More than half of people taking the popular and powerful psychedelic drug ayahuasca suffer mental health problems related to their trip, with one in 10 needing long-term professional support, data suggests.
In some rarer cases, use of the plant, which contains the hallucinogen NN-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), can be fatal due to its effect on the heart, with some data suggesting this occurs in one in every 100 people who use it. they take.
The physical impact of the drug is well known: users are given cubes at ayahuasca “ceremonies” to relieve the violent vomiting caused by the drug.
But attention has now been focused on its potentially deadly effects following the death of social worker Maureen Rainford, 54, who had traveled to a Bolivian retreat in the Amazon that supplies ayahuasca tea.
The social worker collapsed 10 minutes after drinking the tea and reportedly complained of feeling unwell as her breathing and heart rate slowed. Despite CPR, Rainford died an hour after collapsing.
A spokesman for the retreat said his death was due to a “medical emergency that was not related to ayahuasca.”
Experts warn that the promotion of ayahuasca’s supposed healing properties by famous faces like Prince Harry could inspire others to try the hallucinogen.
Ayahuasca has previously been blamed for the deaths of at least three Britons, one of whom took his own life due to its effects on his mental health.
Social worker Maureen Rainford, 54, (pictured) booked a ten-day stay at Ayahuasca and San Pedro Pisatahua Retreat, an Amazonian commune advertised as a wellness and detox retreat.
There is little data on how often this reddish-brown drink (pictured) is used in the UK. But it is believed to be popular among the middle classes.
Ayahuasca is the same drug that Prince Harry admitted to taking to help him cope with the death of his mother, Princess Diana.
Despite the risks Interest in ayahuasca is increasing. Almost 4.5 million people claimed to have used this drug throughout their lives, according to a report from the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Services published last year.
The group, a nonprofit that explores the use of traditional indigenous medicines, also found that 820,000 people around the world tried the drug in 2019 alone, the latest figure available.
While the authors described this as a record number, they predicted that it had likely been eclipsed due to the growing use of the drug around the world.
Estimates of how many Britons have consumed ayahuasca are more difficult to calculate.
DMT, and by extension ayahuasca, is a Class A drug in the UK, meaning that possession can carry a prison sentence of up to seven years and an unlimited fine.
A 2017 study by Kings College London found that only about 35 Britons out of a sample of about 10,000 who took part in an anonymous drug survey reported having recently used ayahuasca.
Experts have warned that despite some legitimate evidence that DMT might have utility in a clinical setting, adverse effects from psychosis and suicide to heart attacks have been reported.
Professor Edzard Ernst, emeritus professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter, previously told MailOnline: “Ayahuasca is an under-researched botanical, hallucinogenic and psychedelic drug, which has shown some preliminary promise in the treatment of depression, anxiety and substance abuse.
Kate Hyatt committed suicide in October 2021. The actress and artist suffered severe psychosis after taking the hallucinogen for what she believed were medicinal reasons.
‘Adverse effects have been recorded, some of which are serious.
“Its promotion as a life-changing treatment is at best reckless and at worst irresponsible.”
Dr Max Pemberton, an NHS psychiatrist in London, speaking about Prince Harry’s previous details of his positive experience using the drug, added: ‘Harry clearly does not understand the serious harm these substances can cause to users; damage that I see in mental health. hospital wards with disturbing frequency.
an international studypublished in Plos Global Health in 2022, found that of 11,000 ayahuasca users, just over one in 50 needed medical help for physical problems caused by taking the drug, although two in three reported symptoms.
But more than half reported adverse mental health effects in the weeks or even months after consumption, and as a result, just over a tenth needed professional help.
The study also cited a decade’s worth of data, from American Association of Poison Control Centerswhich found that more than one in six people who contacted them about ayahuasca reported a worryingly elevated heart rate.
Additionally, one in 50 reported seizures and one percent noted cases where someone was not breathing or went into cardiac arrest after using the drug.
As with many other analyses, it cannot be proven whether these incidents were directly related to the use of ayahuasca or another substance.
Jake Paul has revealed how ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic drug, inspired him to fight Mike Tyson after visualizing himself facing the 58-year-old two years ago.
Last year, actor Will Smith revealed during an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he drank the drink more than 12 times during a retreat in Peru while having marital problems with his wife Jada.
Actress Lindsay Lohan claimed that drinking ayahuasca, which is created by pounding vine stems into boiling water, helped her free herself from “the remnants of my past.”
While most experts agree that taking ayahuasca is dangerous to your health, it is not known exactly how risky it can be.
This is partly due to its use in a ritual setting rather than a clinical setting, meaning that the dosage of DMT and, if other hallucinogenic substances are added, can vary depending on the practitioner.
The actual DMT content per vine can also vary by region and vintage, adding an inherent layer of unpredictability.
Anyone with heart disease or taking antidepressants or a history of psychotic episodes is often urged not to use the medication.
However, as many Britons live with undiagnosed heart conditions or lie about their mental health in seeking the healing properties of ayahuasca, many may be at risk.
Experts fear that discussion of ayahuasca use by celebrities like Prince Harry could spark growing interest from the general public.
In an interview published last year, he said Ayahuasca triggered feelings of “liberation” and “comfort” that helped him deal with his trauma, Prince Harry said.
He added: ‘It was the cleaning of the windshield, the cleaning of the windshield, the removal of filters from life as much as on Instagram, these layers of filters.
‘It took everything away from me and brought me a feeling of relaxation, liberation, comfort, a lightness that I managed to retain over a period of time.
‘I started doing it recreationally and then I started to realize how good it was for me, I would say it’s one of the fundamental parts of my life that changed me and helped me deal with past traumas and pain.’
In a previous interview, Prince Harry stated that he would not recommend taking the substance recreationally.
But he added: “Doing it with the right people, if you’re suffering from a big loss or grief or trauma, then these things have a way of working like medicine.”
Other famous faces who have spoken out about taking the drug include boxer Jake Paul, who revealed that taking ayahuasca inspired him to fight Mike Tyson, and actors Will Smith and Lindsay Lohan.
Ayahuasca, also called “soul vine,” is a hallucinogenic drug that has been extracted and used by Amazonian tribes for centuries.
It is made by combining the bark of a Banisteriopsis caapi vine tree and leaves of the Psychotria viridis shrub, both native to South America, and was originally used by shamans for healing and religious rituals.
Despite its illegality, there are multiple “wellness retreats” in Britain that offer this drug with alarming regularity.
The Mail on Sunday attended one such retreat, where dozens of Britons paid £800 per person to take ayahuasca, undercover last year.
While most experts do not recommend ayahuasca, scientists are exploring how it could be used to address addiction, depression, and trauma in a clinical setting.
A recent study from University College London found that so-called “jungle tea” can increase well-being and reduce the risk of depression.
Any legitimate DMT therapy would likely be highly controlled in terms of exact dosage and evaluation of patients to ensure they did not suffer from conditions that could cause adverse side effects.