Ayahuasca and cancer treatment
SAGE Open Medicine January 1, 2013 Eduardo E Schenberg 28 citations
A review of case reports and biomedical literature suggests ayahuasca, a traditional Amerindian medicine, may have antitumor effects against several cancers, including prostate, brain, ovarian, uterine, stomach, breast, and colon. Nine case reports were found; several described improvements, one case worsened, and one was difficult to evaluate. A theoretical model explains these effects at cellular, molecular, and psychosocial levels, focusing on N,N-dimethyltryptamine's activity at sigma-1 receptors and contributions from harmine, tetrahydroharmine, and harmaline. The model proposes consistent biological underpinnings for the accounts. Further research into ayahuasca's safety and efficacy as a cancer treatment is recommended.