Is Ayahuasca Safe? New Study Tallies Adverse Events

Recently Barbosa’s team (Barbosa et al., 2012) performed a meta-analysis on publications listed on PubMed with the aim to summarize current knowledge about the effect of ayahuasca on health. It concludes that the consumption of ayahuasca is safe and under certain conditions may even be beneficial. Results of a longitudinal prospective study on a large population of regular users showed no signs of cognitive impairment and the decoction had no negative effect on coping strategies or the general mental health (Bouso et al., 2012). While there are occasional reports of ayahuasca users dying during the episode, they typically reflect underlying health conditions or prolonged neglect of participants during rituals.

Ayahuasca’s adverse effects

1. Note this question did not specifically describe these items as adverse effects.
2. When consumed as a brew in the form of ayahuasca, the dose is between 0.6—0.85 mg for every kilogram of liquid.
3. Balikova [24] reports on a “meditation session” in Prague in 2001 (named “releasing autohypnosis of forest medicine men”) that ended with many of its participants hypotensive, hyperthermic, with some even requiring mechanical ventilation.
4. DMT could have serious adverse consequences for users with pre-existing psychological problems or a mental illness, such as schizophrenia.

They also found a correlation between subjective effects of DMT and plasma concentration, and both peaked between 1.5 and 2 hours. Significant dose-dependent increases in all scores on subscales of the HRS have been found [42-44]. When compared to IV DMT, ayahuasca produced a relatively mild high as measured by the HRS [8].

Potential psychiatric uses

It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers. Ayahuasca tea can be made from any of the plant components of ayahuasca, especially Banisteriopsis caapi. Proponents of ayahuasca tea feel that it has therapeutic benefits and causes hallucinations. Western medicine has been paying attention to ayahuasca because the tea could potentially help people who suffer from disorders like depression and anxiety.

Ayahuasca Sample

This influence involves general education, education of the media, and activities in public health and policy organizations, as well as private funding of research and corporate developments. In summary, education, public policy development, and collective political action, rather than just more science, is necessary for changing opportunities for the use of ayahuasca in treatment of some of the most ravaging social diseases of our times. The prolonged social contact among participants that is typical of ayahuasca based treatments provides the opportunity for developing the social support that is crucial to recovery from many mental illnesses including addiction. The ceremonial context enhances bonding among participants that can facilitate therapeutic processes, especially through the provision of social support and the enforcement of social norms that encourage an abstinent lifestyle. The participants in ayahuasca ceremonies of the churches provides social support for managing stress and gives a sense of belonging that motivates lasting behavioral changes. The Hoasca Project was first to provide scientific findings regarding the psychopharmacological and psychological effects of ayahuasca (Grob et al., 1996).

Ayahuasca: Psychological and Physiologic Effects, Pharmacology and Potential Uses in Addiction and Mental Illness

Satisfaction with life and several aspects of mindfulness increased the day after the ceremony, but these changes failed to reach significance 4 weeks after. Changes in affect, satisfaction with life, and mindfulness were significantly related to the level of ego dissolution experienced during the ayahuasca ceremony. Although this is the first study with a large sample to analyse ayahuasca’s alcoholic liver disease adverse effects, some limitations must be noted. The study’s retrospective design and the fact that data were collected online make it impossible to know the degree of accuracy of the answers, and the sample is impacted by a self-selection bias. However, the large sample size makes this study, up until now, the most important source of information regarding ayahuasca’s adverse effects.

2. beta-Carbolines Harmine, Harmaline, and Tetrahydroharmine

In sum, this study presents supporting evidence for sub-acute and long-term improvements in affect and cognitive thinking style in non-pathological participants of ayahuasca ceremonies. Moreover, it was shown that improvements in affect and mindfulness are larger in participants who experience strong levels of ego dissolution during the acute phase of ayahuasca exposure. These data highlight the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca in the treatment of mental health disorders, such as depression.

There is more to ayahuasca’s therapeutic potentials besides its DMT content and above the neurobiological level. Here we address the other important active agents of ayahuasca, the β-carboline alkaloids, which act as selective, reversible MAO-A inhibitors (McKenna and Towers, 1984; dos Santos, 2010) with almost no effect on MAO-B (Herraiz et al., 2010). MAO inhibition is crucial as without the β-carbolines the DMT content of orally ingested ayahuasca would be broken down before crossing the blood-brain barrier.

The analysis of Alonso’s group (Alonso et al., 2015) showed that ayahuasca preparation significantly changed the coupling of brain oscillations between anterior and posterior recording sites in the following pattern. Frontal structures decreased their influence over posterior (central, parietal, and occipital) sites which correlated with the intensity of subjective effects. On the other hand, posterior areas increased their influence over signals how family can play an important role in addiction recovery measured at anterior locations in parallel with the degree of incapacitation experienced (Alonso et al., 2015). Moreover, the side effects of ayahuasca can include intense fear, anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations. Still others suggest it may have neuroprotective and neurorestorative properties. The ayahuasca brew in Colombia was taken in a secluded location in the rainforest on top of a mountain or in the courtyard of an eco-village.

Based on rates of psychotic episodes in the UDV, Gable [3] also concludes that ayahuasca is not a trigger for sustained psychosis. While ayahuasca and other psychedelics could precipate psychosis in predisposed individuals, rates of psychosis in the UDV are comparable to the general population in Brazil [36]. Paterson et al. [93] provided a case report of a 42-year-old male without significant psychiatric history who presented with substance-induced psychosis in the context of recent and repeated DMT use as well as long term cannabis use. Warren et al. [94] also suggested that recreational DMT use could be a contributor to psychosis. Another case report discussed a man with preexisting bipolar disorder who had a manic episode following ayahuasca consumption [95].

We provided converging evidence that while DMT is a substance which produces powerful psychedelic experiences, it is better understood not as a hallucinogenic drug of abuse, but rather an agent of significant adaptive mechanisms like neuroprotection, neuroregeneration, and immunity. Along with the physical ayahuasca effects, many of the effects of using this substance are psychological. As with other psychedelic drugs, you will experience hallucinations when you use ayahuasca. While people often see them a review on alcohol as spiritual or healing experiences, it’s important to realize there’s no way to predict how you will react and what your experience will be like. In the new study, the researchers used data from an online Global Ayahuasca survey carried out between 2017 and 2019, involving 10,836 people from more than 50 countries who were at least 18 years old and had used ayahuasca at least once. Information on participants’ age, physical and mental health and history and context of ayahuasca use was collected.

In the context of such experiences, it is not surprising that a process of psychological integration and assimilation may be required. Furthermore, ayahuasca is not considered just a psychotherapeutic practice, but also a spiritual one. According to some spiritual traditions, the gaining of such spiritual insight will also involve initiates facing certain challenges. The authors note that ayahuasca has notable, although rarely severe, adverse effects according to the standards used for assessing prescription medicines. The main ingredients of Ayahuasca are the leaves of the Psychotria Viridis shrub and the stalks of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, both of which contain hallucinogenic chemicals. It’s a powerful hallucinogenic chemical that’s easily broken down by enzymes in your liver and gastrointestinal tract called monoamine oxidases (MAOs).