Ayahuasca

 

I am yet to write about a topic as mysterious as this Amazonian brew; researchers are only beginning to explore the potential wonders hidden within this spiritual potion. Originally brewed by the Shamans of South America's rainforests, Ayahuasca is the headstone of Amazonian spirituality. This ancient concoction harnesses the power of a potent drug, known in the scientific community as Dimethyltryptamine -- the acting psychedelic chemical in Ayahuasca -- which is better known as DMT.

The history of Ayahuasca is shrouded in mystery. Due to the lack of recorded history amongst indigenous South Americans, we cannot pinpoint when and how these tribesmen discovered the power of this random combination of plants. First encountered by Spanish and Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century, South American tribes have used Ayahuasca ceremonially for the entirety of their recorded history. Now in the 21st century, Ayahuasca use has been exported into the first-world. In the late 1990's multiple churches -- specifically the Church of Santo Daime -- emerged in both France and Holland; Ayahuasca plays a quintessential role in their belief systems. Even in the United States, a church in Oregon has been fighting to continue their sacramental use of Ayahuasca. But the purpose of this blog is not to discuss the spiritual or legal significance of this ancient potion: I am here to explain the medical significance.

Obviously, there is a fine line between recreational, spiritual, and medical use of drugs like Ayahuasca, so it is important to distinguish what I am talking about. The majority of research done concerning Ayahuasca has used DMT, the acting ingredient in Ayahuasca, during their studies. Less than twenty years ago, Dr. Rick Strassman became the first researcher given a government grant to conduct psychedelic research. His study is detailed in the book/documentary DMT: The Spirit Molecule (which I recommend viewing if this topic interests you). To summarize, without going into too much detail: Strassman initially set out to measure the drug's effect on basic body functions -- heart rate, blood pressure, ectcetera -- but as his research progressed, he discovered a much more profound side-effect. The mind-bending psychedelic experience DMT creates has proven to leave a lasting impression on its users.

So, one must ask: "What medical benefits could tripping-out possibly have?" Well, the medical impact is far more existential than the effects of things like medical marijuana or acupuncture. Ayahuasca has proven to strengthen people mentally; whether they are coping with impending death or post-traumatic stress disorder, Ayahuasca therapy has changed their life. Strassman was unable to pinpoint exactly what causes this profound impact on the human psyche, but the results cannot be disputed. Dozens of Ayahuasca Retreats have been created to help guide people through this life-changing experience. These retreats are a one-of-a-kind form of psychiatric medical treatment. Truly, I cannot explain what patients of Ayahuasca therapy go through, so I will leave you with a quote from the lips of a true psychedelic enthusiast.


"In the Amazon and other places where visionary plants are understood and used, you are conveyed into worlds that are appallingly different from ordinary reality. Their vividness cannot be stressed enough. They are more real than real, and that’s something that you sense intuitively. They establish an ontological priority. They are more real than real, and once you get that under your belt and let it rattle around in your mind, then the compass of your life begins to spin and you realize that you are not looking in on the Other; the Other is looking in on you. This is a tremendous challenge to the intellectual structures that have carried us so far during the last thousand years. We can do tricks with atoms, there’s no question about that, but these tricks immolate us. The higher-order structure of molecules, let alone organelles and that kind of thing, is intellectual incognita to us. We have no notion of how these things work or what is going on. Yet it is from those levels that the constituent modalities of reality are being laid down."
— Terence McKenna