Entheogens ayahuasca is a brew that is traditionally made in the Loreto region of Peru. It contains several entheogenic plant extracts that are born in South American countries. Plant extracts from Psychotria viridis shrubs, Banisteriopsis caapi vines, and many other varieties of plants are part of the entheogens ayahuasca. Another similar brew is popular in other Western countries. While people think that it is the authentic entheogen ayahuasca, it is just a chemical preparation called pharmahuasca. People of the Amazon Basin use this brew for medicinal purposes, and it is also a part of several indigenous ceremonies.
As the brew is popular amongst cultures of several communities living in South America, it has different names in different parts. For instance, tribes of Brazil call it Banisteriopsis caapi while those living in the Andean states like Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, etc. call it ayahuasca. In Brazil, people make the brew by adding a special woody vine called Liana to the entheogenic plant extracts.
History
In 2010, excavators discovered a cave in Southwestern Bolivia where they found bundles of organic, plant-based substances. When scientists examined the bundles, they found that it contained residues of the ayahuasca brew along with some entheogenic plant extracts. With further investigation, historians concluded that the cave was built in 1000 A. D., suggesting that the entheogen ayahuasca brew recipe is thousands of years old.
There are mentions of the ayahuasca brew in the accounts of some Christian missionaries from Spain. When some of them went to the Amazon forest region in South America in the 16th century, the natives served the ayahuasca brew. In their accounts, the missionaries described the brew as the ‘work of the devil’. It was probably because the entheogenic plant extracts have mild psychostimulants and thus, produce intoxication.
In the 20th century, some researchers examined the components of the ayahuasca brew and discovered a unique chemical in it, which they named telepathine. Later, the chemical was isolated from the plant extracts that the tribes used to prepare the brew. Being a mild psychostimulant, the chemical became a part of several medications for managing opioid addiction in the early phase of a treatment.
Uses and Medicinal Benefits
The tribes of the Uraina and Peruvian parts of the Amazon forest use the brew in their spiritual practice. The people prepare the brew on special occasions in which they preach the cosmological and philosophical beliefs of Shamanism.
The entheogen ayahuasca brew stimulates the auditory and visual sensations. Therefore, it produces excitation and elation in the body. It is the reason why a diluted form of the brew, mixed with some other components is used to prepare vapes for anxiety
As the brew became popular in Europe in the 20th Century, Churches became apprehensive of its impact on society. Thus, the courts ordered a ban on the traditional ayahuasca brew. However, they permitted people to use the alkaloids present in the brew separately. These alkaloids are used today to make CBD oils.
Conclusion
The ayahuasca brew is a crucial part of South American culture. The oral accounts of tribes in Peru suggest that the tribals consumed the ayahuasca brew to attain enlightenment about the purpose of their life and the universe.