Plant Medicine
Brief History of Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca has been an integral part of various indigenous groups in the Amazon Basin for several thousand years. It was and still is broadly used in healing ceremonies and other traditions associated with spiritualism, artistic inspiration, and divination. The tribes who work with Ayahuasca claim that the plants themselves revealed their power to humans more than 2,000 years ago.
Beginning in pre-Columbian times, Ayahuasca gradually became integrated into the ethnomedical traditions of the mixed populations following European contact in the New World. Ayahuasca's constituent plants, Psychotria viridis and Banisteriopsis caapi were central to indigenous cultures in the New World and were used in medicine, religious ceremonies, and rites of passage. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, small groups of indigenous people continued to use these plants in traditional ceremonies and other cultural practices. It is said by shamans that the rituals started when the plants, specifically Ayahuasca, began communicating with the shamans in modified states of consciousness such as dreams and visions. This is where they received the information to combine the two plants and prepare the ayahuasca brew.
To the ancient tribes, Ayahuasca is medicine but even more so, a spirit. They consider Ayahuasca the Mother of All Spirits and will speak of "her" in the anthropomorphic feminine.
Healing benefits of Ayahuasca
Spiritual Wellbeing
Ayahuasca aids in one's spiritual journey by allowing individuals to receive spiritual teachings and insights, expand consciousness and identify the meaning and totality of life. Many who participate in receiving this plant medicine feel a profound sense of self and wellbeing, carrying the experience with them for the rest of their lives.
Mental Wellbeing
Research has shown that drinking Ayahuasca may increase the mindfulness capacity of your brain and improve your overall psychological wellbeing by enhancing mood and emotional regulation. It has been used in the treatment of addiction, anxiety, stress, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as Ayahuasca is able to get down to the roots of these afflictions and aid in clearing traumas and emotional blockages.
Physical Wellbeing
The main active ingredients in Ayahuasca (DMT and b-carbolines) have been shown to exhibit neuroprotective and neurorestorative qualities. DMT activates the sigma-1 receptor (Sig-1R), a protein that blocks neurodegeneration and regulates the production of antioxidant compounds that help protect your brain cells. Harmine, the main b-carboline in Ayahuasca, has been found to have anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and memory-boosting effects.