Plant Medicine From The Amazon Gives Better Health?

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Published by helse on 10/09/2022

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Plant medicine from the Amazon gives better health?

The use of the indigenous medicine Ayahuasca in Colombian cities.

In the Great Norwegian Lexicon we learn that the word 'psychedelic' means expanding of consciousness and is used for something that expands the inner experience. One can talk about psychedelic drugs, psychedelic music and psychedelic art. Psychedelic substances are normally defined as hallucinogenic substances that mainly cause changes in the sensory experience of the outside world and of oneself.

I, as many others in the field, believe that to refer to Ayahuasca and other classic psychedelics as ´hallucinogens` is wrong. The correct denomination should be ´entheogens´. ´Entheogen´ is constructed from Greek, ἔνθεος (entheos) meaning "inspired, possessed, filled with the divine" and γενέσθαι (genesthai) meaning "to become". Thus, an entheogen is a substance that causes an inspiration, a feeling, or an emotion with spiritual or divine connotations. To use the term ´hallucinogen´ is therefore to devalue and reject the substances’s inherent spiritual properties and reduce them to recreational or 'party drugs’ that only causes delusions and hallucinations.

The so-called classic psychedelics include LSD, psilocybin (found in mushrooms and truffles), mescaline (found in cacti), DMT (which is the psychoactive ingredient in the herbal drink ayahuasca used by indigenous people in the Amazon) and Bufotenine or 5-Meo-DMT, (obtained from the glands of the toad Bufo Alvarius from the Sonora desert in Mexico).

Other substances that have similar effects and are often mentioned in connection with psychedelics are MDMA (also called 'ecstasy') and Ketamine (which is used for anesthesia and pain relief. It is also approved for the treatment of depression and is being tested in the treatment of drug addiction.)

Research into the use of psychedelics, MDMA and Ketamine as medicine for psychological and mental disorders and as part of psychotherapeutic treatment has increased greatly in recent years. Many scientists claim we are on the brink of a breakthrough in the treatment of many mental disorders such as severe depression, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and drug addiction. In many places around the world, a significant number of research projects are now taking place (some also in Norway), which show promising results.

What is Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew that has been used for centuries by indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest for spiritual, medicinal, and ceremonial purposes. The word "ayahuasca" comes from the Quechua language, spoken by indigenous peoples in the Andean region of South America, and it roughly translates to "vine of the soul" or "vine with a soul."

The brew is typically made by combining two main ingredients:
Banisteriopsis caapi: This is a vine that contains beta-carbolines, mainly harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine. These substances are MAO inhibitors, which means they inhibit the action of an enzyme called monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the digestive system. MAO is responsible for breaking down certain neurotransmitters, including DMT, which is the main psychoactive component of ayahuasca. By inhibiting MAO, DMT can become active when ingested orally.

Psychotria viridis (or other DMT-containing plants):The second ingredient is a plant that contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a powerful psychedelic compound. DMT is normally inactive when taken orally due to the presence of the MAO enzyme. However, when combined with the MAO inhibitors from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, DMT becomes orally active, leading to its psychoactive effects.

When these two components are combined and brewed together, the resulting ayahuasca concoction induces intense and often visionary experiences. Ayahuasca ceremonies are traditionally conducted by shamans or experienced spiritual leaders who guide participants through the journey.

The effects of Ayahuasca are known to vary widely among individuals but can include profound alterations in perception, intense emotions, introspective experiences, and vivid visual and auditory hallucinations. Many people report experiencing spiritual insights, personal growth, and a sense of connectedness to nature and the universe. The brew is also used as a form of traditional medicine to treat various physical and psychological ailments, as believed by indigenous communities.

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In my 30 years in South America, I gained experience with Ayahuasca, both personally and as a therapist, guiding many users through their integration process after Auyahuasca ceremonies. The use is completely legal in many south-american countries. The drink is considered indigenous medicine and its use and distribution is even protected by law. In Norway, ayahuasca is prohibited.

In Colombia, Ayahuasca began to appear in an urban setting in the second half of the 20th century. Towards the end of the century, increasingly frequent Ayahuasca ceremonies led by indigenous shamans from the Amazon were observed in various cities. Now such urban retreats are increasingly common and legal in several other South American countries (and in later years also in several European countries). On the other hand, so-called "Ayahuasca tourism" has developed, where people from the West travel to the Amazon to take part in the ceremonies in the indigenous people's original environment.

What makes modern, urban, Western-oriented, often highly educated people want to participate in traditional Ayahuasca ceremonies led by shamans from the Amazon?

A scientific investigation into the motivations of some of the inhabitants of Colombia's cities for the repeated use of Ayahuasca in an urban context was carried out as early as in 2003. It was led by two researchers from Los Andes University in Bogotá (Andrea Vélez Cárdenas, M.Psych. and Augusto Pérez Gómez, Ph.D.) as part of a Master's thesis , and the results were published in the Spanish magazine 'Adicciones' in 2004 with the title 'Consumo urbano de Yajé (Ayahuasca) en Colombia' ('Urban use of Ayahuasca in Colombia').

If you know Spanish and want to read the original, you can find it HERE.

If you are a Norwegian and want to read the full translation of the article, click HERE.

Although the research is over 20 years old, its findings are still relevant today. The following is a summary of its most important conclusions:

* 40 people, aged 17 to 63 years (average age 31.6 years), 14 women and 26 men, took part in the survey. Most had higher education at university level. All had used Ayahuasca between 2 and 10 times. The main motivations for the use indicated by the participants in this research report are as follows:

* 84% claim that the use of Ayahuasca leads to positive changes in how they view challenging situations (problems, relationships, conflicts with others, etc.).

* 82.5% seek the cleansing of the body that Ayahuasca produces to accelerate healing processes.

* 82.4% say that it is the therapeutic effects on the body that motivate them to continue consuming Ayahuasca.

* 80% believe that the use of Ayahuasca helps them to loosen personal stagnation, to gain clarity in personal, emotional problems and to find alternative solutions to conflicts that affect them.

* 67% say they find that Ayahuasca opens the possibility for them to reach a higher spiritual level.

* 52.5% repeat the use of Ayahuasca to maintain good health and physical and mental well-being.

It is worth mentioning that the importance given to the shaman in the ceremonies is fundamental, as he or she fulfills an important role in the collective and individual dynamics and experience. This fact indicates that the urban use tends to occur under ritualized conditions, where it encompasses a large number of motivations that other psychoactive substances, which are used exclusively for recreational purposes, do not have.

The results of the survey show that the motivation to consume Ayahuasca for the sole purpose of having a hallucinatory experience is practically zero. The main reasons for this are the often uncomfortable physical reactions like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea that can accompany the experience.

This report does not present scientific evidence that Ayahuasca has or can have a healing effect, either psychologically or physically. But research is ongoing, and I am convinced that it won't be long before such evidence is scientifically established.

Here are some websites to look at if you are interested in the research into the therapeutic benefits of Ayahuasca and other psychedelics:

In Norway:
https://www.psykedeliskvitenskap.no

In the US:
https://maps.org
https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/
https://clinicaltrials.gov/

In England:
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/psychedelic-research-centre

In Australia:
https://prism.org.au/
https://mindmedicineaustralia.org/
https://www.psychedelicsociety.org.au/
https://www.entheogenesis.org/
https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/psychedelic-medicine-a-mental-health-game-changer

It is urgent to find better and more effective treatment methods in mental health. I am sure that in a few years we will be able to use legal, evidence-based psychedelica assisted therapy methods that many people will greatly benefit from.

If you have used or are using psychedelics and need to talk about or process some of your experiences, I am available for consultations online. You can read about what I can offer you here.

Get to know my courses and individual sessions online here

©2022 Jan Moller

helse

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