Two Reasons to Think Twice Before Taking Ayahuasca

Your life may be altered in the wrong ways

Medicine ceremonies commonly occur among alternative communities where I live in Hawaii.

During the ceremony, guided by a neo-shaman, people drink a psychoactive brew called “ayahuasca.” They often listen to live spiritual music played on guitars and djembe drums, enhanced by the sound of shakers, while entering mystical experiences.

The effects of the psychoactive beverage can last for hours. Often ceremonies begin in the evening. Participants are typically given additional doses at spaced intervals throughout the ceremony making for an all-night experience.

Ayahuasca has been traditionally used for spiritual and healing purposes by indigenous people in Brazil, Peru, Columbia, and Ecuador.

Its use has now spread across North America and Europe.

Many people gain deep spiritual insights from the use of ayahuasca also known as plant medicine. Some find psychological healing as well.

But not every ayahuasca experience is a pleasant trip. Ayahuasca combined with the wrong medications or medical conditions can even be deadly. Let’s look at why.

Ayahuasca Can Be Risky

In addition to DMT, its psychoactive component, the Ayahuasca brew contains substances that act as MAO inhibitors (MAOIs). MAO stands for an enzyme called “monoamine oxidase.” The MAOIs slow the breakdown of DMT so it produces a hallucinogenic effect.

According to the Mayo Clinic, MAOIs were the first form of anti-depressant prescription drugs. In time, they were replaced by safer drugs with fewer side effects.

MAOIs prevent the removal of neurotransmitters norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine from the brain. The Mayo Clinic explains why mixing MAOIs with certain foods or drugs can cause serious problems:

“MAOIs can cause dangerous interactions with certain foods and beverages. You’ll need to avoid foods containing high levels of tyramine — an amino acid that regulates blood pressure — such as aged cheeses, sauerkraut, cured meats, draft beer and fermented soy products (for example, soy sauce, miso, and tofu). The interaction of tyramine with MAOIs can cause dangerously high blood pressure.”—The Mayo Clinic

Classical shamans and well-trained neo-shamans recommend a special diet for some days before the start of a medicine ceremony.

But can you count on receiving the right diet advice and will it be a low-tyramine diet? Inspired by their journeys, people sometimes step up to lead ayahuasca ceremonies without adequate training. They may not offer the best and safest preparation for a plant medicine journey.

Participants may also blow off the dietary recommendations, unaware of the potential dangers of mixing the wrong foods with ayahuasca. Who wants to give up draft beer and aged cheeses for a week or two?

In rare cases, an MAOI can also trigger serotonin syndrome:

“Rarely, an MAOI can cause dangerously high levels of serotonin, known as serotonin syndrome. It most often occurs when two medications that raise serotonin are combined. These include, for example, other antidepressants, certain pain or headache medications, and the herbal supplement St. John’s Wort.”—the Mayo Clinic

Serotonin syndrome can be fatal.

My own experience with ayahuasca highlights these potential problems.

I had positive experiences on the rare occasions I took psychedelics as a young adult. Later in life, I became extremely sensitive to various foods, drugs, and toxins, making me hesitant to smoke, snort, or swallow any type of recreational drug.

However, I learned a lot about ayahuasca while living in Hawaii due to friends who regularly participated in ceremonies. I visited during preparation periods where giant vats of the brew bubbled away. I watched aspirants vigorously pound vines while singing spiritual hymns while others sorted leaves.

I never felt tempted to try this plant medicine myself. But one day, I can see looking back, I wanted to repair a close friendship. I thought a good way to do so would be to engage in an activity he favored—drinking ayahuasca.

When the time came, knowing my general degree of sensitivity, I took a very small dose. It turned out to still be too much for me.

It wasn’t long before I began to see fascinating visual patterns, characteristic of ayahuasca use. Around the same time, I felt numbness in my upper right arm. My heart began to beat too fast.

People typically sit up at ayahuasca ceremonies or dance and sing spiritual hymns. I could no longer hold myself up in a seated position. When it came time to vomit (a typical response to ayahuasca), I crawled to the bathroom.

The heart palpitations were not a good sign. But I didn’t feel they required medical attention. As long as my symptoms didn’t worsen, I knew the palpitations would dissipate as the plant medicine wore off.

A single dose of ayahuasca typically peaks at two hours and the effects last around six hours. I just had to wait it out.

I felt anxious and uncomfortable listening to my heart pound combined with a general sense of disorientation and moving visual images induced by the brew. I decided to observe my experiences like I was in a session of mindfulness meditation, which helped modulate the fear.

Now and then, my anxiety would break through and I’d ask, “How much longer?” Then I would return my attention to the moment to calm myself again.

As it turns out, I was more trouble to my friend, who had to watch over me, than a perfect mystical partner.

I was fortunate. My side effects were uncomfortable but manageable. Thankfully, I hadn’t taken a regular-size dose.

This example from a woman named Lyndsey Anne illustrates the side effects of ayahuasca partnered with the wrong medications or medical conditions illustrates how the results can be frightening:

“I have a rare cardiac condition that affects the muscle cells of the heart and causes arrhythmia. This was unmasked during ayahuasca. The worst part of the trip was the physical symptoms and being unable to seek medical attention. That brought up terror which altered the psychedelic experience.”

Ayahuasca can produce serious side effects and has at times been deadly when paired with the wrong compounds.

If you plan to attend an ayahuasca ceremony, do your research, and be aware of the brew’s interactions with other substances. Know your vulnerabilities.

As it turns out, I have an MAO-A gene mutation, which may already reduce monoamine oxidase A activity. That might account for my hyper-sensitivity to ayahuasca. These days, I get intense head pain and visual disturbances from eating a small banana, a high-tyramine food.

That’s the first reason to think twice before taking ayahuasca.

Unpleasant Experiences

Although some people experience euphoria after drinking ayahuasca, unicorns and rainbows are not guaranteed.

Many people experience common side effects from ayahuasca like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, paranoia, and panic. These responses to the substance are considered normal and temporary but can be very unpleasant

A well-trained neo-shaman can guide and calm an individual through these experiences. But you might still find them highly distressing.

Some people decide that the physical discomfort and psychological stress that can come from drinking ayahuasca make it not worth taking again.

Everyone responds to the brew differently.

That’s the second reason to think twice before taking ayahuasca

My Spiritual Take

The plant medicine ayahuasca has been used by indigenous people in Brazil, Peru, Columbia, and Ecuador for spiritual and healing purposes.

The use of ayahuasca has now been adopted by people all over Europe and North America, where it remains an illegal substance in most countries.

I’m not encouraging you to take an illegal psychoactive substance. But since many feel tempted by the idea, it’s important to know its potential side effects.

A plant medicine journey can be an amazing, insightful spiritual experience and a life-changing adventure. It can lead to psychological healing as well. My intention is not to discourage you but rather to encourage you to be well-prepared.

On the flip side, ayahuasca can spark uncomfortable and on rare occasions, deadly symptoms for certain individuals because it contains MAO inhibitors. This can happen when the brew is combined with certain prescription medications, supplements, and/or high-tyramine foods or if the person who takes it has specific medical conditions.

Be responsible to yourself. Do your research and know your vulnerabilities before taking a psychoactive drug like ayahuasca.

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