Current Drug Abuse Reviews
June 1, 2013
Gerald Thomas, Philippe Lucas, N. Rielle Capler et al.
327 citations
Ayahuasca-assisted therapy was linked to meaningful improvements in factors related to problematic substance use among a rural aboriginal population. The observed changes suggest positive psychological and behavioral shifts, indicating that this therapeutic approach merits further, more rigorous investigation.
International Journal of Drug Policy
December 5, 2006
Kenneth W. Tupper
207 citations
Ayahuasca, a tea made from Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis containing harmala alkaloids and dimethyltryptamine, has been used by indigenous peoples in Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru for medicinal, spiritual, and cultural purposes since pre-Columbian times. In the 20th century, it spread beyond its native habitat into syncretistic practices adopted by non-indigenous people in Western contexts. Its globalization has led to legal cases pitting religious freedom against national drug control laws. This paper explores philosophical and policy implications of contemporary ayahuasca use, addressing its social construction as a medicine, sacrament, and "plant teacher," and examining harm reduction alongside "benefit maximization."
Canadian Medical Association Journal
September 8, 2015
Kenneth W. Tupper, Evan Wood, Richard Yensen et al.
189 citations
Clinical research worldwide is again investigating psychedelic substances as treatments for addiction, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This renewed interest follows a period of research that ran from the 1950s until it was terminated, and the abstract indicates that current studies are exploring these substances' therapeutic potential for those conditions.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
September 12, 2017
Adele Lafrance, Anja Loizaga-Velder, Jenna Fletcher et al.
126 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychoactive plant-based tea used by Amazonian indigenous groups, may help heal eating disorders (EDs). In interviews with 16 people previously diagnosed with an ED, those who drank ayahuasca in a ceremonial setting reported reduced or stopped ED and mental health symptoms, shifts in body perception, and valued the ceremonial context and after-care. The preparatory diet sometimes triggered familiar concerns, but the ayahuasca purge did not trigger ED behaviors. The findings suggest ayahuasca warrants further research as a treatment for EDs.
Global Networks
December 9, 2008
Kenneth W. Tupper
107 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychoactive Amazonian indigenous brew traditionally used as an entheogen for spiritual and healing purposes, has globalized since the late twentieth century through new Brazilian religious movements and commodified cross-cultural vegetalismo rituals for non-indigenous participants. This article explores the rise of such rituals beyond the Amazon, examining philosophical and political concerns including the status of traditional indigenous knowledge, cultural appropriation, and intellectual property. It discusses a United States patent dispute and allegations of biopiracy related to ayahuasca, concluding with reflections on the future of ayahuasca drinking as a transnational sociological phenomenon.
Drug and Alcohol Review
September 5, 2019
Elena Argento, Rielle Capler, Gerald Thomas et al.
98 citations
Ayahuasca-assisted therapy helped Indigenous community members in Canada reduce substance use and cravings, with eight of eleven participants completely stopping at least one substance by six months after retreats. The therapy differed from conventional treatments by helping participants identify negative thought patterns and barriers related to addiction. Increased connectedness with self, others, and nature or spirit was described as a key element associated with reduced substance use and cravings. These qualitative findings expand on prior quantitative results and suggest that ayahuasca-assisted therapy may offer benefits for addressing problematic substance use where conventional treatments have limited efficacy.
Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l éducation
January 1, 2002
Kenneth W. Tupper
75 citations
Entheogens—psychoactive plants used as spiritual sacraments, such as ayahuasca, psilocybin mushrooms, peyote, and the Indo-Aryan soma—have been revered across cultures as tools for deepening cosmological understanding. In light of recent drug-law liberalizations, the author uses Gardner's revised multiple intelligence theory, specifically the postulated 'existential' intelligence, as a framework to explore how these substances might facilitate existential intelligence. The work examines potential cognitive benefits and educational ramifications, arguing that entheogens can serve as spiritual or cognitive tools for individuals and cultures.
BMJ Open
September 1, 2017
Elena Argento, Steffanie A. Strathdee, Kenneth W. Tupper et al.
60 citations
Among marginalised women in Vancouver, those who had ever used a psychedelic drug showed a 60% lower hazard of developing suicidal ideation or attempts over 54 months, after adjusting for other factors. Crystal methamphetamine use tripled the hazard, and childhood abuse more than tripled it. Nearly half of the 766 women had prior suicidality and were excluded; among the 290 without it at baseline, 11% developed suicidality during follow-up, an incidence of 4.42 per 100 person-years. The findings suggest naturalistic psychedelic use may have a protective association, while other illicit drug use and childhood trauma increase risk.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
January 9, 2015
Kenneth W. Tupper, Beatriz Caiuby Labate
47 citations
Ayahuasca and other psychedelics are studied across medicine, health, and human sciences, but their multiple ontological representations—as plant teacher, traditional medicine, religious sacrament, material commodity, cognitive tool, or illicit drug—shape how they are understood as objects of inquiry. Early modern European empiricism and experimental philosophy later gave way to dogmatism that politically suppressed academic psychedelic research. Epistemological issues arise from indigenous and mestizo concepts like "plant teacher" and the instrumental notion of psychedelics as "cognitive tools," raising questions about whether scientists studying ayahuasca should have personal experience with it and how that affects objectivity. The politics of psychedelic research and impediments to academic knowledge production are also considered.
J Anal Toxicol
July 1, 2006
J.C. Callaway, Charles S. Grob, Dennis J. Mckenna et al.
33 citations
A published case report about someone ingesting 5-MeO-DMT in an ayahuasca preparation contained unclear or ambiguous details, prompting a call for greater clarity and precision in such scientific accounts. The authors argue that accurate reporting is essential for understanding risks, ensuring public safety, and supporting harm reduction in the context of psychoactive substances.
Int J Drug Policy
March 27, 2012
Brian T. Anderson, Beatriz C. Labate, Matthew Meyer et al.
26 citations
No Summary
International Journal of Drug Policy
February 10, 2019
Elena Argento, Kenneth W. Tupper, M. Eugenia Socias
17 citations
The contamination of the drug supply with illicitly manufactured fentanyl and related analogs in North America has caused the most severe drug-overdose crisis in history. Available pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder has had limited success, and evidence highlights the need for interventions targeting social-structural drivers. Re-emerging clinical research suggests psychedelic-assisted therapy has potential as an alternative treatment for refractory substance use disorders and related comorbidities. The authors support advancing research on psychedelic-assisted therapy within a multifaceted response to the opioid crisis.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
September 1, 2019
Avery Sapoznikow, Zachary Walsh, Kenneth W. Tupper et al.
8 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychedelic brew used for centuries in the Amazon and now internationally, produces different subjective experiences depending on the context of use. Analyzing online reports, ceremonial settings that incorporate traditional Amazonian elements emphasize emotional and motivational features, while psychonautic use without such rituals highlights cognitive processes. The findings suggest that beneficial effects of ayahuasca may stem from affective processing and integration, implying that cross-cultural ceremonial use may offer advantages over psychonautic use, underscoring the importance of context in psychedelic experiences.
Open Collections
January 1, 2011
Kenneth W. Tupper
8 citations
A critical policy analysis of Health Canada's decision on a request from a Montreal-based Santo Daime church for a legal exemption to use ayahuasca in rituals. Using government documents obtained through an Access to Information request, the author examines how modern stereotypes about drugs and drug abuse in public and political discourses can hinder informed policy making. The analysis traces ayahuasca's trajectory as a policy concern, critiques how the government defined ayahuasca as a problem, and argues that entheogenic practices represent traditional indigenous ways of knowing that should be valued rather than criminalized. The author proposes that policy reforms allowing circumspect use of entheogens may help address ecological predicaments.
January 1, 2021
Elena Argento, Rielle Capler, Gerald Thomas et al.
6 citations
Ayahuasca shows promise in improving mental health, with a study involving 160 participants revealing that 85% reported significant reductions in anxiety and depression after treatment. This traditional indigenous brew is gaining traction in psychiatry as an alternative medicine for addiction and emotional distress. Biochemical analysis indicates ayahuasca influences neurotransmitter receptors, potentially altering behavior positively. Participants also noted enhanced spirituality and personal insight, highlighting its multifaceted benefits. These findings suggest a valuable role for psychedelics in psychotherapy and counseling interventions.
September 1, 2016
Kenneth W. Tupper
5 citations
Ayahuasca, typically studied as an Amazonian vine, traditional medicine, religious sacrament, plant teacher, or drug, is here examined as a material commodity circulating in a global supply chain of monetary exchange. This perspective invokes economics, a field that has not yet taken much interest in ayahuasca. The chapter discusses how ayahuasca is emerging as an object of exchange in the modern transnational economic sphere and explores how this emergence may challenge contemporary mainstream economic knowledge and thought.
Longevity
July 5, 2026
Mark Haden, Birgitta Woods, Tina Woods et al.
A narrative review examines the convergence of psychedelic research and longevity science, exploring how psychedelic-assisted interventions may influence aging trajectories through both direct biological and indirect psychosocial pathways. The review discusses mechanisms such as enhanced neuroplasticity, modulation of immune and inflammatory signaling, stress-response recalibration, and sustained improvements in psychological well-being and social connectedness, which overlap with pathways influencing biological aging. Safety issues and research priorities are also discussed, including integrating biomarkers, functional outcomes, and longitudinal study designs, and considering whether psychedelic interventions may function as systems-level catalysts for healthier aging.