Ayahuasca
How To Use Ayahuasca
introduction to ayahuasca chemistry of ayahuasca traditional ayahuasca and ayahuasca analogs choosing ayahuasca ingredients how to make ayahuasca preparation notes notes of caution when using ayahuasca set and setting the effects of ayahuasca ayahuasca and food ayahuasca related links ayahuasca terminology ayahuasca related books Notes Of Caution When Using Ayahuasca
Before trying ayahuasca or anything else that contains MAOI's, there are some very important things to consider. As far as safety is concerned, diet and medications pose the most serious health risks.
Some compounds should not be used when ingesting ayahuasca. Using these chemicals while you are taking (or within 2 weeks of taking) ayahuasca (or another MAOI) may cause serious side effects such as sudden rise in body temperature, extremely high blood pressure, severe convulsions, and (in rare cases) death.
xxx amoxapine (asendin)
xxx amphetamines (meth-, dex-, amphetamine)
xxx antihypertensives (high blood pressure medicine)
xxx appetite suppressants (diet pills)
xxx clomipramine (anafranil)
xxx cyclobenzaprine (flexeril)
xxx desipramine (pertofrane)
xxx doxepin (sinequan)
xxx fluoxetine (prozac)
xxx imipramine (tofranil)
xxx levodopa (dopar, larodopa)
xxx maprotiline (ludiomil)
xxx medicine for asthma or other breathing problems
xxx medicines for colds, sinus problems, hay fever, or allergies
xxx meperidine (demerol)
xxx methylphenidate (ritalin)
xxx nortriptyline (aventyl)
xxx other MAOI's
xxx paroxetine (paxil)
xxx protriptyline (vivactil)
xxx selegiline (eldepryl)
xxx sertraline (zoloft)
xxx SSRI's (any selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor)
xxx tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, elavil)
xxx trimipramine (surmontil)
When using ayahuasca beware of the following:
xxx Alcohol: Drinking alcohol while you are taking MAOI's may cause serious side effects like angina (chest pain) or headaches (severe or frequent). These conditions may interfere with warning signs of serious side effects of MAOI's.
xxx Allergies: Some people may have an unusual or allergic reaction to any type of MAOI.
xxx Asthma or Bronchitis: Some medicines used to treat these conditions may cause serious side effects when used while you are taking MAOI's.
xxx Bupropion (Wellbutrin): Using bupropion while you are taking or within 2 weeks of taking MAOI's may cause serious side effects such as seizures.
xxx Buspirone (BuSpar): Use with MAOI's may cause high blood pressure.
xxx Carbamazepine (Tegretol): Use with MAOI's may increase seizures.
xxx CNS (central nervous system) depressants: Using CNS depressants with MAOI's may increase the CNS and other depressant effects.
xxx Cocaine: MAOI's and cocaine may cause a severe increase in blood pressure.
xxx Dextromethorphan: Use with MAOI's may cause excitement, high blood pressure, and fever.
xxx Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes): MAOI's may change the amount of insulin or oral antidiabetic medication that you need.
xxx Diet: Dangerous reactions such as sudden high blood pressure may result when MAO inhibitors are taken with certain foods or drinks. The following foods should be avoided:
Foods that have a high tyramine content (most common in foods that are aged or fermented to increase their flavor), such as cheeses, fava or broad bean pods, yeast or meat extracts, smoked or pickled meat (and poultry or fish), fermented sausage (bologna, pepperoni, salami, summer sausage) or other fermented meat, sauerkraut, any overripe fruit, alcoholic beverages or alcohol-free or reduced-alcohol beer and wine, large amounts of caffeine-containing food or beverages such as coffee, tea, cola, or chocolate.
xxx High Blood Pressure: May be affected by MAOI's.
xxx Insulin: MAOI's may change the amount of antidiabetic medicine you need to take.
xxx Kidney Disease: Higher blood levels of MAOI's may occur, which increases the chance of side effects.
xxx Overactive Thyroid or Pheochromocytoma (PCC): Serious side effects may occur.
xxx Pregnancy: A study of pregnant women showed an increased risk of birth defects when MAOI's were taken during the first 3 months of pregnancy. In animal studies, MAOI's caused a reduced rate of growth and increased excitability in babies when large doses of MAOI's were given to a mother during pregnancy.
xxx Recent Heart Attack or Stroke: MAOI's may make the condition worse.
xxx Tolerance: Ayahuasca users may develop a tolerance (needing more to produce the desired results) if ayahuasca is used more often than once a week. Using ayahuasca once a month or less often is recommended.
xxx Trazodone or Tryptophan: Use of these medicines by persons taking MAOI's may cause mental confusion, excitement, shivering, trouble in breathing, or fever.
Set And Setting
Set And Setting is a term used to refer to the way a person feels and the environment a person is in, when consuming drugs. Set is your attitude. Setting is your physical surroundings. Set and setting are very important factors in the ayahuasca experience.
Set: Before consuming ayahuasca, you should prepare your mind. The ayahuasca experience is not something to take lightly. Some people say it is one of the most intense things they have ever felt. However, the intensity can be positive or negative. Profound spiritual experiences and encounters with demons are possible.
Do not approach this as a recreational drug. Ayahuasca is a spiritual medicine, if you look at it as just another trip you are likely to have a bad time. It is best to have a purpose for consuming ayahuasca, rather than taking it to see what happens.
You should have a spiritual, medical, emotional, or medical question to ask of this plant teacher. Many people who try ayahuasca without taking it seriously have such a bad experience they never use ayahuasca again.
Setting: The area where you plan on being while using a drug is also an important consideration. You should choose a place where you feel safe and where there will be few (if any) unexpected interruptions.
Only allow people that are trustworthy to participate. One person can ruin everyone's journey, pick your traveling companions properly. An unfamiliar place with people you don't know may cause you to worry so much about external events that you won't be able to focus your mind, this can lead to a negative experience.
Sitter: A sitter is a person who looks after a situation in which others are consuming drugs. The sitter does not consume the drug(s) that other participants are using, but instead monitors the situation to make sure that no one gets hurt. A sitter should always be present when ayahuasca is being consumed.
The Effects Of Ayahuasca
After ingestion, you will start to feel the effects in about 15-60 minutes. The peak starts at about 60-90 minutes after ingestion and can last 2-6 hours. After effects can last another 1-8 hours.
A large dose will last longer and be more potent than a smaller dose will. However, if a user ingests too much, they will probably black-out and forget the experience. It is nearly impossible to overdose and die, but in rare cases, allergic reactions to any of the ingredients can be fatal.
After you drink ayahuasca, you may have to vomit. This does not happen to everyone but it is fairly common. Vomiting itself is unpleasant but it should not be considered an allergic or negative reaction. If you do have to vomit, afterwards you will feel as though you have been purified from the inside out.
If several people have to vomit at the same time and there is only one bathroom available, things could get messy. When consuming ayahuasca in a group situation, every person should have something available to vomit in. A pail or bucket will do.
The best way to minimize the chance of vomiting (or at least limit the amount), is to fast for 24 hours prior to ingestion. That means drinking water only (no food at all) for one full day before drinking the brew.
The area you occupy after ingestion should have a source of lighting that can be turned down to a very low level. They eyes are more sensitive to light and bright light can be unpleasant. Authentic music can help enhance the mood.
Ayahuasca And Food
Foods that are high in fat may cause an ayahuasca trip to kick in or it may cause a user who has come down to experience an additional wave of effects.
In some cases, a person will drink ayahuasca and feel no effect. Then they eat something and the ayahuasca experience starts. If you have consumed ayahuasca and it seems to be taking a while for the experience to start, you can try eating some food that is high in fat (but MAOI safe).
DMT can get trapped in the human liver. The DMT trapped in the liver will be introduced to the bloodstream when the gall bladder empties into the small intestine.
Eating fat will trigger the release of a hormone called cholecystokinen. The cholecystokinen causes the gall bladder to contract and empty into the small intestine.
The harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine that may be found in Banisteriopsis caapi and Peganum harmala are classified as MAOI's (monoamine oxidase inhibitors).
MAOI's can stimulate the central nervous system (CNS) by inhibiting the metabolism of serotonin and other monoamines. This inhibition of the break-down of serotonin in the human body makes MAOI's effective antidepressants.
However, MAOI's may cause death (in rare cases) when certain types of foods are consumed while taking them. For this reason, MAOI drugs are not usually prescribed to treat depression.
Ayahuasca Related Links
banisteriopsis caapi (ayahuasca vine)
diplopterys cabrerana (chaliponga)
mimosa hostilis (jurema)
peganum harmala (syrian rue)
psychotria viridis (chacruna)
harmala alkaloids
how to make ayahuasca
terence mckenna audio and video
Ayahuasca Terminology
Amine - An organic compound that has nitrogen as the key atom.
Ayahuasca - A sacred drink of the indigenous people living in the Upper Amazon area of South America. It is used for divination, medicinal, religious, and other shamanic purposes.
Ayahuasca Analogs - Non-traditional ayahuasca or ayahuasca that has been prepared without traditional ingredients like Banisteriopsis caapi, Diplopterys cabrerana, or Psychotria viridis.
Ayahuasca Vine - The common name of Banisteriopsis caapi.
Ayahuasquero - Person who is skilled in the preparation and use of ayahuasca.
Banisteriopsis caapi - Botanical name of the plant more commonly known as the ayahuasca vine. Banisteriopsis caapi is one of the plants used in the traditional preparation of ayahuasca. Banisteriopsis caapi is said to be used in the preparation of ayahuasca because it contains a plant intelligence that can (among other things) reveal the path to follow when one is having emotional or psychological problems.
Beta-Carboline - An organic amine. Beta-carboline alkaloids are produced by many types of animals and plants. Beta-carboline alkaloids often act as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI's).
Diplopterys cabrerana - Botanical name of the plant more commonly known as chaliponga. It is a source of DMT. Diplopterys cabrerana is one of the plants often used in the traditional preparation of ayahuasca that contains DMT.
DMT - A tryptamine drug also known as dimethyltryptamine. DMT is a naturally occurring substance secreted by the pineal gland (in humans). It also occurs in hundreds of plant and some animal species. Pure DMT can produce very powerful visionary effects when smoked or injected. DMT can be ingested orally in ayahuasca. However, the ayahuasca experience is not the same as injecting or smoking pure DMT.
Hallucination - A sensory experience that was not caused by an external stimulus. Hallucinations can happen to any sense (sight, smell, sound, taste, touch, also balance and position). In the case of hallucinogenic drugs, hallucinations may actually be seeing (or smelling, hearing, etcetera) things that can not be observed during periods of normal consciousness.
Hallucinogenic - Term used to refer to substances that can cause visions or hallucinations. Includes ayahuasca, DMT, LSD, magic mushrooms, mescaline, and other related compounds.
Harmala Alkaloids - Naturally occurring beta-carboline alkaloids. Harmala alkaloids often act as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI's). Harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine are harmala alkaloids.
Harmine - A type of harmala alkaloid and also a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI).
Harmaline - A type of harmala alkaloid and also a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI).
Indigenous - Native to a particular area.
MAO - Also known as monoamine oxidase. Enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of monoamines. In humans, MAO-A and MAO-B are found in neurons and astroglia. Singular abbreviation MAO, plural abbreviation MAO's.
MAOI's - Also known as monoamine oxidase inhibitors. A type of chemical that can stimulate the central nervous system (CNS) by inhibiting the metabolism of serotonin and other monoamines. MAOI's are used in the preparation of ayahuasca to potentiate DMT in the brew by inhibiting its breakdown in the digestive tract, this allows DMT to enter the bloodstream and reach the brain when taken orally.
Mimosa hostilis - Botanical name of the plant more commonly known as jurema. Mimosa hostilis is one of the plants often used in ayahuasca analogs. It has a high concentration of DMT.
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors - See MAOI's.
Monoamine - Types of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators that contain one amino group that is connected to an aromatic ring by a two-carbon chain.
Monoamine oxidase - See MAO.
Non-Traditional Ayahuasca - Also called ayahuasca analogs. Ayahuasca preparations that have been prepared without traditional ingredients like Banisteriopsis caapi, Diplopterys cabrerana, or Psychotria viridis.
Peganum harmala - Botanical name of the plant more commonly known as syrian rue. Peganum harmala is one of the plants often used in ayahuasca analogs. It has a high concentration of harmala alkaloids.
Psychedelic - A psychedelic drug is a substance that can expand consciousness, it may also produce hallucinations. DMT is a psychedelic drug.
Psychoactive - A substance that affects the mind by altering brain chemistry.
Psychotria viridis - Botanical name of the plant more commonly known as chacruna. It is a source of DMT. Psychotria viridis is one of the plants often used in the traditional preparation of ayahuasca that contains DMT.
Shaman - A person who (most often in an altered state of consciousness) acts as an intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds to predict and control the future, cure illness, generate miracles, etcetera. The plural form of shaman is shamans.
Shamanic Journey - A time when a shaman enters into a non-ordinary reality to seek knowledge. Some shamanic techniques for entering into an altered state are rhythmic drumming and flute music.
Santo Daime - A spiritual practice that was founded in the Brazil in the 1930s. Rituals involve the consumption of ayahuasca and can last several hours.
Tetrahydroharmine - A type of harmala alkaloid and also a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI).
Traditional Ayahuasca - Is used to refer to ayahuasca that has been prepared with Banisteriopsis caapi rather than any other source of MAOI's. There are some traditional ayahuasca preparations that contain Banisteriopsis caapi and other plants that may, or may not, contain DMT. There are even traditional ayahuasca preparations that contain only Banisteriopsis caapi.
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Plants of the Gods
Comprehensive reference work about psychoactive plants. Lists the plant's common name, botanical name, historical ethnography, purpose of use, preparation, chemical composition, and effects. Contains sixteen pages of information about Ayahuasca.
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Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca
An exploration of the chemical, biological, psychological, and experiential dimensions of ayahuasca. The book begins with accounts from westerners who have used ayahuasca and then presents the history, psychology, and chemistry of ayahuasca. Applications in medicine and psychology are also presented.
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Interesting and well written (based on about 2500 ayahuasca sessions), recommended for anyone with an interest in ayahuasca, psychology, spirituality, religion, the mind, or visionary drugs.
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Visionary Vine
Explains the traditional use of ayahuasca in ceremonies that take place in the Peruvian area of the Amazon. Also gives a history of the Peruvian Amazon and various hallucinogenic plant medicines used in the area (for medical, ritual, and other purposes).
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