian dynasty.

Archaeological evidence, mostly the snuffing devices found in ruins, prove that indigenous people were ingesting DMT by snuffing and smoking way before the brew came along.  (Torres 1988; Wassén 1967).  The problem with snuffing is that it is a rather painful method of delivery.   This is why the brew was the answer.

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Effects and modern usage:

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Ayahuasca is believed to act on the Pineal Gland, one of the only perfectly centered parts of the brain.  It is responsible for many of the body’s rhythms and cycles.   It is also believed to be the the center of spirituality and self-awareness for human beings.

Ayahuasca hyper activates the brain where emotional memories are stored, it also brings back unforgotten memories.  It can enable the conscious part of the new brain to temporarily override the old pattern and allow for new connections to form. The old fears may no longer have the same effect because the memories are re-evaluated.

The immediate effects can last on a person for up to 8 hours.  It can have positive effects on the body, mind and sou.  Every ceremony can be very different for the previous one.   Negative effects are possible,  but the positive ones usually outweigh the latter.

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Some of the positive effects include:

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• Feeling of mild to extreme mood lift that can reach pure euphoria
• ego softening or even ego loss
• A feeling of connectedness to the universe
• An extreme feelings of love and empathy
• A full sense of inner peace, acceptance of self, others, and the world
• You can have a profound life-changing spiritual experience
• You could heal emotionally / mental therapy
• claimed physical healing (such as anti-cancer effects)

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Some of the negative effects include:

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• nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, body aches, sweats/chills (alternating), and other flu- or food poisoning-like symptoms, much less common after multiple experiences
• fear and/or paranoia
• feeling as though one is losing one’s mind
• feeling as though one is dying
• disequilibrium, difficulty walking

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Traditionally it has been used to heal the mind, body and soul by the indigenous tribes of South America.  In those settings the use of ayahuasca has always been surrounded by care and reverence, they are true religious ceremonies.

is Ayahuasca just another drug to trip on?  If you believe that, you will probably never try it again.  Working on your ‘’the inner self’’ or seeking answers from the plants effects is the most commonly accepted objective.  Using it with that purpose in mind will allow you to experience psychological and spiritual healing. 

Some users are more appreciative of life and their loved ones after using ayahuasca.  Life and work simply becomes easier and more enjoyable.

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Safety

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Ayahuasca may induce a physical purge, ridding your body of toxins in the most direct ways possible.

Many recommend a Dieta (diet) to stick to beforehand, which may reduce unpleasant surprises. You may experience physical purging. It is said that the rougher the journey the more positive the outcome.

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Ceremonies are sometimes 1 on 1 (facilitator and student, with Ayahuasca as the plant teacher).  It can also be performed in groups of up to 50 .  A ceremony typically lasts all night (up to 8 hours).

Being in a group with a facilitator is useful.  Especially in regards to interpretation and support.   Some shamans have a laid back “let it happen” approach; others are active, asking questions and casting spells to draw out and deal with inner issues.

Most sing songs, known as icaros, to enhance the journey the medicine teacher takes you on. These is one of the most uniform practices in Ayahuasca ceremonies. They are said to increase the visualizations, raise spiritual energy, and leave one with a greater appreciation for music.

Ayahuasca expert Charles Grob, M.D., warns on the use of ayahuasca:  “Ayahuasca is not for everyone. You have to be willing to have a very powerful, long, internal experience, which can get very scary.”

If you are looking for conferences and retreats, check out Entheoscience in Germany and Breaking Conventions in the UK.  Einat Freedom Yoga , a shamanic Yoga Retreat in Portugal has good reviews as well.

Ayahuasca has been an important cultural part of Amazonian tribal life for millennials.  Today it is on it's way to becoming a respected normal practice in our global society.  Clearly, there is a bright future for her here on earth.

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Take a look at our Ayahuasca packs in our shop:

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Intense Ayahuasca Herbs | Syrian Rue & Chaliponga

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Intense Ayahuasca Herbs | Syrian Rue & Chaliponga

Ayahuasca brews containing Chaliponga and Syrian Rue are known to be particularly intense. Not fo...