Americans on Ayahuasca

By Trisha McMillan

by Trisha McMillan

Ayahuasca is changing how we see our world. Over the past few decades, its use has spread beyond the confines of the jungle and come to the attention of Western culture.

mcmillanAyahuasca, the shamans say, has a message for us.
A casual description of the ayahuasca experience sometimes sounds like a thumbnail sketch of hell. Yet this Amazonian psychedelic medicinal tea has shown countless people how to conquer their fears and embrace love and life, coming away changed, happier, and more at ease with their lives.
Amazonian tribes have been in­gesting the brew ritually for millennia. In recent decades, Shamanic retreats catering to thousands of spiritual tourists seeking the aya­huasca ex­perience have sprung up through­out the Amazon basin and into Central America. Clearly, the world is beginning to pay attention.

This article was originally published on April 29, 2011.