MADRE MEDICINA

AYAHUASCA

What is Ayahuasca?

ORIGINS

Though Ayahuasca was traditionally used for religious and spiritual purposes by specific populations, she has become popular worldwide among those who seek a way to open their minds, heal from past traumas, or simply experience an utterly magical romp through the cosmos.

It’s strongly recommended that Ayahuasca only be taken when supervised by an experienced shaman, as those who take it need to be looked after carefully—an Ayahuasca trip leads to an altered state of consciousness that lasts for many hours and can challenge you in ways you could never imagine. The rewards, however, are just as expansive and magical.

About Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca — also known as the tea, the vine, and la purga — is a brew made from the leaves of the Psychotria Viridis shrub along with the stalks of the Banisteriopsis Caapi vine,.

This drink was used for spiritual and religious purposes by ancient Amazonian tribes and is still used as a sacred beverage by some religious communities in Brazil and North America, including the Santo Daime.

Traditionally, a shaman or curandero — an experienced healer who leads Ayahuasca ceremonies — prepares the brew by boiling torn leaves of the Psychotria viridis shrub and stalks of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine in water.

Her super powers as a plant spirit lie in this limitless and omnipotent capacity she holds to take us both to the depths of our psyches, and to the nether-regions of the multiverse. She is the medicine of duality, in that there isn’t a corner of this experience she can’t fling us into with unrelenting glee. She is also the medicine of multi-dimensional travel. Perhaps it’s fair to think of her as the queen of interdimensional frolicking—both external, and internal. She is a denizen of the multiverse, and she stokes our awareness of our multidimensional selves.

Whatever we are hiding from, hurts us. Whatever we are conscious of, can be healed. This is her most powerful gift to humankind. The fact that she does this with undeniable bursts of enthusiastic joy makes it either uber-insulting or terrifically entertaining, depending on your mood. She is not a healer, she is an expander of consciousness, and she is changing the collective consciousness for the better each and every day.