The preparation involves the vine Banisteriopsis caapi and components of the Psychotria viridis plant.
The most significant effects of DMT are feelings of being separated from the body, experiencing an unearthly environment, encountering mystical or otherworldly beings, having an altered perception of time, feeling peace and joy, and having heightened senses.
Both DMT and ayahuasca can temporarily raise heart rate and increase blood pressure. Most users experience what is often described as a purging, which manifests as potentially intense vomiting and diarrhea.
Ayahuasca is considered a powerful psychedelic, and there's always the risk that people have a scary experience on psychedelic substances. Potentially negative effects include anxiety and fear are associated with the hallucinations.
The writer William S. Burroughs traveled to South America to experience the drug, investigate its "telepathic properties," and potentially treat addiction.
There are striking similarities between DMT trips and near-death experiences, which many people report are transformative, spiritually significant, and beneficial, according to a recently published study. Many say that they experience a sort of "death" on the drug, though this is often meant in a beneficial way.
In medical reviews, researchers have concluded that ayahuasca can help treat depression, and many use it to help treat substance use disorders, though more research on this is needed. Researchers don't believe people develop any tolerance to DMT, indicating there's not likely to be any risk of addiction.
People who take ayahuasca show increases in openness and optimism. They also show reduced activity in parts of the brain associated with depression and anxiety, and potentially even a reduction in parts of the brain associated with those conditions. Researchers have seen a similar effect with other psychedelics, which is why it's sometimes said that they "kill the ego," increasing connection to the surrounding world.
A study of poison control centers in the US concluded that most use seems to be safe and has "possible beneficial effects," but there have been a tiny fraction of people that have experienced cardiac arrest or seizures. Because the vine has effects on seratonin, there may be dangerous side effects for people using certain antidepressant medications.
Small studies show enhancements to creative thinking and psychological flexibility for people who take ayahuasca, which could also increase its therapeutic potential.
Researchers think there's good reason to be excited about the therapeutic possibilities of ayahuasca and other psychedelics. In the US, there's even legal use, in the context of religious ceremonies. But much more research on how ayahuasca and other psychedelics work is needed.
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