Have you heard of the “Ayahuasca trip”? It’s a trip that is experienced for 4-6 hours on having a sacramental drink, Ayahuasca. What is Ayahuasca? Ayahuasca (pronounced ‘eye-ah-WAH-ska’) is a psychoactive brew prepared by the indigenous people of South America, particularly Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. It has been used in shamanic rituals for hundreds of years for treating different kinds of health ailments. The psychoactive substances present in the brew affect the brain and cause changes in mood, thinking and behaviour. Every year, thousands of people travel to the Amazonian rainforest to experience the psychedelic effect of the brew. The name “ayahuasca” is made up of two words- aya and wasca-derived from the Quechua language, where aya means soul or ancestors, and wasca (huasca) means vine or rope. Most people translate it as “vine of the soul.” How’s it made? Ayahuasca is a decoction that is made by a shaman or curandero- a type of healer using the leaves of ...