A book review of 'O uso ritual da Ayahuasca', edited by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and Wladimyr Sena Araújo, describes the collection's examination of the ritual use of ayahuasca. The volume brings together interdisciplinary perspectives on the cultural, religious, and social dimensions of ayahuasca practices in Brazil. It covers historical contexts, contemporary rituals, and the legal and health implications of its use. The review highlights the book's contribution to understanding ayahuasca as a complex phenomenon that intersects with anthropology, psychology, and religious studies, offering a comprehensive overview of the field.
Indigenous South American cultures had diverse traditional uses for psychoactive plants, which were transformed by European colonization and labeled as idolatry. Colonial chroniclers and Spanish extirpators of idolatry provide insights into original Amerindian contexts. Colonialism initiated cultural mixing and a drug "imaginary." The current religious revival of practices like vegetalismo and curandeirismo using ayahuasca, jurema, and hallucinogenic snuffs is analyzed, alongside revisiting the concept of shamanism in Amazonian cultures.