What is ayahuasca?

The term "ayahuasca" originates from a Quechua word commonly translated as "the vine of the dead" and is used to refer to both the main plant of the brew, the Amazonian vine Banisteriopsis caapi, and the brew itself.

Ayahuasca is a decoction made by combining the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, also known as the vine or "cipó," with the leaves of the Amazonian medicinal plant Psychotria viridis (chacruna). The latter contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a psychoactive alkaloid present in the brew, which becomes orally active due to the inhibition of monoamine oxidase (MAO) caused by the alkaloids harmine and harmaline in the vine. These alkaloids serve to extend and enhance the state of expanded consciousness. DMT is a psychoactive alkaloid naturally found in our brains and other mammalian tissues, contributing to the mechanism of sleep.

"There is a relationship between the masculine and the feminine in this brew. It's a vine, the 'cipó,' its masculine part, and it's the leaf of the chacruna, the shrub, which is the feminine part or, as the Ecuadorian 'taitas' call it, the part that paints. The vine is the one that teaches you, and the leaf is the one that paints the picture. One is the master, and the other is the one that draws. You experience the fractals, this and that, it touches you, and then the vine takes you and teaches you. Again, the leaf pulls you out and takes you, and when you manage to harmonize, you experience that explosion of consciousness and absolute love."

Extacts from ceremony openings.

Montevideo and Minas, 2022

Amazonian people consider ayahuasca a master and sacred plant. Its use dates back at least four thousand years and is part of their traditional medicine and employed in spiritual rituals.

In recent decades, this brew has transcended its original territories, and its use has expanded. Many people around the world approach it as a tool for personal, spiritual, or therapeutic development.

Benefits:

Ayahuasca has a profound impact on the physical, energetic, and psychic aspects of the body. It serves as a gateway to altered states of consciousness that allow a deeper understanding of reality, beyond ordinary circumstances. Numerous testimonials highlight personal benefits extending to one's immediate surroundings. Depending on the individual, the healing effects of this brew vary, including:

Promotes Psychological and Emotional Well-being: Supports personal development by providing clarity on everyday issues such as life direction, professional challenges, and relationship problems. Ayahuasca promotes harmony, and the people that takes it are perfectly integrated into their social, professional, and family environments, consecrating this brew for their personal and spiritual growth.

Purifying Effects: Ayahuasca helps maintain physical, emotional, and energetic cleanliness. Purifying effects may manifest as nausea, vomiting, yawning, or crying. This brew enables the body to rid itself of parasitic energies, facilitating the processing of emotional states and freeing the mind from neurotic thoughts. This allows individuals to view events, situations, and relationships with greater detachment.

Facilitates Confrontation with Emotionally or Psychologically Difficult Content: Activates brain areas related to episodic memory, perception, and emotion processing, leading to a healing and transformative process. Ayahuasca has shown positive results in grief management and may help treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

Antidepressant Effects: Clinical studies have demonstrated that ayahuasca aids in the treatment of depression. Many individuals who have undergone processes with ayahuasca at Sol de la Nueva Aurora attest to these effects.

Neuroprotective and Neurogenerative Properties: The presence of dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in the brew promotes neurogenesis and exhibits neuroprotective effects.

It is essential to clarify that the determination of the participant in the work is crucial for these benefits to occur. Adequate preparation, following recommendations for the days leading up to the ceremony, and an attitude during the ceremony that allows for the exploration of internal spaces beyond the usual are necessary. Deep personal transformation processes require a significant amount of work, time, and dedication. In some cases, it may be necessary to engage in a dialogue with the ceremony leader or a team member afterward to help integrate the lived experience.

"Ayahuasca is a brew created for the urgency of these times when one needs to turn inward, to that other frequency, that other manifestation that reveals who I am."