These results are consistent with previous studies, with regular users reporting that most adverse physical effects seem to not be serious and do not compromise health 52, 57. This study assessed naïve users of ayahuasca in order to collect data regarding its overall effects on psychiatric condition and psychological status. Since ayahuasca use has become globally popular as a self-help practice, it is important to better understand its potential risks and benefits.
Sexual orientation as an important factor in personalized medicine
Overall, acute physical health adverse effects were reported by 69.9% of the sample, with the most common effects being vomiting and nausea (68.2% of participants), headache (17.8%) and abdominal pain (12.8%). Only 2.3% of participants reporting physical adverse events required medical sun rocks thc attention for this issue. The intensity of the acute subjective spiritual experience was evaluated via a modified version of the nine-item Short Index of Mystical Orientation (SIMO) 61 (see 5 for more information).
- It acts as a partial agonist at 5-HT receptors, and several studies have shown that the 5-HT2A receptor site could be the main target1.
- Ayahuasca, which proponents say takes you on an intense but healing emotional journey, is a psychedelic, which is a class of psychoactive substances that can alter perception and mood and affect numerous cognitive processes.
- According to Dr. Streem, the main active chemical is a substance called dimethyltryptamine (DMT).
- Furthermore, ayahuasca is not always cooked in the same way and plant constituents can vary based on factors such as the age of the plant, soil of cultivation, and time of collection 59.
- The main physical side effects are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, but in traditional settings those effects are considered part of the ayahuasca healing process (the subjective experience of perceived ‘spiritual cleansing’) rather than side effects per se 46.
Report on psychoactive drug use among adolescents using ayahuasca within a religious context
Most people that attend traditional ayahuasca healing ceremonies are seeking healing for mental health and emotional difficulties 5, 23, 34. Indeed, some consider that traditional ayahuasca medicine may be a tool to combat the current global mental health crisis. Thus, in this complex and polyhedric context and multiple levels of understanding of the expanding ayahuasca phenomenon, it is critical to better understand the balance of risk and benefits related to ceremony participation. 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.
Due to the relatively small samples sizes of the different studies that have focused on ayahuasca’s adverse side effects, it is difficult to establish relationships between reported side effects and clinical, personal, social, and contextual variables. The present study responds to these gaps using a very large sample of ayahuasca users. We analyse the frequency of ayahuasca’s adverse effects, as well as relationships between reported adverse effects and history of ayahuasca use, the reported strength of the acute spiritual experience, clinical, sociodemographic, and contextual variables. The present study aimed to assess whether administration of ayahuasca produces long-lasting changes on affect and creativity. The second objective was to assess whether the acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca depend on the degree of ego dissolution that was experienced during the ceremony. In the current study, we predicted that participants’ self-reported mindfulness and life satisfaction and creative divergent thinking would increase after the ayahuasca ceremony as compared to baseline.
Association with ayahuasca’s adverse mental health effects
Of the respondents reporting mental health effects, 87% believed they were completely or somewhat part of a positive growth process. Overall, 57 participants completed parts of the test battery at baseline and during the day after the ceremony. A total of 31 participants also completed parts of the online test battery at 4 weeks after the ayahuasca ceremony. 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 is demi moore sober spiritual insight will also involve initiates facing certain challenges.
Mean originality (creativity) scores and ratio originality scores, weighed for fluency (originality/fluency), were used as measures of divergent thinking. Three parallel versions of the PCT were used at baseline and the two follow-up measures after the ceremony to avoid learning effects. Each parallel version consisting of 17 stimuli were shown, and participants had 30 s per stimulus.
Subjects
Our sample was not clinical, but 45% of subjects met the criteria for a psychiatric disorder. The same pattern of improvement was observed in the role-emotional scale from the SF-36. A similar study with a sample similar to ours also found long-term improvements in the role-emotional and social function scales from the SF-36 questionnaire25.
This study (inclusive of sub-studies 1 and 2) was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Autonomous University of Madrid), Spain. All experimental procedures were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage that results from the decoction of Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis, plants rich in β-carbolines (harmine or tetrahydroharmine, among others) and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), respectively. DMT is a partial agonist of serotonin (5-HT) receptors1, but it can interact with other receptors as well (for a review see Carbonaro & Gatch2).
J.C.B. and M.A.A.C. conceived the study; J.C.B., D.F.J.G. and M.G.S. collected the data, J.C.B., D.F.J.G. and G.O. Performed the statistical analysis and wrote the first draft of the manuscript, R.G.D.S., J.E.C.H. and M.A.A.C. contributed to data maverick house sober living interpretation. Neuroscience News is an online science magazine offering free to read research articles about neuroscience, neurology, psychology, artificial intelligence, neurotechnology, robotics, deep learning, neurosurgery, mental health and more. “Since research is generally driven by federal grants and national industry in the U.S., as long as a drug is listed as a Schedule I controlled substance, it’s very difficult to study,” Dr. Streem says. Without that research, it’s unlikely we’ll see any changes in Ayahuasca’s designation any time soon.