2.0 Biological background to Ayahuasca

Ingredients of Ayahuasca Tea:

Ayahuasca is made up (often not always) of 2-3 plants (Ayahuasca Vine, Chacruna and Wild Tobacco) boiled over several hours in a preparation process which has many Shamanic traditions with respect to how they grow and harvest the plants. Mostly you don’t really need to know the details of their process. If you trust your Shaman is of high quality he will make it for you.

Our human biology and Ayahuasca:

The ingredients of Ayahuasca Tea are specifically chosen to interplay with our body’s own ability to handle and process DMT (a psychedelic compound known as N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) via our Serotonon Receptors. Ayahuasca itself contains DMT via the Chacruna Plant but it is the interplay between Chacruna and The Ayahuasca Vine which is the real genuis of Ayahuasca.

You see exogenous (external to us) DMT is normally neutralised in the foods and drinks we consume by an enzyme in our stomach. This is, presumably, so our ancient ancestors didn’t trip on the many grasses which also contain DMT which could be eaten accidentally.

Whoever created Ayahuasca knew to combine the DMT in Chacruna with The Ayahuasca Vine specifically because it has a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI) which counter acts our stomachs’ enzyme which normally keeps us from tripping.

Hence, this specific combination of plants brewed into a tea allows us to drink the DMT orally and have it pass into our bloodstream. After it has passed from the stomach into the blood stream it makes its way throughout our body and also into the brain. Inside of the brain it attaches to the Serotonon Receptor and it allows us to “trip” or “commune with deity” or “have a psychedelic experience”. The DMT molecule is very similar to Serotonin – an important brain hormone for us. As each cell has a Serotonon Receptor our cells can interact with it very easily. One might say our body is very used to DMT and knows how to process it. 

What happens when DMT reaches the brain more specifically?

Some famous studies by Carhart-Harris et al showed that Psilocybin (chemically very similar to DMT) lowers activity in some certain parts of the brain and increases activity in other parts. 

The areas where it lowers activity are in what Neuroscientists call ‘The Default Mode Network’ (DMN). This area of the brain is responsible for day to day task orientation and ‘getting things done’. It’s the areas of your brain which allow you to strategise, plan, make priorities and “keep all your ducks are in a row” so that you may navigate the material world sucessfully (eat, earn, find shelter, find a mate etc). 

Neuroscientists also think that DMN is the ‘seat of our Ego’ and hence when this area is lowered in activity we experience the famous ‘Ego Dissolution’ and potentially ‘Ego Death’ capabilities of psychedelics. It is also my suspicion that things like addiction and anxiety and Depression are also houses within the Neurology of the DMN. We’ll see why that’s important soon.

In the other parts of the brain (which are not of the DMN) studies found that activity was increased. What this means is that neural activity (and growth of new Neurology) is suspended in DMN areas of the brain and promoted in the other areas. In addition, overall activity was increased ie, our brains are more active under the influence of psychedelics. In summary then I would say our brains under psychedelics experience,

1. a change in activity to parts of the brain which are not inside the DMN,
2. increased activity overall in the brain
3. increased activity also means the growth or new Neurology in different parts of the brain outside of the normal Neurology you use from day to day.

A useful way to understand this is to view this diagram which shows both the differing and ‘extra’ connections promoted under the influence of psychedelics.

In the diagram below, we have a measure of brain activity before and during psychedelics (Psilocybin). The circle on the left represents the areas of the brain which are active and connected with eachother before psychedelics. The circle on the right we can see more areas of the brain are active (the outer edges of the circle) and a greater number of connections are present (the connections between the outer edges of the circle).

What is the significance of all this Neurology?

The short answer is that trauma and addictions are also housed in the same DMN which is lowered in activity during a psychedelic trip. Hence, when we bypass it and create new Neurology we create for ourselves new Neurology which is relatively free from the trauma we are trying to heal. We then get to ‘live in’ or experience the day to day lowered anxiety in the new Neurology in our being in the future. 

From a spiritual perspective, spiritual entities and information is around us all the time – constantly even but our DMN filters info for us to focus usually on more primitive tasks like survival. When you are under the influence of psychedelics these part sof the brain are reduced in activity and when this happens the DMN also stops filtering the non-material and spiritual information aorund us. Hence, you can ‘commune’ with Deity or immaterial beings.

This of course also means that you don’t need psychedelics to do this as they are already all around you however with psychedelics we can appreciate this more because we have a lived and conscious experience of it to fall back on. The Ego Dissolution given to us during Ayahuasca can last a long time if you have prepared well and do a long integration.

Blood pressure, tyramine and Dieta:

The MAOI’s in Ayahuasca raise our blood pressure and hence the Dieta helps to avoid issue by removing foods which raise blood pressure. Foods which are suggested to be excluded in preparation for Ayahuasca like red meat and animal products contain Tyramine which raises blood pressure. When we follow closely the Dieta we avoid this problem assuming we have no health issue related to blood pressure.

Notes:

• Video summary of Carhart-Harris studies
• Much of the knowledge on this page was based on previous blog articles I wrote on ayahuascaeasy.com between 2019-2022.

Menstruation:

Some Ayahuasca traditions don’t allow women not to be in the Maloka (ceremonial hall where Ayahuasca ceremonies are held) during their cycle however, I can’t seem to find a biological reason for this in my research online – it could be a left over from Judaism/Christianity being ‘anti woman’ **. Being male I don’t have direct experience of this but it appears from my reading that women drinking Ayahuasca during their cycle is safe biologically but extra care should be taken to protect energetically for any women who plan to drink Ayahuasca while ‘bleeding’ so to speak.

I found some recommendations as below from Plant Medicine People which may help women prepare appropriately.

• Sage: This potent femme fatale is my go-to protector. You can sprinkle her dried leaves around your space in the ceremony circle, and even tuck a few under your pad so she can create a wall of energy between your womb and the room.
• Grandfather Tobacco: Tuck some loose Sacred Tobacco in your naval; he, too, is a protective powerhouse, and can absorb and deflect any negative energies spiraling towards your sensitive parts.
• Please no tampons! Come to ceremony with a pad or cup. Tampons literally block the energy flow from your womb, and because Aya is a fan of MOVEMENT, she despises these bleached cotton monstrocities. They also perpetuate shame. Ditch the vaginal plugs.
• Tell your facilitator you are on your period: Many progressive circles totally welcome moon-time, but as a ceremony leader, I can’t protect sensitivities I am not aware of. We often sing special icaros into the medicine for mooning women, but we need to know what folks are working with in order to co-create safety. Plus, staying silent ALSO continues the shame narrative. Be loud and proud about the magic of your body.
• Be gentle on yourself: Give your body the love and care she deserves. I love drinking Aya when I’m on my moon, as it allows me to tune deeply in to the energies of my body. We bond like crazy during these times, and I honor her for all her impeccable work. But it’s very important I acknowledge and follow what I’m feeling. I might drink far less medicine, and do lots of extra prep. It’s most important that we let our bodies lead the way, and listen to what they need.

** Interesting, in some of my research on Hellenized (Greek influenced) Roman Empire (which was the main power of the western world directly before Judaism and Christianity) a lot of the Oracular and Shamanic practices were set up around women being the ‘conduits for the divine’ or Oracles as they would term them. As such, a movement away from women being the center of these practices may have been a way to further undermine the ‘Pagan’ or Greek ways. La Madre de Ayahuasca is very much a pre Christian (some say Animist) tradition but in the last 1700 years Christian values have worked their way into many areas of modern life. I suspect this is one of them.

There is also a lot of evidence to suggest Christianity was based on Dionysian (Pagan, psychedelic and very shamanic) so for any Christians reading this please be aware I consider Christianity to be both positive and negative although the positive aspects coming from Dionysian traditions which were very much in alignment with Shamanic use of Ayahuasca. It appears we may have come full circle. In any case, La Madre will accept Christian or any other faith as long as you prepare with respect for the process like I have attempted to describe int his course.