We Are Harvesting the Ayahuasca Vine at an Alarming Rate

“The signs that wild ayahuasca is being overexploited for the global market are evident, according to the main players of this industry. “Wild ayahuasca is being depleted.” “There is almost none.” “Over harvested.” “We are worried.” “There is a shortage.” “You don’t find thick ayahuasca anymore.” “In a couple of years there won’t be any there.” Gatherers, intermediaries, processors and exporters based in Iquitos, the capital of the Peruvian jungle, or in the indigenous communities near Pucallpa, the other major production center, are in agreement about the overexploitation of wild ayahuasca…”

Women Are Leading Amazon Ayahuasca Ceremonies for the First Time

From Vice.com: “Ten years ago, Waxy would not have been allowed anywhere near this ritual. Women were considered too fragile for ceremonies and told to avoid coming into contact with spiritual leaders all together. Waxy and her friends are trying to change that—they pioneered a movement to bolster women's roles in spiritual ceremonies that has now rippled throughout the Amazon…”

Ayahuasca, PoliticalArtful AlchemyNovember 19, 2019South America, Shaman, Tribes, Traditions, Ayahuasca, Ceremonies, Brazil, Amazon

8 Reasons the Landmark Ruling in Ecuador Signals Hope in the Ruling to Save Amazon Rainforest

“This summer, a court in Ecuador issued a ruling with profound implications for the urgent fight to save the imperiled Amazon rainforest. The decision effectively blocked a planned government oil-auction that threatened half-a-million acres of some of the world’s most biodiverse primary rainforest. The broad outlines of the situation are sadly familiar to similar cases found throughout the Amazon region: In pursuit of foreign investment, the government sought to partner with foreign firms to develop large swaths of ecologically fragile rainforest…”

Reflections on 2019 World Ayahuasca Conference

“This was the third World Ayahuasca Conference held in Girona, Spain last June, which brought together 1400 people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, disciplines, and traditions. Three days of fascinating, moving presentations, invocations, conversations, and declarations towards a common vision of a sustainable future for plants, people and the planet…”

Ontario Police Officers are Using Ayahuasca to Treat their PTSD

“As a constable with the Ontario Provincial Police, Matt Chorny regularly responded to car accidents. He often dealt with victims and family members throughout the entire process, from the crash to the morgue. Over time, such incidents took an emotional toll. These days, he’s coping with the help of a surprising source — ayahuasca…”

AyahuascaArtful AlchemyMay 26, 2019Ayahuasca, PTSD, Canada, Police, Peru, Amazon, Retreats, Therapy, Psychedelics, Mental Health

Canada Grants More Religions Ability to Import Ayahuasca

“A total of five religious groups now are allowed to use the hallucinogenic in their ceremonies. Thanks to Health Canada, some folks in Quebec and Ontario are one step closer to finding god, as three more exemptions have been granted to religious groups to allow them to import ayahuasca, a powerful and controversial hallucinogenic, according to a report by Global News.”…

Wade Davis on the Popularization of Ayahuasca and the Climate Crisis

Wade Davis tells Reality Sandwich about how the use of ayahuasca among more modern, urban circles is not necessarily illegitimate, and poses challenges that must be discussed. He hopes to spark that conversation at the World Ayahuasca Conference this spring, where he’ll be giving the opening keynote speech. He spoke to Reality Sandwich about some of the central themes he’ll address and what he’s thinking about most now with regards to the popularization of ayahuasca around the globe…

Amazon Tribe to Defend Against Mining Companies

These are the Waiapi, an ancient tribe living in Brazil's Amazon rainforest but now fearing invasion by international mining companies. Leading AFP reporters to a tiny settlement of palm-thatched huts hidden in foliage, the tribesmen streaked in red and black dye vow to defend their territory…

PoliticalArtful AlchemyJanuary 8, 2019Brazil, Amazon, Tribes, Walapi

The Uncontacted Tribes of Brazil Face Genocide Under Jair Bolsonaro

“Right now, deep in the Amazon rainforest, a small tribe of survivors is on the run. They are the Kawahiva, an uncontacted tribe of just a few dozen people, the victims of waves of horrific attacks which have pushed them to the brink of extinction.”

PoliticalArtful AlchemyDecember 31, 2018Brazil, Amazon, America, Human Rights, Deforestation, Kawahiva, Awá

Plant Hallucinogen Holds Hope for Diabetes Treatment

“Modern techniques have revealed that one of the compounds underlying these mystic experiences is the psychoactive drug harmine. What these first users of ayahuasca couldn’t have known was that, one day, this ingredient in their enlightening brew would be positioned as a key to treating diabetes…”

AyahuascaArtful AlchemyDecember 22, 2018Diabetes, Ayahuasca, Harmine, Amazon

'They're killing us': World's Most Endangered Tribe Cries for Help

Logging companies keen to exploit Brazil's rainforest have been accused by human rights organisations of using gunmen to wipe out the Awá, a tribe of just 355…

Ayahuasca, PoliticalArtful AlchemyDecember 9, 2018Amazon, Ayahuasca, Brazil, Tribes, Human Rights, Awá, Campaigns

Ayahuasca is Changing Global Environmental Consciousness

Guardian Interview with US scientist Dennis McKenna on powerful Amazon hallucinogen, plant intelligence and environmental crises…