The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
February 1, 1996
Charles S. Grob, Dennis J. Mckenna, J. C. Callaway et al.
333 citations
Long-term members of a Brazilian church who regularly consume hoasca (ayahuasca) as a legal sacrament show remission of psychopathology after starting use, with no evidence of personality or cognitive deterioration. Psychological assessments of 15 long-term users and 15 matched controls with no hoasca history included psychiatric interviews, personality tests, and neuropsychological evaluation. Users reported high functional status. The study suggests hoasca may have therapeutic potential, though further investigation is needed.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
June 1, 2005
Evelyn Doering-Silveira, Charles S Grob, Marlene Dobkin De Rios et al.
122 citations
Adolescents who use ayahuasca in a religious setting show similar lifetime drug use compared to those who never use it, but they consume significantly less alcohol. In the previous year, 46.31% of ayahuasca-using adolescents drank alcohol versus 74.4% of the comparison group; recent alcohol use was 32.5% versus 65.1%. The findings suggest religious affiliation may protect against alcohol use, and that early exposure to ayahuasca in a controlled ritual context does not lead to broader drug misuse.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
June 1, 2005
Dartiu Xavier Da Silveira, Charles S Grob, Marlene Dobkin De Rios et al.
111 citations
Adolescents who consume ayahuasca in a religious setting show lower rates of anxiety, body dysmorphic concerns, and attentional problems compared to matched controls, despite similar overall psychiatric profiles. The study compared 40 adolescents from a Brazilian ayahuasca sect with 40 controls matched on sex, age, and education. Screening scales for depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse, attentional problems, and body dysmorphic disorders found considerably lower positive scores for anxiety, body dysmorphism, and attentional problems among ayahuasca-using adolescents. These low frequencies may reflect a protective effect of religious affiliation, though further research on other variables is needed.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
June 1, 2005
Evelyn Doering-Silveira, Enrique Lopez, Charles S Grob et al.
70 citations
Adolescents who use ayahuasca in a religious context show no significant differences in neuropsychological performance compared to matched controls. A battery of tests measuring speeded attention, visual search, sequencing, psychomotor speed, verbal and visual abilities, memory, and mental flexibility found no impairment among ayahuasca users. The groups were matched for sex, age, and education. Statistical comparisons using independent t-tests indicated no significant differences on any measure. The authors suggest further studies are needed to confirm these findings.