A Note on the Use of Ayahuasca among Urban Mestizo Populations in the Peruvian Amazon1
American Anthropologist December 1, 1970 DOI: 10.1525/aa.1970.72.6.02a00150 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAmong mestizo folk healers in the Peruvian Amazon, the effects of the psychedelic vine ayahuasca are shaped by cultural expectations and beliefs about illness. The subjective personal experience of the drug is influenced by cultural factors, which strongly determine the content of hallucinations.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mestizo folk healers in the Peruvian Amazon |
| Keywords | Vine Advertising Psychology |
| Citations | 17 |
| Key finding | Cultural expectations and belief systems concerning illness strongly shape the hallucinatory experience of ayahuasca. |
Abstract
The use of the psychedelic vine, ayahuasca (various Banisteriopsis species), in the Peruvian Amazon by mestizo folk healers is related to such variables as cultural expectations of drug experience and belief systems concerning illness. A subjective personal experience inherent in psychedelic use takes on cultural coloration, as determinants of hallucinatory experience show strong relationships to cultural data.