In recent decades ayahuasca has become very popular , a drink with hallucinogenic effects used by the peoples of the Amazon many millennia ago to which they attributed mystical properties. In particular, they related its consumption to the transit between the world of the living and the world of the spirits.

In this article we will describe what ayahuasca is and what its psychological and physical effects are . We will also talk about the chemical and pharmacological properties of this substance and the possible therapeutic applications of some of its components.

What is Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is a drink with psychoactive properties that has its origin in the Amazon region. Throughout history it has been prepared and used by the tribal shamans of this area as part of healing and religious ceremonies, and has been attributed with many magical features and health benefits.

It is mainly known for its effects on the psychological experience: many people who have consumed ayahuasca claim that it has helped them to achieve a sense of spiritual transcendence, in some cases maintained long after consumption. In this sense ayahuasca can be compared to drugs like psilocybin and LSD .

It is often prepared by boiling Banisteriopsis caapi, a plant of the liana class that is also known as ayahuasca and contains alkaloids that inhibit the MAO enzyme, along with another that contains the main psychoactive factor: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine or DMT . Most commonly, this second plant is Psychotria viridis or Diplopterys cabrerana.

The term “ayahuasca” comes from the Quechua “ayawaska”, which can be translated as “vine of the spirits” ; according to the tradition of this people this substance allows the soul of the one who consumes it to leave his body without the need to die. In other Latin American languages it is called “caapi”, “nishi cobin”, “nixi pae”, “natem” and “shori”.

Pharmacology and mechanism of action

Ayahuasca (Banisteropsis caapi) contains several alkaloids from the class of beta-carbolines, which inhibit the activity of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) and sometimes also the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin. The most studied are harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine.

This inhibition of MAO allows the diffusion of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), the active principle of ayahuasca as a drink, in the blood and brain (although, as we have said, it is not found in the plant itself but in others), which causes the characteristic psychoactive effects of this compound.

DMT is a very common endogenous hallucinogenic compound : it is naturally present in many plants, but also in the blood and in the cerebrospinal fluid of humans. However, for the moment, it is not clear what function it fulfils in the body.

Effects of this drug

The DMT molecule causes, according to people who have consumed it, feelings of euphoria accompanied by dynamic hallucinations . These are characterized above all by the presence of geometric forms and by their transcendental character; in many cases they include perceptions of deities, of a collective consciousness of the beings of the Earth, etc.

Many people who have tried this substance claim that it has helped them to achieve spiritual revelations regarding themselves or their relationship with the environment, including the cosmos. In some cases the accounts of these experiences include supernatural phenomena such as travel to other dimensions and contact with beneficial spirits.

On the other hand it is common for the consumption of ayahuasca to cause adverse physical reactions, especially nausea and diarrhoea , as well as acute emotional distress. Excessive consumption can cause serotonin syndrome, which is characterised by the appearance of tremors, spasms, hyperthermia and sweating and can even lead to death.

Compared to other hallucinogenic substances, including the psilocybin mushroom and LSD, ayahuasca acts more quickly and intensely, but the duration of its effects is shorter. If ingested orally, the effects last for about 3 hours , but only last for 5 to 15 minutes if administered by inhalation or intravenously.

The therapeutic potential of ayahuasca

Research is currently being carried out on the possible therapeutic effects of ayahuasca in various medical applications. However, this field of scientific literature is still at a very early stage.

A very striking line of research is that carried out by the Beckley Foundation, which relates ayahuasca to neurogenesis, that is, the formation of neurons in the brain.

It should also be noted that since ancient times the natives of the Amazon have used ayahuasca as a purgative to eliminate parasites (especially worms) and “negative energies” from the body and mind. In this last sense, ayahuasca is attributed a relaxing character, although it is true that its consumption can cause anxiety.

Bibliographic references:

  • Barker, S.A., McIlhenny, E. H. & Strassman, R. (2012). A critical review of reports of endogenous psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamines in humans: 1955-2010. Drug Test Anal, 4(7-8): 617-35.
  • Frecska, E., Bokor, P. & Winkelman, M. (2016). The therapeutic potentials of ayahuasca: possible effects against various diseases of civilization. Front Pharmacol, 7: 35.