ABSTRACT
The various ways of preparation, taking into account the plants which are mixed and the different dosages, influence the manifestations of Ayahuasca. This chapter aims to understand the impact of Ayahuasca’s repeated use, in a religious context, on psychological well-being, mental health, and cognitive processes, a psychopathological assessment, neuropsychological performance, and attitude to life in members of “Ayahuasca” religion. At this point, a brief description will be given of the plants used in Ayahuasca preparation, with the main focus being the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic behavior of the most abundant phytochemical compounds in the beverage. In order to understand the potential dangers of Ayahuasca use, a systematic review of the literature was performed with the data-based resource, “PubMed”, of in vivo studies, clinical studies, and reported cases, from ten years ago to the present day. In the behavioral assessment of the rats, an antidepressant effect similar to fluoxetine and lower levels of anxiety in mice treated with Ayahuasca was observed.
