Plants of Ayahuasca Shamanism
Art – Caapi Dreams by Donna Torres.
This is an introductory beginners guide to several plants significantly connected to Ayahuasca shamanism.
Overviews, introductions, general information
Art – Caapi Dreams by Donna Torres.
This is an introductory beginners guide to several plants significantly connected to Ayahuasca shamanism.
Ayahuasca (aya-spirit/dead, waska-vine/rope) or Yage (ya-hey) are native Amazonian names for the jungle vine Banisteriopsis Caapi, and the medicinal (and visionary) tea prepared from it. Ayahuasca is used throughout the Upper Amazon to facilitate physical, mental and spiritual healing.
If you have decided to travel to Peru or other areas in South America to drink ayahuasca, I hope that you have a wonderful experience and return safely to tell everyone about your adventures. Here are several things you can do to help ensure that your trip is safe and productive.
Food & Medication interactions and safety as related to Ayahuasca use
Howard G. Charing
After being virtually ignored by Western civilization for centuries, there has been a huge surge of interest in Ayahuasca recently. There is a growing belief that it is a kind of ‘medicine for our times’, giving hope to people with ‘incurable’ diseases like cancer and HIV, drug addictions and inspiring answers to the big ecological problems of modern civilization.
There is no doubt that ayahuasca makes you vomit. There is some consolation in the fact that the vomiting will ease with continued experience; shamans seldom vomit. There is more consolation in the fact that the vomiting is considered to be cleansing and healing.
By Steve Beyer
This post answers the very basic questions you may have been afraid to ask about ayahuasca in the Upper Amazon — what it is, what is in it, what it does, how it is used, how it fits into the religious culture of the region, and how it tastes. If you are new to the subject of ayahuasca, this is a good place to start.
‘Dieta’ describes dietary and behavioral regimens that allow one to move most safely and effectively into working relationships with such plants. These relationships can bring about profound transformations, and the dietas are designed to best facilitate them.
By Morgan Brent
In ayahuasca, dialogue is deepened to include all manner of elemental, plant, animal, ancestor, and deity. These then appear less as an “other,” and more as participants in the metabolisms of yet larger bodies, such as regional ecosystems, or the earth itself.