Selbst-Behandlungsversuche mit der psychoaktiven Substanz Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive substance from the Amazon region, which is increasingly used in strongly ritualized settings [Santo Daime, (neo-)shamanistic ceremonies, do-it-yourself rituals] in Europe. In this socio-cultural field ayahuasca is considered a "universal" medicinal plant. The practices of self-treatment with ayahuasca and their evaluation by 15 participants suffering from different diseases (chronic pain, cancer, depression, hepatitis C, tinnitus, asthma and allergies, etc.) were examined. The results of the present study showed that most of the participants were convinced that ayahuasca not only had a positive influence on their illness and the way they dealt with it, but that it also increased their well-being and quality of life in general. Not only the diversity of subjective theories about ayahuasca is un.