Ayahuasca The Powerful Jungle Hallucinogen
Ayahuasca the powerful jungle hallucinogen. Ayahuasca is a hallucinogen created using a mix of Amazonian plants. Drink it brewed into a tea and its effects last up to 8 hours. Its primary use is as a medicine among Amazonian tribes. Shamans also use it to communicate with the spirits of nature or to help see why a patient is sick on a spiritual level. This drug is usually taken in a tea ceremony under the guidance of an experienced ayahuasca user.
The jungle vine banisteriopsis caapi is the main ingredient. It’s mixed with a small bush called psychotria viridis (called chacruna). Chacruna has high levels of the psychedelic material dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Brewing these plants together into a tea produces ayahuasca. This has been used for centuries in the Amazon jungle. Indigenous groups use ayahuasca ceremoniously usually in connection with healing ceremonies.
Why is ayahuasca used?
While the Indigenous people use it in their healing ceremonies the Western world has become interested in it over the last 20 years. Shamans drink ayahuasca and sing together which takes them into a trance that gives them visions. In the West, people’s interest is in the mind-altering effects of the drug. Many use ayahuasca it to get in touch with their spirituality or higher beings. Searching for a deeper meaning in life. They say it alters the way they see the world. It allows them to confront their fears on a deep level and experience pure joy from the experience. Users say the feel completely refreshed after experiencing ayahuasca.
Ayahuasca’s uniqueness
Reports across the world are that ayahuasca’s unique properties have healed drinkers of depression and addictive tendencies. While this is not exclusive to ayahuasca, it does not require the same level of psychological work for tea drinkers to sort through their issues compared to more conventional methods. This could be because ayahuasca quickly brings issues to the surface so the tea drinker can deal with these while the effects of the drug last.
Another unique aspect of ayahuasca is that its hallucinatory effects rely on combining the two plants together. It is not known how the Amazonian indigenous people discovered this. But, the primary property of chacruna is a neurotransmitter that naturally occurs in the human body. This is found in the blood, lungs, and brain, as well as other parts of the body. This neurotransmitter is responsible for human states of mind and awareness. There is some research that suggests the ‘third eye’ or pineal gland is the main DMT producer in humans. DMT also naturally occurs in mammals and some plants.
Effects of the Jungle Hallucinogen
It’s hard on the body. It can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Amazonian tribes refer to it as ‘las purga’ because it purifies the mind and purges the body.
Tea drinkers can experience intense hallucinations. Sometimes these are so beautiful it gives them a sense of a deeper truth behind the hallucinations. Depending on the state of the mind of the person, the hallucinations can terrify. Often repressed memories and fears arise during a session for purging. As much as ayahuasca has the ability to induce visions of great beauty and ecstasy, it can do the opposite. It can also amplify strong emotions a user has towards someone, whether they be negative or positive feelings.
Western researchers are exploring ayahuasca’s potential for medicinal use. They are researching its benefits for treating addictions, degenerative illnesses, Alzheimer’s Disease, and depression. Drinking the tea on a regular basis builds the thickness of the serotonin receptors. These are thought to relate to things such as positive thinking hence social confidence, and may ward off depression and stress.