Ayahuasca - plant medicine to heal the soul

[Ismene]

How does that work? Don't MAOI's work by blocking the blocking the 4HO-DMT being broken down to its corresponding aldehyde? So it just stays as 4HO-DMT for longer? I've never heard of them removing alcohol groups.

Not quite sure what's happening - just seems to somehow emphasise the DMT component rather than the psilocybin bit.

 

[lovepsychadelics]

I respectfully disagree. I think us non-indians disproportionate focus on the DMT part of ayahuasca (cuz when we smoke it it's like WHAT), but in the Amazon, the Caapi (MAOI-containing plant) is equally, if not *more* important/healing. After all, they call Caapi "Ayahuasca" and Psychotria viridis (DMT) "Chacruna." What do they call the entire brew? Ayahuasca, the name of the MAOI-containing vine. Sometimes they just brew that on its own without any Chacruna.

The caapi is an anti-parasitic (as is Syrian Rue), but some would argue that it is an antiparasitic on the spiritual level as well, getting rid of any soul-sucking demons, draining thought patterns, or whatever sucks our life-force away that we can personify into some kind of energetic parasite in the entheogenic experience.

Many westerners without intestinal worm problems to speak of still undergo "the purge" and feel much better for it. Vomiting is unpleasant, yes, but in many circles that take ayahuasca or peyote, they call it "getting well." Indigenous users of these plants see the vomiting as an expected and beneficial part of the healing process that these plants or plant mixtures provide.

This post is 100% on the money.

 

[EarthBounded]

Thanks everyone.

Earthbounded - do you live in Australia? Did you take aya from plant sources or chemical?

Brother sorry it took so long for me to get back to you, I have taken it 5 times in the last two weeks to try and and crush addiction while loosing my girlfriend and home ( but I got my own house right away and girlys hangin around )

I am in Minnesota USA.

My best experience was 100g Peru B. Caapi, with 10g grams Diplopterys Cabrerana leaf, and 15 gram Acacia simplex, I also took 1g syrian rue, wholly shit, I have been on about 250 trips nothing compares, It is very safe and lovely. It has helped me cope in hard times and given me this uncontrollable energy I know I will do good with.

Ayahuasca was all plant based boiled with distilled water and a squeeze of lime to make acidic, I did 3 boils then reduced.

I smoked some DMT This week, doesn't do much for me, AYA took me by storm

 

[Ismene]

Many westerners without intestinal worm problems to speak of still undergo "the purge" and feel much better for it.

But is that because they don't realise they have any other choice? If they had the choice of either vomit, or take the drug a different way and vomit less, I think most people would choose to vomit less.

I'm not a big fan of vomiting while high - the risk of choking yourself to death is always there.

 

[lovepsychadelics]

Some shamans add datura or brugmansia to the mix as a poison or as a method of creating lasting psychosis or even to try and control an individual. In my culture a small amount of either plant material was prepared as a birth control technique. Black magic shamans often use these plants in their yage or ayahuasca.

I've done both the purge and not so bad purge but the powerful purge seems to clean not just ones stomach but also the mind and body in general. No idea why but it is a subjective feeling of being free of toxins and toxic life events. Sound weird but just my 2 cents.

 

[Gio11]

I saw a site from a Dutch organization working with shamans from all over the globe and serving medicine all over the world maybe worth checking... http://sacredceremony.nl

Good luck on your travels,
Gio

 

[red22]

I respectfully disagree. I think us non-indians disproportionate focus on the DMT part of ayahuasca (cuz when we smoke it it's like WHAT), but in the Amazon, the Caapi (MAOI-containing plant) is equally, if not *more* important/healing. After all, they call Caapi "Ayahuasca" and Psychotria viridis (DMT) "Chacruna." What do they call the entire brew? Ayahuasca, the name of the MAOI-containing vine. Sometimes they just brew that on its own without any Chacruna.

I take serious issue with this idea. You're not the first person I've seen express it. It seems to me that the only reason they called the entire brew, ayahuasca, is because when the DMT-containing plant was ingested on its own, it had little to no effect. Alternatively, who says that they all call the entire brew ayahuasca? The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants* lists many alternate names:

Ambihuasca, ambiwaska, ayawaska, biaxii, brew ("the brew"), caapi, caji, calawaya, camaramti (Shipibo), chahua (Shipibo), cipo, daime, dapa, dapa, djunglehuasca, djungle tea, doctor, dschungel-ambrosia, el remedio, hoasca, honi, iyaona (Zapara), jungle ambrosia, jungle-huasca, jungle tea, kaapi, kahi, kahpi, la droge (Spanish, "the drug"), la purga (Spanish, "the purgative"), la soga, masha (Shipibo), meti, mihi, mii (Huaorani), moca jene (Shipibo, "bitter brew"), muka dau (Cashinahua, "bitter medicine"), natem (Achuar), natema, natema, natema, nepe, nepi, nichi cubin (Shipibo, "boiled liana"), nishi sheati (Shipibo, "liana drink"), nixi honi, nixi pae, notema, ohoasca, ondi (Yaminahua), pilde, pilde, pinde, pinde, rao (Shipibo, "medicinal plant"), remedio, sachahuasca, santo diame, uni (Conibo), vegetal, yage, yaje, yaxe


And I'd like to see some documentation on how prevalent caapi-only decoctions were. Well, a good place to start would be the book I just referenced, but I don't feel like reading the B. caapi entry right now.


Another thing that shoots holes in the traditional "ayahuasca" is the fact that both the MAOI and the DMT are brewed up together. DMT is normally catabolized in the intestines, but when an MAOI is consumed, the MAOI prevents this from occurring. While you don't need to wait for the MAOI to reach its systemic peak for this purpose, I'm sure that unless you consume the MAOI at least 4 minutes beforehand, you end up wasting a lot of the DMT. Moreover, if you do take the MAOI and wait an hour or whatever so that the MAOI can reach its peak, the effects of the DMT will be amplified from start to finish, arguably producing a more medicinal experience.

On a last note, apparently Claudio Naranjo reported in his 1974 book, 'The Healing Journey', giving LSD to indigenous peoples, and they felt positively about it.

The sentiment of yours that I quoted is just an attempt at upholding the holiness of the traditional "ayahuasca" (whatever that word means).


*Christian Rätsch (2005), page 702

 

[jonteng]

I have been reading and watching videos online about ayahuasca an it sounds amazing.

I would really like to try it. I have social anxiety and depressive thoughts and I really think this will help me alot.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has information or is interested.

Warning Dude, ayahuasca is not a "magic wand" and sometimes the result is very bad:

http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/735763-Ayahuasca-(1-glass-first-experience)-long-lasting-trauma

Take care...