Sacred healing with the masterplant 
Ayahuasca 

Ayahuasca- a magical tea

 

The word “ayahuasca” is a Quechua term, an indiginous language primarily used in the Peruvian Andes. It is composed of two words: aya, which means “corpse, dead, dead human body” and waskha,which means “rope, cord, braided or twisted wire.” Thus, it has commonly been translated as “the vine of the dead” or “the rope of the dead.” 

 

Ayahuasca is not a single plant but a brew of two different compounds (contained in either seeds, vine or leaves) that are collected from the jungle of the Amazon, one containing the alkaloid DMT (dimethyltryptamine), the other a MAO- inhibitor (monoamine oxidase). One compound has no effect without the other. This potent mixture offers access to the realm of spirits and an energetic world that we are typically unable to perceive in our ordinary state of consciousness. It is a mystery how the Amazonian shamans learned to combine these two ayahuasca compounds in the vast variety of the jungle.

 

This mixture circulates through the bloodstream into the brain, where it can trigger powerful visionary experiences and enables us to access otherworldly realms and our hidden, inner subconscious landscapes

 

The Traditional Use

Ayahuasca was not taken by patients, who would simply come to ceremony to receive the diagnosis and subsequent treatments.Traditionally, the use of Ayahuasca in Amazonian healing practices has been limited to the healers, who use it as diagnostic tool for a variety of tasks that reflect vastly different psychological and cultural values than we are familiar with in the West.  By identifying the cause of illness, for example, and resolving the energetic damage, indigenous healers recognize the destructive power of negative human emotions and their impact not just on the individual but the health of the whole community. Ayahuasca is used by the healers for other purposes, too: to help inform important decisions; ask the spirits for advice and solve personal conflicts (e.g. between families and communities).

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The Western Approach

Ayahuasca is now being used as a medicine in itself, not only as a diagnostic tool and plant ally for shamans. That in itself is a remarkable evolution. For the last 30 years, many foreigners and Amazonian people have worked with the medicine in ceremonies, led by trained healers and facilitators, in order to experience the cause of their conditions, illnesses and imbalances personally and to take part in the healing equation. Effectively, this means moving healing into a co-creative relationship between the healer, the plant spirit and the participant. This is a more fitting approach in this new paradigm where we become more souvereign of our healing. The drinker is able to uncover and take personal responsibility for issues that have been hidden in their unconscious and have resulted in energetic blockages – often the cause of the dis-ease, or emotional/psycho-spiritual imbalance.

One of the greatest challenges of the movement of ayahuasca culture to the West is how to transfer a tradition rooted in shamanic communities to a culture by and large alienated from nature and with very different psychological issues and thus physical diseases. Through many years of observation and experience Aluna has managed to bridge this discrepancy and translates the healing language of Ayahuasca to their participants. 

 

Health and Risks

Studies in both animals and healthy humans have shown that Ayahuasca is a safe substance both physically and psychologically when its composition is known, and when it is administered in controlled doses, in appropriate environments and with the necessary support.

There are some risks associated with the consumption of Ayahuasca that should be considered in case one is considering using this decoction. Some of these risks are physical, due to the pharmacology of the substance and possible interactions, and others are psychological, due to the nature of the experience that Ayahuasca can induce.

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Physical Health

The combination of MAOIs (one of the Ayahuasca compounds) with SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) in antidepressants, some recreational drugs and Tryptophan beforehand, can produce a serotonergic crisis called serotonin syndrome. 

The combination of MAO inhibitors with certain foods containing high amounts of Tyramine can produce a hypertensive crisis. 

Therefore, the Dieta (please see below for more information), a list of substances, herbs and foods should be followed 7 days prior to the ceremony!

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Mental Health
The psychedelic effects of Ayahuasca can be very intense and the experience can be quite immersive, therefore it is not uncommon for reactions of fear and anguish to occur during parts of the experience. These situations are usually transient and resolve themselves during the experience or after the effects of the substance subside. Our guides and team members are well trained and experienced to guide participants through these moments and to help them integrate what happened. 

However, people with a (family) history of psychotic episodes, or with diagnosed mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression with psychotic symptoms are at higher risk of suffering such adverse reactions and it is recommended that they refrain from using Ayahuasca. 

Summarizing, taking Ayahuasca has no real risks to it, when we prepare for it with care and respect.

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Health Benefits 

Through a process of witnessing, integrating and releasing emotional trauma, Ayahuasca helps to release negative, fear-filled patterns (our so called shadows) that have built up over many years. This facilitates new perspectives on the overall biography of your life. Shadow work is the key to discovering an overall greater sense of purpose, presence and peace in your life. Meanwhile many scientific studies have shown that Ayahuasca can be the answer to healing physical diseases, depressions, feelings of low self worth and self love, addictions and co-dependency issues and ancestral trauma. Healing occurs on all four levels of our being. 

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