Is Ayahuasca Safe? A New Study Analyzes the South American Traditional Medicine

Ayahuasca is a plant-based psychedelic substance historically utilized in indigenous Amazonian shamanic practices. It’s sometimes brewed right into a tea and consumed throughout a ceremonial session led by an skilled facilitator or shaman.

In line with the World Ayahuasca Survey, 70% of respondents reported experiencing bodily hostile results and 55% reported experiencing psychological well being hostile results. Nevertheless, solely 2.3% of respondents who skilled bodily hostile occasions required medical consideration.

In line with a brand new research printed in PLOS World Public Well being, the usage of the plant-based psychoactive substance ayahuasca is related to a excessive fee of hostile bodily results and difficult psychological results. Nevertheless, these results are usually not extreme.

The research, carried out by Daniel Perkins of the University of Melbourne and colleagues, is among the few to research the hostile results of ayahuasca, which is a conventional South American medication and ceremonial drink that’s gaining recognition for its potential psychological well being advantages and non secular and private progress properties.  Regardless of medical trials and observational research demonstrating the potential advantages of ayahuasca, there’s a lack of analysis on the destructive results of ayahuasca. 

Within the new research, the researchers used information from a web-based World Ayahuasca survey carried out between 2017 and 2019, involving 10,836 individuals from greater than 50 nations who had been no less than 18 years previous and had used ayahuasca no less than as soon as. Info on individuals’ age, bodily and psychological well being, and historical past and context of ayahuasca use was collected.

Preparation of ayahuasca (from B. caapi and P. viridis). Credit score: Daniel Perkins, CC-BY 4.0 

Total, acute bodily well being hostile results had been reported by 69.9% of the pattern, with the commonest results being vomiting and nausea (68.2% of individuals), headache (17.8%), and stomach ache (12.8%). Solely 2.3% of individuals reported bodily hostile occasions required medical consideration for this concern. Amongst all individuals, 55% additionally reported hostile psychological well being results, together with listening to or seeing issues (28.5%), feeling disconnected or alone (21.0%), and having nightmares or disturbing ideas (19.2%). Nevertheless, of all respondents figuring out these psychological well being results, 87.6% believed they had been fully or considerably a part of a constructive progress course of.

The researchers additionally recognized a number of components that predispose individuals to hostile bodily occasions, together with older age, having a bodily well being situation or substance use dysfunction, lifetime ayahuasca use, and taking ayahuasca in a non-supervised context.

The authors make the commentary that ayahuasca has notable, though not often extreme, hostile results in keeping with the requirements used for assessing prescription medicines. In that sense, they state that ayahuasca practices can hardly be assessed with the identical parameters used for prescription medicines for the reason that myriad of its results consists of difficult experiences which can be intrinsic to the expertise, a few of that are thought of as a part of its therapeutic course of.

The authors add: “Many are turning to ayahuasca attributable to disenchantment with standard Western psychological well being therapies, nevertheless, the disruptive energy of this conventional medication shouldn’t be underestimated, generally leading to psychological well being or emotional challenges throughout assimilation. Whereas these are normally transitory and seen as a part of a useful progress course of, dangers are better for weak people or when utilized in unsupportive contexts.”

Reference: “Hostile results of ayahuasca: Outcomes from the World Ayahuasca Survey” by José Carlos Bouso, Óscar Andión, Jerome J. Sarris, Milan Scheidegger, Luís Fernando Tófoli, Emérita Sátiro Opaleye, Violeta Schubert and Daniel Perkins, 16 November 2022, PLOS World Public Well being.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000438