The effects of ayahuasca: what does this hallucinogen do?

This drink, a combination of juices from various plants, has been used for centuries by shamans.

In recent decades, ayahuasca, a drink with hallucinogenic effects ayahuasca, a drink with hallucinogenic effects, has become very popular in recent decades. used by the peoples of the Amazon many millennia ago to which they attributed mystical properties. In particular, they related its consumption to the transit between the world of the living and that of the spirits.

In this article we will describe what is ayahuasca and what are its psychological and physical effects.. We will also discuss the chemical and pharmacological properties of this substance and the possible therapeutic applications of some of its components.

What is ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is a drink with psychoactive properties that has its origin in the Amazon region. Throughout history has been prepared and used by shamans of tribes in this area as part of healing and religious tribes in this area as part of healing and religious ceremonies, and has been attributed with multiple magical traits and health benefits.

It is known mainly for its effects on the psychological experience: many people who have consumed ayahuasca claim that it has helped them achieve a sense of spiritual transcendence, in some cases maintained long after consumption. In this sense ayahuasca can be compared to drugs such as psilocybin and LSD..

It is often prepared by boiling Banisteriopsis caapi, a plant of the liana class that is also known as ayahuasca and which contains alkaloids that inhibit the MAO enzyme, together with another containing the main psychoactive factor: the N,N-Dimethyltryptamine or DMT. Most commonly, this second plant is Psychotria viridis or Diplopterys cabrerana.

The term "ayahuasca" comes from the Quechua "ayawaska", which can be translated as "vine of the spirits". which can be translated as "vine of the spirits".According to the tradition of this people, this substance allows the soul of the person who consumes it to leave his body without the need to die. In other languages of Latin America it is called "caapi", "nishi cobin", "nixi pae", "natem" and "shori".

Pharmacology and mechanism of action

Ayahuasca (Banisteropsis caapi) contains several alkaloids of the beta-carboline class, which inhibit the activity of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) and sometimes also the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin. The most studied are harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine.

This MAO inhibition allows the Blood and brain diffusion of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), the active ingredient of ayahuasca as a beverage (although, as we have said, it is not found in the plant itself but in other plants), which causes the psychoactive effects characteristic of this compound.

DMT is a very common endogenous hallucinogenic compound.It is naturally present in many plants, but also in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of humans. However, its function in the body is not yet known with certainty.

Effects of this drug

The DMT molecule causes, according to people who have consumed it, sensations of euphoria accompanied by dynamic hallucinations.. These are characterized above all by the presence of geometric forms and by their transcendental character; in many cases they include perceptions of deities, of a collective consciousness of the beings of the Earth, etc.

Many people who have tried this substance claim that it has helped them to reach spiritual revelations regarding themselves or their relationship with the environment, including the cosmos. In some cases the accounts of these experiences include supernatural phenomena such as travel to other dimensions and contact with beneficial spirits.

On the other hand, it is common for ayahuasca consumption to provoke adverse physical reactions, especially nausea and vomiting. adverse physical reactions, especially nausea and diarrhea, as well as acute emotional discomfort.as well as acute emotional discomfort. Excessive consumption can cause serotonin syndrome, which is characterized by the appearance of tremors, spasms, hyperthermia and sweating and can even cause death.

Compared to other hallucinogenic substances, among which the psilocybin mushroom and LSD stand out, ayahuasca acts more quickly and intensely, but the duration of its effects is shorter. If ingested orally, the effects are maintained for about 3 hours, but only last between 5 and 5 hours.If ingested orally, the effects last for about 3 hours, but only 5 to 15 minutes if administered by inhalation or intravenously.

The therapeutic potential of ayahuasca

Research is currently being conducted on the possible therapeutic effects of ayahuasca in various medical applications. However, this field of scientific literature is still at a very early stage.

One very striking line of research is being carried out by the Beckley Foundation, which ayahuasca with neurogenesis, i.e. the formation of neurons in the brain. in the brain.

It should also be noted that since ancient times the natives of the Amazon have used ayahuasca as a purgative to eliminate parasites (especially worms) and "negative energies" from the body and mind. In this last sense, ayahuasca is attributed a relaxing character, although it is true that its consumption can provoke anxiety.