For centuries, a drink often also called tea made from Ayahuasca plants native to the Amazon jungle has been used in many healing and spiritual ceremonies. The drink induces hallucinations and is conveyed to have spiritual and healing uses. In current years, it has drawn awareness of Western treatment as a possible remedy for depression. The drug has also become widespread with people seeking the “quack experience”. According to the journal Nature, a thriving industry has developed in South America, as thousands of people pay huge sums of money to attend retreats so they can sample the “intense psychedelic insights” of ayahuasca. You can also try it at Your Highest Truth Healings Inc. ayahuasca retreat to experience it.
People have to travel to attend the ayahuasca ceremony because the drink is illegal in the United States. Some believe that even though they are in ayahuasca, they gain a better sense of themselves or are better prepared to work through mental trauma, leading to better mental health after the session. So, how is ayahuasca made? Recipes for ayahuasca — also spelled iowaska or hoasca, and also called daime, yajé, yagé, natema, and vegetal — differ by region, according to a 2003 paper in the Journal of Pharmacology. In Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador, the crushed stems of the flowering vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) are used to make tea, either alone or in combination with the leaves of the shrub (Psychotria viridis). In Colombia and Ecuador, these plants are sometimes combined with different shrubs.
One of the most popular uses of Ayahuasca is in spiritual use and medicine. The tea is prepared by an ayahuasquero, who is usually trained in the traditional way of preparing tea. Ayahuasquero prepares and serves tea during the ceremony which usually takes place in the shaman’s hut. Those who ate tea lay on grass mats or mattresses while cycling at high altitudes, which could last for hours.
