Ayahuasca, a potentially rapid acting antidepressant: focus on safety and tolerability

In controlled settings, ayahuasca administration appears relatively safe, with no serious adverse events reported. Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, headaches, and temporary increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Research on ayahuasca's antidepressant effects is still early, lacking large, robust clinical trials. Major obstacles to its therapeutic use include dose standardization, legal prohibition of its alkaloids, and questions about compensating traditional communities if ayahuasca becomes an approved medicine.

Study at a glance

Abstract

There were no reports of serious AEs, indicating a relative safety of ayahuasca administration in controlled settings. Most common AEs included nausea, vomiting, headaches, and transient increases in cardiovascular measurements. Ayahuasca research is still in its infancy, especially concerning the absence of large and robust clinical trials to verify its antidepressant effects. Dose standardization, legal prohibition of the possession of its alkaloids and how traditional communities will be compensated if ayahuasca becomes an approved medicine are the biggest obstacles to overcome for its future use in the therapeutic context.