Ayahuasca - Healing Vine of The Soul
Ayahuasca - Healing Vine of The Soul
Ayahuasca - Healing Vine of The Soul
N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT)
NH C=O
CH3O N
H CH3
N
H
ß-carboline (MAOI)
Indole Acetic Acid (IAA)
MAO INHIBITORS (MAOI)
LIKE THE AYAHUASCA ß-
CARBOLINES BLOCK THIS
REACTION.
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Left: preparation of ayahuasca by
Mestizo shamans in Peruvian
Amazon
Below: UDV “preparo” in Manuas,
Brasil. The brew is prepared on an
industrial scale, and it is not
uncommon for several hundred
parishioners to consume it in group
ceremonies
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Ceremonial ayahuasca
vessel from the NW
Amazon
In the preparo, the quality is
assessed, by both appearance and
bioassay
The visionary states
induced by ayahuasca
resemble dreams or other
psychedelic states like
those induced by
psilocybin mushrooms.
For the ayahuasquero,
they are a window into a
supernatural realm of
myth and symbol, magic
and witchcraft.
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1980-85 1986-1990 1991-95 1996-2000 2001-2007
Key findings from the Hoasca
study
# No evidence of acute toxicity
# No evidence of neurological, cognitive, or personality dysfunctions
in long-term users
# Strong evidence of positive behavioral changes
z Most members had histories of drug abuse, alcoholism and domestic
violence before joining the UDV
z Initial terrifying experiences with ayahuasca helped them to change
lifestyle in a more positive direction
z Effects of supportive context are hard to separate from effects of
ayahuasca
Upregulaton of Serotonin Transporters
An unexpected finding was that long-term users had significantly elevated densities
(Bmax) of serotonin transporters in platelets compared to matched controls
J. C. Callaway, M. M. Airaksinen, Dennis J. McKenna, Glacus S. Brito, & Charles S. Grob (1994) Platelet serotonin
uptake sites increased in drinkers of ayahuasca. Psychopharmacology 116: 385-387
1200 4
Bmax (fm/mg protein)
*
1000 3 Controls
Controls Kd (nM) UDV
800
UDV
600 2
400 1
200
0 0
Deficits of brain 5HT transporters and other monoamine
transporters
Have been associated with:
z Alcoholism (Type II Alcoholism)
z Early onset alcoholism & violent/homicidal behavior
z Suicidal behaviors
z Binge eating