Many take drugs for their mind-altering properties, where they feel they can provide them with an escape from their problems and take them to another world. There is a special brew made from a naturally occurring plant found in the Peruvian rainforest where you could have visions as part of a religious ceremony

It is called Ayahuasca, often referred to as ‘soul vine’, iowaska, or yage. It is what is called an entheogenic, a type of psychoactive substance used to bring on a spiritual experience. Ayahuasca is a powerful psychedelic drug in its own right. However, it is combined with other plants, notably the inert Chacruna, to produce a hallucinogenic effect.

What Is Ayahuasca?

The “tea” is created by tribal shamans in the Amazon regions to induce visions, where it is mostly taken as a sacrament. It is a brew fashioned from Banisteriopsis caapi vine and other ingredients and utilised as a classical spiritual medicine. B. caapi has various alkaloids acting as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

How Ayahuasca Affects Your Brain?

Ayahuasca contains the shrub Psychotria Viridis, which has the primary psychoactive compound called dimethyltryptamine (DMT). It is a chemical in the brain, comparable with serotonin. You need to take MAOI to consume DMT through the mouth. It does not appear in the human body but remains inactive in the gut, and when showing up in the right blend of tea ingredients, it is absorbed through the gut walls and enters the bloodstream. The brew also contains an unidentified anti-depressant, which makes for a formidable combination.

Ayahuasca is not widely known in the UK but is garnering attention due to research being done into its medicinal properties. However, you should be aware it has been classified as a class A drug in the United Kingdom. It has been determined that, as so little is known about ayahuasca and its DMT content when it is actively brewed, it is presently illegal around the world under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

Can Ayahuasca Cause Addiction?

The substance has a great many medical applications. Research has shown that ayahuasca not addictive in itself, and there are no instances of users building up a tolerance to it and like any drug, ayahuasca addiction is always a risk. After it came to the western world in the 1950s, many scientists have attempted to see if it is useful. There is anecdotal evidence on its role in treating mental depression and anxiety. However, conclusive results still seem years away.

It has been shown that when utilised medically, ayahuasca can have an effect on human consciousness. It can begin half an hour following consumption and last for around six hours, peaking after two. You can suffer great emotional and psychological stress, and there are physical side effects like heightened heart rate and blood pressure. There are also various psychedelic symptoms such as auditory and visual stimulation alongside feelings of mental and spiritual introspection. It can be frightening, but also illuminating and bring on a sense of elation. The substance is renowned for Its purgative characteristics, often called “the purge”. The purging is considered a fundamental part of the ceremony, but it can bring on vomiting, indigestion, hot and cold flushes and sometimes diarrhoea.

Ayahuasca Side Effects: What You Should Know

If you are considering taking ayahuasca for a spiritual retreat. You should know taking ayahuasca may lead to considerable, but provisional, psychiatric problems. The short-term non-entheogenic physical consequences of consuming Ayahuasca can include nausea, hyperthermia, motor function impairment, autonomic instability, dizziness, tremors and muscle spasms, amongst other conditions, depending on how much you take.

You should know mixing Ayahuasca and Chacruna can have a huge effect on the central nervous system and potentially dangerous consequences. Ayahuasca containing DMT can bring on seizures, respiratory arrest, and increase the chances of falling into a coma.

There have unfortunately been cases of people losing their lives while taking ayahuasca. It has been reported that, since September 2015 and August 2018, there have been five ayahuasca-related deaths in Peru which goes to show how hazardous it can sometimes be to experiment with the substance known as ayahuasca.

To learn more about Ayahuasca or its addiction, talk to the experts. They will provide you with the most accurate information on this emerging practice.


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