Ayahuasca & Health Precautions
Ayahuasca vine cuts cooked with Chacruna leaves to prepare the sacred medicine
Photo Credit: Francesco Sammarco
Not everybody may drink the sacred brew of the Amazonian shamans…
People affected by chronic heart conditions, severe high blood pressure, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, suicidal tendencies – as well as other psychiatric/dissociative conditions – must not take Ayahuasca and may not be accepted in our centre. Those under treatment with anti-depressant drugs like Prozac, Seroxat, Zoloft, Effexor, Paxil, Welbutrin (bupropion) – also sold under the trade name of Zyban as aid therapy to the urge to smoke – and similar, must not try Ayahuasca, unless their treatment has already ended – under medical guidance – for at least 6 weeks. Depending on length of administration, type of medication and individual response times, it may take up to 6-7 weeks for the system to clear from the prolonged use of certain anti-depressants pharmaceutical drugs. You are required to always inform your doctor and get professional medical advice on the potential risks involved in taking a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI), in conjunction with your medical prescriptions. The Ayahuasca concoction is a MAOI, albeit weaker than most pharmaceutical drugs available on the market today.
Those who are currently on – or have recently finished an – antibiotic therapy are equally required not to drink Ayahuasca to avoid potentially strong adverse reactions. Also, if taking phenylalanine, non prescription drugs like antihistamines, systemic vase-constrictors or decongestant – both natural (ephedrine) and synthetic formulations (pseudo-ephedrine and other similar formulations) – normally used in case of cold & flu, asthma inhalers, or drugs with high content of caffeine, please discontinue their use from at least a week before until a week after your Ayahuasca retreat.
Other medications non-compatible with Ayahuasca include: narcotics, sedatives, tranquillizers, antihypertensive agents (used to treat high blood pressure), analgesics like Meperidine, antiparkinson drugs (medicines used to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease) like Levopoda, drugs used to treat heart conditions, like Dopamine (brand name: Intropin), neurological prescriptions like Carbamazipine (a drug that eliminates seizures, but has also severe side effects), and sympathomimetic drugs (substances that mimic the effects of the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline) like amphetamine and tyrosine.
If you are a user of any substance – like dope, cocaine, heroine, crack, mescaline – or Phenethylamines (homologues of amphetamines), you must please inform us immediately. Most of these substances are, on top of been illegal, incompatible – at various degrees – with a safe taking of the Ayahuasca medicine. Equally, if you have any alcohol dependency, please inform us beforehand. Strictly, with no exceptions, people with diabetes must not drink the Ayahuasca medicine, as for the consequent sudden alteration in blood sugar levels that the taking of the brew may cause.
For the safety of all participants and personnel, we regret we are unable to accept guests carrying any infectious disease to any of our retreats.
If any of the above condition apply to you, please seek appropriate professional medical advice before contacting us. You are kindly reminded that the responsibility of taking accurate and timely health precautions – alongside professional medical advice – remains entirely with you. You are the exclusive agent responsible for the following of these precautions and the liability for any adverse effect that may result during the taking of the Ayahuasca medicine, in the contest of a retreat organized by El Mundo Magico, remains – with no exceptions – entirely with you.
This list of conditions incompatible with a safe taking of Ayahuasca is not exhaustive. Please ultimately refer to your Practioner for official and extensive professional medical advice. If any of the above conditions apply to you, first and foremost inform your doctor on the compatibility of your health status with MAO Inhibitors (which Ayahuasca – effectively – is), and then – upon favourable response from your doctor – us and our shaman of your conditions, to ascertain whether it would advisable or not for you to drink the Ayahuasca brew. Any disclosure re. your health status will kept in the strictest confidentiality. In certain cases, we may require a written letter from your Practioner, before accepting you on the retreat (being it Ayahuasca or Plant Diet retreat). Thank you for your co-operation.
Women in their menstrual cycle normally should have no problem with the intake of Ayahuasca, but again please refer ultimately to the shaman you will conduct your ritual with, for this matter. The way this is approached by our maestros in Ashi Meraya is that they will sing special protective icaros for those ladies who wish to partake to the Ayahuasca ceremonies. Pregnant women – however – may not take the Ayahuasca medicine, as for the risk of miscarriage.
Last but not least, please familiarize yourself with the information on recommendations and food to avoid for the Ayahuasca diet!!
Tags: ayahuasca, health, precautions
