Abstract
The amazonic brew ayahuasca, with strong psychoactive properties, and which has been used probably for millennia by Amazon tribes as their main “medicine,” is currently being used by some groups in cities in Latin America and abroad by people seeking curative effects or transcendent and meaningful experiences. At the same time, research on its effects in treating depression and in neuroimaging is being carried out.
The brew is made of a blend of at least two different plants cooked together that potentiate each other: the stem of a vine, called ayahuasca proper (Banisteropsis caapi), and the leaves of a bush, chacruna (Psychotria viridis).
In this chapter, the ritual is described and the pharmacodynamics of the brew are discussed, as well as some of its effects in the brain and in the subjective experience of the self. Two vignettes of patients in analytical psychotherapy are presented to illustrate its effects. Reflections on the risks and benefits of its use are then shared.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
There are many artists that have depicted their visual experiences, with more or less skill. Among the most interesting of them is Pablo Amaringo (Peru, 1943–2009), founder of the Art school Usko-Ayar, in Pucallpa.
References
Luna LE, White SF (eds) (2000) Ayahuasca reader: encounters with the Amazon’s sacred vine. Synergetic, New Mexico
Luz P (2004) The American-Indian use of caapi (O uso ameríndio do caapi). In: Labate BC, Araújo WS (eds) The ritual use of ayahuasca (O uso ritual da ayahuasca). Mercado das Letras, Campinas, São Paulo
Fortunato J, Réux G, Kirsch T et al (2009) Acute harmine administration induces antidepressive-like effects and increases BDNF levels in the rat hippocampus. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 33(8):1425–1430
De Araujo DB, Ribeiro STG, Cecchi G et al (2009) Neural basis of enhanced visual imagery following Ayahuasca ingestion (Manuscript submitted for publication)
Labate BC, Araújo WS (eds) (2004) The ritual use of ayahuasca (O uso ritual da ayahuasca). Mercado das Letras, Campinas, São Paulo
Additional Reading
Almendro M (2008) Chamanismo: La vía de la mente nativa. Editorial Kairos, Barcelona
Chiappe M (1974) Curanderismo: Psiquiatría folklórica peruana. Tesis para obtener el doctorado en medicina para la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Perú
Chiappe M, Lemlij M, Millones L (1985) Alucinógenos y shamanismo en el Perú contemporáteno. Ediciones El Virrey, Lima
Gastelumendi E (2001) Madre ayahuasca y Edipo. In: Mabit J (ed) Memoria del Segundo foro sobre Espiritualidad Indígena: ética, mal y transgresion. CISEI, Lima
Narby J (1998) The cosmic serpent: DNA and the origins of knowledge. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York
Seguín CA (1988) Medicinas tradicionales y medicina folklórica. Fondo editorial del Banco Central de Reserva del Perú, Lima
Seguín CA (1979) Psiquiatría folklórica: shamanes y curanderos. Ediciones Ermar, Lima
Dobkin de Rios M, Grob Ch (2005) Theme Eds. Ayahuasca Use in Cross-Cultural Perspective. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 37 (2). Haight-Ashbury Publications. San Francisco
Shanon B (2002) The antipodes of the mind: charting the phenomenology of the ayahuasca experience. Oxford University Press, New York
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gastelumendi, E. (2010). Ayahuasca: Current Interest in an Ancient Ritual. In: Miyoshi, K., Morimura, Y., Maeda, K. (eds) Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53871-4_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53871-4_22
Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo
Print ISBN: 978-4-431-53870-7
Online ISBN: 978-4-431-53871-4
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)