Plant Medicine

Explore Plant Medicine

WHAT IS PLANT MEDICINE?

Ayahuasca is a South American plant-based brew traditionally used as a spiritual medicine in ceremonies of indigineous peoples of the Amazon basin. The brew is typically made from the Banissteriopsis caapi vine and the Psychotria viridis shrub. The vine contains alkaloids that act as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), which are needed to enable the psychoactive drug, Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), found in the viridis shrub to become orally active. Other DMT substitutes may also be used in the preparation.

In the traditional Quechan languages of the Andean region in which it originates, including Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Columbia, “aya” means spirit or soul, and “waska” means rope or woody vine (“liana”). The brew is called different things depending on the region, preparation style or tribe, including Yage (Columbia), Natem (Ecuador), Caapi (Brazil).

WHERE DID PLANT MEDICINE ORIGINATE?

Ayahuasca and its ceremonial use dates back at least 1,000 years and was first encountered by Christian missionaries in the South American region now known as Ecuador and Peru. Although initially found in the Amazon basin, the plant medicine, as it is often referred to by Western users, has now become available throughout the Western world and administered to participants in spiritual ceremonies organized by indigineous Shaman. The experience was popularized in the 1950’s by beat writer William S. Burroughs, who went searching for Ayahuasca in South America in the hopes of curing his opiate addiction. He subsequently published a series of correspondence with Allan Ginsburg, another Beat writer, about his pursuit in the “Yage Letters.

HOW TO PRACTICE PLANT MEDICINE

Local shaman prepare the brews with the Banisteriopsis caapi as an MAOI and a DMT source that varies from region to region. The preparation takes several hours where the different plant material is boiled down and then the resulting mixtures added together. The shamans lead the ceremonial consumption of the brew which typically takes place over an entire night. The effect of the drink lasts for several hours and users can begin to experience the effects of the brew after 30 minutes. In order to have the most potent experience, participants are instructed to maintain a special “dieta”, which includes the abstinence of processed foods, spices, salt, red meat and sexual relations. Participants are offered small small cups of the brew to drink throughout the night and often purge by either vomiting or having diarrhea. The shamans consider purging an essential part of the experience, representing the release of negative energy and emotions built up over a lifetime within the user.

WHY PRACTICE PLANT MEDICINE?

People that have consumed Ayahuasca report having mystical experiences and have gained spiritual insight to their true purpose, the nature of the universe and clarity around becoming a better person, specifically a better spouse, child, sibling and friend. The journey or experience is considered to be a spiritual awakening where users have access to higher spiritual dimensions where they can access guides and healers. Scientific studies have shown that ayahuasca activates a network of vision and memory which serves to heighten the internal reality of the participant. It is claimed that people that ingest ayahuasca under the proper condition and care may experience profound life-changing experiences for the better. Due to the potential for spiritual awakening and access to hidden or subconscious feelings, some users may experience temporary emotional distress as part of the healing process.