What is Ayahuasca? It is an Amazonian plant mixture capable of inducing altered states of consciousness, which last usually between 4 to 8 hours after ingestion. Ayahuasca is brewed into a tea and used as a medicine by shamans or medicine men to communicate with nature or see what is causing a patient’s illness on a spiritual level. In the past few decades, Ayahuasca has gained interest from Western society as well, and recently has become one of the more popular hallucinogens. Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is the primary mind altering ingredient in Ayahuasca.
Effects of Ayahuasca
The main negative effects of Ayahuasca include:
- Intense hallucinations
- Dizziness
- Agitation
- Profuse sweating
- Tremors
- Increased blood pressure
- Higher heart rate
- Vomiting.
The drug can also have positive effects like mood lifts, emotional healing and feelings of love and empathy. Studies have shown that Ayahuasca can bring wonderful impacts to the user’s mind and spirits as well as the body. Some other effects which are more neutral in impact are sedation, seeing visions, hearing meaningless noises and an altered sense of space and time.
The immediate effects of Ayahuasca can be felt approximately 20 to 60 minutes after ingestion. The intoxication lasts for up to 8 hours.
The Dangers of Ayahuasca
Yes, Ayahuasca can be dangerous, especially with abuse. However even using it one time can be problematic. It is a hallucinogen, and like all hallucinogens it alters a user’s perception and state of mind and can create severe effects, leading to accidental fatalities, homicides or suicide.
Additionally, there is not much information on Ayahuasca. It’s long term effects are unknown. There is not enough research on the drug to know whether or not it will cause addiction. Also, Ayahuasca causes severe vomiting, possibly damaging the user’s body.
The most dangerous thing is that there is no regulation of Ayahuasca, and it is mostly taken by people who visit an Ayahuasca ceremony, either within the US or abroad. There is no saying what other drugs or chemicals might be in the Ayahuasca brewed tea, and there is no single recipe to brew this tea.
A user who takes Ayahuasca without supervision has no idea how much to take or how to prepare it to be safe. There are many tales of users who have died after taking Ayahuasca. Some of them are due to additional substances in the tea preparation, and some are due to the visions caused by the hallucinations which can lead to accidents.
Finally, Ayahuasca can have extreme negative effects if taken with a prescription drug, especially antidepressants.
Ayahuasca use can have unknown severe effects. If you are looking for more information, call The Villa and we will help you.