Beatriz Caiuby Labate or Bia Labate was born in São Paulo in 1971. She earned a bachelor’s degree in social science from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in 1996. In 2000 she obtained a master’s degree in social anthropology from the same university, receiving the Prize for Best Master’s Thesis from the National Association for Graduate Studies in Social Science (ANPOCS). Her doctoral research in social anthropology at UNICAMP focuses on the internationalization of Peruvian ayahuasca “vegetalismo.” She is co-editor of the books O uso ritual da ayahuasca (Mercado de Letras 2002) and O uso ritual das plantas de poder (Mercado de Letras, 2005) and author of the book A reinvenção do uso da ayahuasca nos centros urbanos (Mercado de Letras, 2004). She is a researcher with the Nucleus for Interdisciplinary Studies of Psychoactives (NEIP). In February 2005 she founded Alto das Estrelas, a private institute which promotes political activism, anthropological research and public events, in addition to researching the cultivation and preparation of vegetal species.
Articles by Bia Labate:
Important new research project about ayahuasca in the USA
Posted by Bia Labate • Category: ScienceThe goal is to evaluate the safety of this potential drug of abuse and potential therapeutic applications of ayahuasca by studying its physiological and psychological effects, as well as its peripheral and central neurochemical effects at dosages that are typical for the religious use of this substance.
Bia Labate site and newsletter
Posted by Bia Labate • Category: NewsDear Friends I invite you to join the newsletter of my site. From time to time I send some news about my writings and my activities, about the universe of ayahuasca and psychoactive substances in general, legislation on drugs, important cultural events and conferences etc. Usually I do not send too much messages, and they [...]
Short Glossary of the Terms Used in the União do Vegetal
Posted by Bia Labate • Category: União do VegetalIn order to help the English-speaking public understand some key elements of UDV cosmology, rituals and social organization, the authors have compiled a short glossary of native hermeneutic terms and Spiritualist idioms that commonly circulate within this particular religious universe.
The Wine of the Souls – Pilgrimage into the Heart of Santo Daime & Amazon Forest
Posted by Bia Labate • Category: NewsThe film “Wine of the Souls” follows six foreigners along their paths in search of healing, self-discovery and mystical experiences. They embark on a pilgrimage to the Amazonian Rainforest, the birthplace of the Santo Daime religion.
Drugs and Culture: New Perspectives
Posted by Bia Labate • Category: NewsThe book Drugs and Culture: New Perspectives, the result of a symposium organized by the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP, www.neip.info) and that took place at the Universidade de São Paulo in 2005, represents an important push by researchers in the areas of anthropology, sociology, political sciences, law, and history to approach the topic of “drugs” from multiple angles and who have as their common ground the staunch criticism of the prohibition of these substances.
New Book on Brazilian Ayahuasca Religions
Posted by Bia Labate • Category: NewsThis book presents the bibliographical state of the art of the Brazilian ayahuasca religions, Santo Daime, Barquinha, the União do Vegetal, and their multiple offshoots.
Documentary “The Lord of the Forest” (O senhor da Floresta) about Mestre Irineu by Mivan Gedeon
Posted by Bia Labate • Category: Santo Daime“The documentary “O Senhor da Floresta” directed by the journalist Mivan Gedeon, won the category “Best video from the State of Maranhao” awarded by the Technical Jury of the 30th Guarnicê Video and Cinema Festival in Sao Luis, Maranhao.
Effects of ayahuasca on psychometric measures of anxiety, panic-like and hopelessness in Santo Daime members.
Posted by Bia Labate • Category: Psychology, Psychiatry, ScienceAyahuasca ingestion did not modify state- or trait-anxiety. The results are discussed in terms of the possible use of ayahuasca in alleviating signs of hopelessness and panic-like related symptoms.
