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Ayahuasca: A New Approach to Western

Medicine
by Jeff Roberts

Depression, anxiety, and addiction are among

the most common illnesses that plague the
western world today. It seems that every second
person is either taking some form of antidepressant or self-medicating themselves with
alcohol or recreational drugs. This occurrence
can be viewed in all age groups; the idea of
escaping problems using the common vices
previously mentioned. It seems as though our
overall health and well-being are no longer in the
interests of the health care system, when a
person of any age can walk into a doctors office
and attain a prescription to antidepressants. Its time to take a step back to look inside ourselves
to find out where these issues are coming from. Are any of these substances or so called
medications serving us, or allowing us to find peace within ourselves? For centuries ancient
cultures from around the world have taken the naturopathic approach to healing their ailments,
and its this concept of utilizing nature that western society has moved away from that might be
one of our biggest downfalls. Deep within the Amazonian jungles, a traditional plant based
medicine called ayahuasca has been used throughout their cultures history to cure any known
illnesses. In recent years, this form of medicine has found its way to North American culture, and
is gaining widespread attention from many medical professionals.
So

what

is

ayahuasca?
Traditionally, it is a
tea or brew made
from

the

combination of the
vines and leaves of
certain plants from
the

Amazonian

jungle. This tea is

brewed by what is
described

as

shaman. Shamans
are considered the
medicinal doctors of
the native cultures in
South

America.

These people are said to have the ability to communicate with the spirit world, and during an
ayahuasca ceremony the shaman uses these abilities to help the participants through their

journey with the plant medicine. It is unknown how long these ancient cultures have been using
this alternative form of medicine. The first recorded usage of ayahuasca in western society was
made in 1851 by a famous European scientist named Richard Spruce. Archaeological evidence
suggests that native plant use dates back thousands of years.
Ayahuasca is considered a sacred practice by the natives of South America, and the tea is usually
ingested in a group setting using a ceremonial approach. The ceremony is led by the Shaman,
and the participants usually include people from all walks of life. Academic researchers have
taken interest in this sacred practice in recent years, exploring the idea of using ayahuasca to
treat depression, anxiety, or even drug addiction. These scientists are finding their way to the
amazon to take part in these ceremonies to expand their own awareness of foreign medicine in
hopes to take what they have learned back to America. National Geographic has written articles
on the plant based medicine; even David Suzuki has explored the idea in his CBC program The
Nature of Things. It is clear that the North American science community is beginning to realize
that our current approach to therapy is no longer serving the masses.
So you may be wondering what an ayahuasca experience
entails? Usually a participant agrees to take part in an
ayahuasca ceremony because there are either physical or
emotional issues that need to be dealt with, or sometimes
the intent behind participating can simply be to attain
knowledge of self. These mental issues can vary from
traumas such as abuse, depression in the teenage or
adult years, drug and alcohol addictions, and so on and so
forth. The participant is required to go on a strict diet,
called a dieta, the week before their experience. This
cleanse allows for the body to rid itself of dangerous
toxins that may interfere with the effects of ayahuasca, and it also allows for the mind to be clear
and ready for what the medicine will teach its user. Traditionally, the ceremony will take place
within the amazon, although it is becoming common for trained shamans to travel to Canada or
the United States, bringing the medicine to local communities for people who are not able to
commute. The brew is usually taken after the Sun has set, and so the group of participants meet
beforehand to introduce themselves to the rest of the party and to the shaman leading the
ceremony. Once settled in, the ceremony commences as one by one each person drinks the
amount of ayahuasca decided by the shaman that will be necessary for their healing journey.
After the participant has drunk the ayahuasca, they return to their bed and begin their solitary
meditation for the rest of the evening. Ayahuasca brings its user into an altered state of
consciousness, which can seem frightening at first, however the shaman and other helpers are
there to guide and aid people if they are going through a difficult experience. Its through this
altered state of consciousness that the ayahuasca users become aware of mental or emotional
traumas that have been affecting them at a subconscious level, whether it is abuse, substance
addiction or so on. It is said that when someone takes ayahuasca, the spirit of the plant manifests
through the guide of the shaman, and it is this spirit who helps teach and heal the participants
throughout the ceremony. The ayahuasca ceremony can bring up difficult experiences, and it is
common that when someone is dealing with a difficult memory that in order to heal they will
expel bad energies in the form of purging, crying, yawning, or even defecating. The more difficult
experience a person goes through, the more they are healing and shedding themselves of the

ghosts of their past. During the ceremony, the shaman may feel that someone needs personal
attention, and can do one-on-one healing work with that person. In the tradition of the ayahuasca
culture, the shamans will chant sacred hymns throughout the ceremony to guide the participants
through their journey, which can last anywhere from 2-6 hours. After the effects of the plant
medicine have worn off, the patient is usually exhausted and will need to sleep; it is in the
following day and days to come that they will feel like a new person, having shed any
unnecessary emotional and physical weight that they have been carrying. The participant carries
with them a new level of awareness that has ultimately changed their life forever. It is said that
the amount of healing one can gain through only a few nights of drinking ayahuasca is equivalent
to the amount of healing one would receive from years of psychotherapy.
What has happened to North American culture that has made us think that we are separate from
nature? What has caused us to think that synthetically created drugs or alcohol can solve our
problems? These are important questions which must begin to be addressed during this time.
Stats Canada states that 8 % of Canadian adults suffer from depression. The pharmaceutical
industry brings in billions of dollars a year, and the alcohol industry is not far behind that number.
Perhaps the indigenous cultures that recognize that we are a part of nature, and who understand
that nature has the ability to restore our health and well-being, are more ahead of the game than
we know. Western society is now beginning to explore the concept of alternative medicine and is
starting to accept that the way in which we are dealing with illnesses are no longer serving the
masses. With these new alternatives such as ayahuasca being utilized, perhaps we are on the
brink of a new era of health empowerment and a new era of self-awareness like never seen
before.
*Most of the ceremonial information from this article comes from my own experiences with
ayahuasca.
References:
1.)

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cd-mc/mi-mm/depression-eng.php

2.)

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/lsg-pdsv.nsf/eng/h_hn01703.html

3.)

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02860772?LI=true

4.)

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163725804000464