Ayahuasca: Why Women Are Trying This Drug From The Amazon

Ayahuasca: Why Women Are Trying This Drug From The Amazon

Have you heard of Ayahuasca? Neither had we, but it's already popular in the US and with a recent flurry of articles written by women who swear by it, it could just be the next big fad in the UK too.

What is it? Ayahuasca is a plant-based concoction traditionally used in the Amazon for spiritual and medicinal purposes. It is also a hallucinogen that has become popular for its therapeutic and enlightening benefits.

The Cut reports this ancient ritual has become "an expensive form of self-improvement for women in Brooklyn". Hmmmm.

With this recent surge in popularity, writer Abby Aguirre went to try the experience first hand for a report in Marie Claire. Aguirre visited an ayahuasca ceremony in California to find out what all the fuss is about.

She described the experience as "a shaman-guided ritual in which we will take a psychoactive trip that might include nightmarish detours but could yield life-changing insight."

One woman there, who first tried taking ayahuasca after her divorce, spoke about the effects it had on her personally.

"I went through all the feelings of what had played out, not just in my marriage but over my entire life," she told Aguirre.

"Afterward, I felt this overwhelming sense of peace and contentment."

As for how ayahuasca tastes, Aguirre was less positive. She writes, "[It's] a thick sludge, it tastes like someone has put steak, Worcestershire sauce, and wheatgrass in a blender." Lovely.

So - is this the latest lifestyle trend, like yoga and meditation before it? It certainly makes drinking green juice look low-key.

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