For some, it is a drug while others call it medicine. Why?
Could it be because it alters our perception for a moment in time or that it forces you to see things that bring you clarity?
What do you know about Ayahuasca?
For many years, I had been surrounded by friends and family that have tried Ayahuasca. Each had a story of their own to share about their experience with it. Some claimed to have seen the sunrise at 2 am, while others slept through the entire thing. However, it’s not my intention to tell you what it’s like to take Ayahuasca, but merely to give a bit of clarity about the medicine.
What do you mean by medicine?
Ayahuasca is a tea that is brewed from the Banisteriopsis Caapi vine, known as the plant teacher, and Psychotria Viridis shrub. It is traditionally used in ceremonial spaces among the indigenous people of the Amazon Basin.
Although indigenous people have been using this medicine for centuries, western scientists have recognized its potential to treat addiction, depression, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Along with other life-altering conditions, such as seizures and ADHD, ayahuasca offers natural treatment to the mind, body, and spirit.
How does it work?
Before attending an Ayahuasca ceremony participants are recommended to complete a series of things:
- strict vegetarian/vegan diet for 2/4 weeks before the ceremony to detox the body
- abstain from cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, sex, ejaculation, salt, sugar, and caffeine to purify the body
- set a clear intention of what you would like to receive during your journey for the best communication with the plant
The goal here is to prepare the body, mind, and spirit in order to fully receive the information the participant is seeking.
You’re full of shit!
Maybe, but I don’t think so. I’m more than willing to be wrong, but not only have celebrities claimed to have turned their lives around after using the medicine but so have people from my family.
A researcher from the University of Melbourne is capturing what goes on in people’s lives after they drink ayahuasca and how its impacted major decisions in their lives. The Global Ayahuasca Project survey recorded that about 85% of people who take ayahuasca go on to make profound life changes. This includes but is not limited to; breaking up, hooking up, quitting miserable jobs, kickstarting new careers, enrolling in uni, and starting a family.
700 people from 35 countries have filled out the survey which has been translated into 5 languages. Half of the participants all claim to have found a deeper sense of life direction and purpose after taking ayahuasca.
Ninawa Pai da Mata of the Huni Kuin People in the Amazon Rainforest
But how?
Truth is, scientists still don’t fully understand the medicine and its power. Although many have tried to recreate it in a lab, none have been successful. The dosage and preparation vary depending on the culture that it comes from. Since there are various tribes that have been practicing ayahuasca ceremonies for centuries, it’s difficult to recreate outside of its natural settings.
Unlike western civilizations, the people of the tribe begin to consume this medicine at the age of 7 and pregnant women have claimed that ayahuasca has made delivering the baby a less painful and more divine experience.
What they have discovered, is that it the plant medicine contains DMT – N-dimethyltryptamine, a psychedelic substance that occurs naturally in our penial gland. DMT is a powerful hallucinogenic chemical.
However, it has low bioavailability, as it gets rapidly broken down by enzymes called monoamine oxidases (MAOs) in your liver and gastrointestinal tract. For this reason, DMT must be combined with something containing MAO inhibitors (MAOIs), which allow DMT to take effect. Banisteriopsis caapi contains potent MAOIs called β-carbolines, which also have psychoactive effects of their own
When combined, these two plants form a powerful psychedelic brew that affects the central nervous system, leading to an altered state of consciousness that can include hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, and euphoria, allowing you to change your perspective and create a new life.
For more pictures of the captured moments of transformation, visit @hijadelcielo on IG!
I don’t know…. seems questionable to me.
It did for many too, but still, curiosity got the best of us. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself. My experience was nothing like what I had heard or read, but I walked out feeling like a warrior. Capable of doing anything without doing anything. (Stay tuned for a more in-depth post about my journey!)
Take the proper precaution and let the medicine call you. You may or not purge during your journey but surrender to the teachings of the plant and trust that everything is happening for you.
This is the secret to ayahuasca.
One additional recommendation I have is to keep the diet even after the ceremony for a few days to a week. The integration period can take months to fully understand what it is that you received but if you can keep yourself surrounded by the right people to support and guide you, then you will continue to receive the clarity you need.
STILL CURIOUS?
Already took ayahuasca? Let’s talk! I’d love to stay connected with the soul family of Abuelita Aya. DM me on IG and let’s set up a Facetime date soon!
For anyone interested in going on their own journey, Join me in November into the heart of the Amazon Rainforest!
Sending you love, because you deserve it. Not mine to give, but yours to receive.
– Taynahmite
P.S. I am not a doctor, therapist, or scientist. I’m simply here to share my observations with the hope that it will help others.