What is Ayahuasca?

When we refer to Grandmother Ayahuasca, we are referring to the Master Plant Medicine originating from the Amazonian Jungle.

Legend has it that a tribe fell very ill and the Medicine Man from the tribe needed to find a cure for the people who were sick. He went into trance and Great Spirit spoke through the forest spirits and showed him the way to combine the Chacruna flower with the Ayahuasca vine to cure his tribe.

The Ayahuasca vine when ingested on its own does not cause a psychotropic effect. The only way to activate the psychedelic effects of the DMT (N-dimethyltryptamine) in Ayahuasca is by combining the Chacruna flower with it, which allows the digestion of the DMT to activate in your brain. These two plants live on opposite ends of the forest and the Medicine Man was shown where to find them and how to brew them together.

This Master Plant Medicine holds potent energy not only from the psychedelic effect, but more importantly, from the strong connection she has to the Great Spirit for this reason.

What are the Effects of Ayahuasca?

Grandmother Ayahuasca is a powerful psychoactive liquid that is consumed for the spiritual healing of mind, body and consciousness. When consuming the powerful healing brew, one may experience intense psychedelic visualizations, but is not always the case, nor the goal of a healing ceremony with Grandmother Ayahuasca. Every ceremony is different for each person, and what one may experience one time with Ayahuasca, may have a complete different experience the next time working with this Sacred Medicine.

The healing effects of Grandmother Ayahuasca are felt when the medicine helps the individual ‘get well,’ meaning to purge out of the body and mind all that no longer serves them. The healing process may come in different ways, but a typical experiences may come in the form of intense emesis, defecation, sweating - hyperhidrosis, involuntary tremors, yawning, and emotional releases - such as crying, laughing, yelling, and acknowledging your feelings.

The process of getting well with Grandmother Ayahuasca while in ceremony is not an easy process and this is where set, setting and guidance play a large role in your healing experience. The set refers to your mindset and the setting is the physical and social aspects to the healing experience, and the guidance is the leader/healer that is holding the space for the work to be done with Grandmother Ayahuasca. It is very important to feel safe with all three aspects so that the effects of Ayahuasca can deeply work through your mind, body and spirit to bring about the best experience for your healing.

Benefits of Ayahuasca

According to current research, which can be found on PubMed, shows that Ayahuasca may provide protective properties to the body’s neurological system. Some benefits that have been found is that Ayahuasca protects brain cells and stimulate neural cell growth. These findings suggest that the medicinal brew may also boost mood, improve mindfulness, and treat depression and addiction disorders.

A growing body of research-based evidence suggests that Ayahuasca may be useful to treat substance use disorders, anxiety and depression. The therapeutic potential that the Amazonian tea has indicates that its intake can increase mindfulness facets as it relates to one’s own ability to detach from one’s own thoughts and emotions. Thereby influencing the individual to enhance their own self-acceptance and providing a safe therapeutical tool to process one’s own emotions. Specifically, the research suggests that the treatment of Ayahuasca may help guide the healing process of trauma, along with impulse-related, personality and substance use disorders.

Reviewing several present-day studies, the research suggests that the therapeutical use of Ayahuasca may have positive effects for people suffering from anxiety, depression, general mental disorders, various habitual behaviors, and addictions. People report their experience after drinking the medicinal brew as having greater happiness, joy, freedom, eating healthier, and having more positivity in their life. As more research continues on the effects of Ayahuasca, currently, there appears to be very little side effects from the indigenous brew.

Many years of shamanic wisdom indicates that the wisdom gained by communing with the spirit of Ayahuasca opens up the library of information held in the plant consciousness of this sacred brew. The shamans in the Amazon were guided to find a solution to their tribes’ ailments by going into the forest and brewing this tea for the healing of their tribes. During the past couple decades, the shamans received communication that it is time to spread the medicine around the world, because humanity is suffering and Grandmother Ayahuasca is the Master Plant that can help the healing process of humanity.

How do I know if drinking Ayahuasca is for me?

In the world of Sacred Plant Medicine, you know you have ‘the calling’ to sit with Grandmother Ayahuasca when your soul is aroused with excitement, intrigue, and a bit of fear of what might happen if you were to drink this powerful Sacred Medicine. No one can ever tell you if drinking Ayahuasca is right for you. Only deep in your soul will you have a sense of wonder with the healing powers of Grandmother Ayahuasca.

Any Sacred Plant Medicine that you are meant to work with in this life will be calling your soul through subtle ways (and, sometimes, not so subtle ways). In the early 90’s the healers in the Amazon started receiving messages from Grandmother Ayahuasca that it was time that she left the Amazon to help the world heal. She knew the world needed her powerful healing and that not all those who are meant to work with her would travel to the Amazon to receive healing.

Grandmother Ayahuasca calls out to the souls that are in need of her wisdom, healing and blessings, just as, perhaps, your soul is calling out to her. Sacred Communion with Grandmother Ayahuasca is a two way street. Her loving, caring and compassionate energy is intrinsically connected with Universal Consciousness and the Sacred Balance and Harmony of the Universe. If you are meant to drink Grandmother Ayahuasca, Great Spirit will show you the way through divine synchronicities and serendipitous life experiences that will naturally bring you to the Sacred Medicine.

If you’re interested in learning about our upcoming Healing Retreats working with Sacred Plant Medicine, you can learn more here.