Welcome to Ayahuasca Info

This website is dedicated to a magical potion from the Amazon basin which is known as ayahuasca. Here you can find information on the different ingredients that are used to make this brew, the way it's used by indigenous people, and what you can expect when you take it yourself.

Traditionally this beverage contains a combination of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the leaves of the Psychotria viridis (or alternatively the Diplopterys cabrerana). It has now been determined what the active components of these ingredients are, and some people have used plants from other parts of the world to make similar herbal potions. You can read about this in the botany and chemistry pages.

The most important active component in ayahuasca as far as its visionary qualities are concerned is a substance called DMT (dimethyltryptamine). DMT has a powerful effect on consciousness that is difficult to describe in words. It's described by many as "spiritual", and is characterized by detailed, very bright and colourful visions. Indigenous people say that during their trance, which lasts approximately four hours, they enter the world of the spirits and communicate with them, while psychologists consider DMT to be one of the hallucinogens, or psychedelics: "substances which make the soul visible."

We invite you to explore this site, read the interviews and prepare yourself well before you decide to try this powerful potion yourself. In case you are completely new to ayahuasca, we recommend you start by reading the introduction.

News

August 25, 2010 - Ayahuasca in the news

The Washington Post published a piece titled ‘Peruvian hallucinogen ayahuasca draws tourists seeking transforming experience’and although it does not go very in-depth, it provides a good overview of why some people use the brew (for spiritual purposes instead of recreational use) and how the ayahuasca tourism contributes to a Peruvian village.

The folks over at RS posted an excerpt from the new book ‘Fishers of Men: The Gospel of an Ayahuasca Vision Quest’. In this book, author Elenbaas describes his experiences with ayahuasca, and the impact it has on his life in the years that follow. Click here to read more.

July 13, 2010 - CelebStoner reviews ‘Ayahuasca in my Blood’

Stoner website ‘CelebStoner’ put up a review of Peter Gorman’s book ‘Ayahuasca in My Blood’. An excerpt:

Ayahuasca in My Blood is a long, strange trip. Gorman repeatedly gulps the brew as he searches for answers to problems in his life. How can he make Chepa love him again? Can he help save his mother-in-law, who has cancer? What can he do about his alcohol habit?

Under the influence, Gorman transforms into a snake and explores. He flies from place to place and period to period in his life like he's in a time machine. All the while Julio gently guides him and the others during their psychedelic voyages. Gorman's descriptions are vivid. You fly right along with him as he searches for answers and fights off demons and evil spirits. Finally, he passes one of Julio's big tests and becomes a shaman himself.

A 68-page preview of 'Ayahuasca in My Blood' is available on Google Books. For more books related to ayahuasca, see our Books section.

-

To read previous articles on ayahuasca go to the news page.

New experiences

August 6, 2010
Most profound experience of my life
"I began to feel the effects of the ayahuma medicine. It was very strong and my visions became so incredibly intense it was as if there was a 10,000 watt bulb projecting a psychedelic light show throughout the entire forest. I could no longer see the maloca, the floor, or anyone else in the ceremony, even though my eyes were wide open. I could only see this intensely bright display of intricate designs. I looked to the left and to the right, up and down, and they were everywhere. I was no longer in the ceremony, I was floating in a dimension of light patterns constantly moving. It was infinite and seemed enormous, with the designs being some distance from me."

To read this and other reports, visit our experience section. We would like to expand our experience database. For this we need your help! Please share your ayahuasca experience(s) by writing a report. Contact us here. Thanks!