The Medicines: Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is a fascinating and confounding medicine for so many reasons. First of all, where I live in Ecuador, there are two things they call Ayahuasca. The vine (Banisteriopsis Caapi) is referred to by that name, and so is the finished product, a brown drink of varying thicknesses, that is actually a mixture of the vine and at least one other plant. There are several plants they use in Ecuador, but the most commonly known is called Chacruna. Neither is psychoactive on its own.

So how, I ask you, in the most biologically diverse region on the planet, could someone figure out how to cook these two plants together to achieve such earth-shaking results? Just one of the confounding things about this magical medicine.

So what does Ayahuasca do?

Well that’s another tough one to answer, and there will be as many different answers as there are people you ask. My understanding of Ayahuasca through my many personal experiences and what I’ve learned from others, is that it will change its skin according to the particular milieu of the participant. It will, like many medicines, not tell a Wall Street raider the best place to find medicinal plants, nor will it tell a denizen of the jungle how to get more out of their work team, by bringing more care to the workplace. Among the most confounding things about this messaging is how specific it is. It is reported that some great percentage of the medicinal plants in the Amazon, even those used to make modern medicines, were discovered by the people of the jungle, through Ayahuasca visions.

Anytime I doubt that the universe is stranger than we expect, I think of that. Some Western medication that is saving someone’s life somewhere, is thanks to the tripping vision of someone in the middle of the jungle, in the middle of the night.

Ayahuasca works differently than most other medicines because of the admixture. One of the qualities of the vine is that it is a strong MAO inhibitor. This is what inhibits metabolizing the DMT in the Chacruna leaf. It also inhibits the metabolizing of certain foods, so diet before and after is critical. Ayahuasca usually tastes very bitter and can be rough going down and the experience can include some intestinal distress or nausea.

So Ayahuasca, among many other things, gives us information about what is important for us and what will make life a more gratifying and connected experience. One thing Ayahuasca has in common with most other psychedelic medicines, is that it brings a message of Love. Love is at the center of everything. A thread that runs right through the middle of all that is.

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