New Ayahuasca Study Reveals Its Psychological Benefits

A NEW TREATMENT FOR MENTAL ILLNESS AND ALCOHOL ABUSE COULD BE ON THE CARDS, A NEW STUDY REVEALS, IN THE FORM OF A PSYCHEDELIC PLANT BREW CALLED AYAHUASCA.

In a new study published in the journal of Scientific Reports, researchers at University of Exeter and University College London reported that people who used ayahuasca in the past year reported lower levels of problematic alcohol use than those who had taken LSD or psilocybin mushrooms. Ayahuasca users also reported higher levels of well-being than both their psychedelic-using peers and those who don’t use psychedelics at all.

This new published piece of research on ayahuasca is the largest and most authoritative piece study on this matter to date. The findings suggest this “Shaman’s Brew” might also offer a treatment for depression.

Ayahuasca is an Amazonian plant mixture that is capable of inducing altered states of consciousness, usually lasting between 4 to 8 hours after ingestion. Ranging from mildly stimulating to extremely visionary, ayahuasca is used primarily as a medicine and as a shamanic means of communication, typically in a ceremonial session under the guidance of an experienced drinker.

The main ingredient of this jungle tea is a vine, Banisteriopsis caapi, which like the tea itself is also called ayahuasca (which means ‘vine of the soul’ or ‘vine with a soul’). The secondary ingredient is either chacruna (Psychotria viridis) or chagropanga (Diplopterys cabrerana), plants that contain a relatively high amount of the psychedelic substance DMT.

Researchers used an online Global Drug Survey data of over 96,000 participants which measured the Personal Wellbeing Index (a tool used by researchers around the world which examines things such as personal relationships, connection with the community, and a sense of achievement.

Of the respondents, 527 were ayahuasca users, 18,138 LSD or psilocybin mushrooms users, and 78, 236 did not take any psychedelic drugs.

“These findings lend some support to the notion that ayahuasca could be an important and powerful tool in treating depression and alcohol use disorders,” said lead author Will Lawn, Ph.D., of University College London, in a statement.

"Recent research has demonstrated ayahuasca's potential as a psychiatric medicine, and our current study provides further evidence that it may be a safe and promising treatment.”

This new paper doesn’t include any new experimental results, rather it compiles survey results in a way that provides more evidence that ayahuasca could potentially be therapeutic for people suffering from mental health issues.
Researchers also wrote that long-term ayahuasca use does not seem to negatively affect cognitive abilities, and it isn’t associated with addictive use or worsening mental health issues.

“Several observational studies have examined the long-term effects of regular ayahuasca use in the religious context.”

“In this work, long-term ayahuasca use has not been found to impact on cognitive ability, produce addiction or worsen mental health problems.”

“In fact, some of these observational studies suggest that ayahuasca use is associated with less problematic alcohol and drug use, and better mental health and cognitive functioning,” wrote the researchers.

The researchers do note that ayahuasca users, as well as their mushroom- and LSD-using peers, report higher rates of lifetime mental illness. But there’s not enough evidence to say whether psychedelics worsened these issues or whether people sought psychedelics for relief from mental health issues.