Doing psychedelics is so hot right now. From the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times and the Washington Post to social-media health icons and that wealthy uncle with a later-life crisis, more people are talking about expanding their minds with psychoactive substances than perhaps at any other time in modern history. More to the point, these folks aren’t interested in getting high; instead, they are seeking the reported mental-health benefits of using psilocybin (think magic mushrooms), MDMA (think ecstasy), LSD (think acid), kambo (the poison of the giant monkey frog), and ayahuasca under the care of a trained guide or therapist. The party line on psychedelics is no longer “Tune in, turn on, and drop out.” Now it’s something along the lines of “Tune in, turn on, and become more productive and creative while suffering from less anxiety, depression, and existential dread.”
Arguably the most potent — and mysterious — of these substances is ayahuasca, a sacred tea popular with the indigenous people of the Amazon Basin. It is a powerful medicine in many shamanistic cultures, painstakingly brewed from a combination of macerated Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the chacruna shrub. And while it has been a critical part of life in parts of South America for centuries, it has only recently gained mainstream recognition here in the United States.
At this point, the amount of anecdotal evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca and other entheogens is staggering. From war veterans with PTSD and terminal cancer patients with fear of dying to opiate addicts and lifelong sufferers of depression, there is no shortage of positive testimonials from folks who have taken their healing beyond the boundaries of Western medicine. Unfortunately, when it comes to actual trial-based evidence that supports these success stories, there is virtually none.