# Ayahuasca and IBD



## arnarp (Mar 3, 2014)

Hey there good people

I was wondering if any of you had tried ayahuasca?
And if you have, whether it affected your IBD in a good way or bad. Or possibly nothing at all.
I just really want to hear from people with IBD who have tried this Amazonian brew.

Best regards,
Arnar Pétursson


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## vonfunk (Mar 6, 2014)

Ayahuasca is a psychedelic, I've never heard it of it being used for IBD. Will it will slightly raise the coritsol level in the blood stream, but beyond that it doesn't contain any mechanism that would affect IBD.  The only "medical use" that is common is in helping people kick heroin, and even then it appears to be a combination of the DMT and the ritual surrounding it.


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## arnarp (Mar 6, 2014)

Yes I was more just thinking about if it was really bad for people with IBD.
I'm basically not trying it out as a treatment for Crohn's, I just want to make sure it won't worsen my symptoms a lot.
But it's good to hear that you seem to know a bit about this and that it won't do me too much harm, I hope 

I've read a blog by a guy with Crohn's who did ayahuasca and it didn't seem to have much effect on his disease.


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## vonfunk (Mar 6, 2014)

Most of the pschedelics have mechanism that only affect the brain, which is why people take them. Opiates cause a slow of the GI tract which can lead to constipation, and amphetamines do all sorts of crazy things to the body.

The issue with ayahuasca us that is it not just one plant in the drugs, it's a mixture and you can't be certain what is being added, and considering that the drug is becoming trendier the demand is increasing and the "safety", if you can call it that to begin with, is being compromised, as once it gets outside of Central and South America it is no doubt being cut with other substances, either to thin out & increase the supply or alter the high.

I neither condemn nor condone, but do it safely. Consult the website Errowid, it is the best resource for both the ups and downs of just about any recreational drugs.


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## arnarp (Mar 8, 2014)

Thanks a lot for the advice man! I've been researching ayahuasca online for over a year now and it seems to be, like you say, very important to find the right retreat which offers the "purest" mix, preferably with no other stuff mixed into it.

I've actually found such a place in the jungle of Peru and I have a few people I know backing it up. But of course you can never no for sure when you enter the jungle 

I'll check out this website you posted!


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## NEthingpossible (Sep 15, 2014)

@arnarp

Not sure if you ever tried Aya, but check out  Paititi Institute , their founder Roman Hanis had Crohns Disease, and I believe the movie The Sacred Science follows another woman who had Crohns and took the Aya journey. If you google Roman, many articles online telling his story


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## Yinger (Mar 22, 2015)

Hey all. I have completed over two weeks outside Iquitos, Peru, at a healing center in the jungle that performs 3-4 ayahuasca ceremonies per week. 

Ayahuasca is a medicine. It does contain DMT from the chacruna leaves but that is the psychoactive component. The brew that results from the chacruna (or other psychoactive leaf) when blended with the actual ayahuasca vine is what makes the medicine which contains actual healing powers. Other psychoactive sources can be a boon for mental issues like depression and anxiety but aya is one of the few that actually can cure physical ailments. There have been countless anecdotes of people cured from things including cancer. Recently I read of a woman who was disabled in a wheelchair from a car accident and a few weeks in the jungle with ayahuasca healed her. 

So bottom line: I woukdn't rule ayahuasca out as a means of healing IBD. It may not work, it may not work for you, but if you have the means, it's worth the trip to Peru. Almost everyone on my journey experienced some significant results. 

If it does work for you, you could announce it here! Just be sure to take the diet before going seriously. Fast properly for a month, stick to the outlined course, and for gods sake if you take any anti-depressants do not go! Never mix SSRIs with aya, that's what can potentially kill people. 

Have a good journey!


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## Fernando1 (Mar 23, 2015)

After trying LSD, mescaline and mushroom for several years I can honestly tell you that Ayahuasca is very risky. There is no way that the mixer of this drug can control the potency of what is being given to you, it could be 10% or 1000%.

I read an account of a guy that went on a psychodelic tourist trip to the Amazon, went through the ritual with a bucket for vomit on his side and had a massive reaction to it. For the next six months he could not read anything in print nor on computer screens.

I personally will not take any substance whose potency is unknown regardless of what the adventure is, as a matter of fact in the last twenty years since I took my last LSD dose (a very weak one by 1960's standards) I have not had any since.

I have experienced very nice mystical experiences by chanting and dancing in temples, its good exercise and leaves you exhiliarated.


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## Yinger (Mar 23, 2015)

Fernando1 said:


> I read an account of a guy that went on a psychodelic tourist trip to the Amazon, went through the ritual with a bucket for vomit on his side and had a massive reaction to it. For the next six months he could not read anything in print nor on computer screens.


That's the problem: he went on a psychedelic tourist trip. Nobody on my trip was there for fun: we were there to heal.

Ayahuasca is absolutely *NOT* a recreational drug. Mushrooms can be recreational in lower doses, a waste of such a divine gift as it may be, but all psychedelics are powerful tools that should be treated with reverence, as you would revere the holy communion if you were a Catholic.

If you approach Mother Ayahuasca with utmost respect, adhere to the dieta, and absolutely abstain from SSRIs for months before, you will most likely have a positive experience. Ayahuasca is non-neurotoxic, in fact it as well as psilocybin mushrooms can encourage neurogenesis.

Typically the shamans make less potent brews to see how people react -- with the popularity of ayahuasca in recent years, they don't want to get a bad reputation. On my journey, the first two nights of aya were mostly useless to me, but on the third night he significantly increased the dose of DMT -- and I increased the dose I asked for -- and I had one of the most mystical and wonderful experiences of my life.

I wouldn't fear ayahuasca, but again I wouldn't go back to her unless I felt the need, like with you and LSD. People feel the "call" to her. If someone goes just for fun, or without reverence, they could be in for a terrible experience.

Back to the point of the thread: it could help you with IBD. Most likely it won't hurt.


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## laurentvf (Aug 2, 2015)

Hi,

I have participated in two ayahuasca ceremonies and found them extremely beneficial.  I did find it only very mildly irritating, but not more so than a cheat meal, and for me totally worth it. The importance of the mind and its connection to the body is undeniable in any chronic disease.  Ayuasca is a powerful medicine that has helped me cope with my symptoms and I look forward to going to the Amazon where I can spend more focused time working with it.


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## Magopolis (Jun 6, 2016)

I wanted to reply to OP after reading this thread. I had heard that Ayahuasca can treat Crohn's from the widow of a man who passed some years ago. She said they did a ceremony while he was in hospice care but that had he tried it earlier he would still be alive. I didn't press her for "why" she thought that but decided to read this forum instead. I did five ceremonies with a shaman recommended by a close friend and had a beautiful experience. I want to address a few commenters here (it's undoubted cut/no way to know what's in it/just a psychedelic with no medical value). I would caution people not suppose what they don't know. "I heard about a guy" doesn't help anyone here. My shaman made his own brew and was ver conscientious and devoted to helping us. He was very generous with his time and knowledge and earned my trust, respect and gratitude. I don't trust "retreats" either. You don't always know what you will get.


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## thedam (Feb 16, 2017)

I've tried, I was in Peru, 5 ceremonies, then for 7 month for every ~3 weeks with local Santo Damie group. I had an impression that it helps, but finally it didn't. Now I'm taking drugs again and feel like a shit.


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## Uncleileum (Oct 7, 2020)

Ok. It's, several years since the last reply here but yes, I have IBD Crohns and its been pretty bad for many years. Have had 25% of my Ileum removed in 2003. I expect many here will also relate to the mental anguish/ confusion that can accompany this long term disease?  In desperation I attended 10 nights or more (over 3 year period) of Ayahuasca ceremony, hoping that my Crohns would heal. Word was that pre-Aya diet is very important, so I stuck to a strict diet for a month prior. No salt, sugar or much oil. And no sexual activity for a while.
Somehow the brew its self  rewired me mentally. The Yahe (banistopsieris Caapi) vine seemed to actually settle my stomach during the ceremonies. It makes many people vomit but for me this did not happen. No, it didn't 'cure' my Crohns but it 'told me' to get regular exercise. Going through with this inner advice and doing yoga and other things helped a lot to make me feel better, even though Crohns did not actually go away. It gave me the impetus and a helping hand to keep this up. The brew also 'told me' to eat less junk food, more vegetables and no meat. This also seemed to help me.  I've made several adjustments like this which have improved my life a lot. Cold showers, breathwork, sometimes meditation. In Ayahuasca circles there is a lot of talk about 'healing'. My experience is that it has not made my IBD simply go away but it did help me to view it differently and to rise up to meet life with more energy.


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## Snitcher (Dec 27, 2022)

Uncleileum said:


> Ok. It's, several years since the last reply here but yes, I have IBD Crohns and its been pretty bad for many years. Have had 25% of my Ileum removed in 2003. I expect many here will also relate to the mental anguish/ confusion that can accompany this long term disease?  In desperation I attended 10 nights or more (over 3 year period) of Ayahuasca ceremony, hoping that my Crohns would heal. Word was that pre-Aya diet is very important, so I stuck to a strict diet for a month prior. No salt, sugar or much oil. And no sexual activity for a while.
> Somehow the brew its self  rewired me mentally. The Yahe (banistopsieris Caapi) vine seemed to actually settle my stomach during the ceremonies. It makes many people vomit but for me this did not happen. No, it didn't 'cure' my Crohns but it 'told me' to get regular exercise. Going through with this inner advice and doing yoga and other things helped a lot to make me feel better, even though Crohns did not actually go away. It gave me the impetus and a helping hand to keep this up. The brew also 'told me' to eat less junk food, more vegetables and no meat. This also seemed to help me.  I've made several adjustments like this which have improved my life a lot. Cold showers, breathwork, sometimes meditation. In Ayahuasca circles there is a lot of talk about 'healing'. My experience is that it has not made my IBD simply go away but it did help me to view it differently and to rise up to meet life with more energy.





arnarp said:


> Hey there good people
> 
> I was wondering if any of you had tried ayahuasca?
> And if you have, whether it affected your IBD in a good way or bad. Or possibly nothing at all.
> ...


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## Snitcher (Dec 27, 2022)

Uncleileum said:


> Ok. It's, several years since the last reply here but yes, I have IBD Crohns and its been pretty bad for many years. Have had 25% of my Ileum removed in 2003. I expect many here will also relate to the mental anguish/ confusion that can accompany this long term disease?  In desperation I attended 10 nights or more (over 3 year period) of Ayahuasca ceremony, hoping that my Crohns would heal. Word was that pre-Aya diet is very important, so I stuck to a strict diet for a month prior. No salt, sugar or much oil. And no sexual activity for a while.
> Somehow the brew its self  rewired me mentally. The Yahe (banistopsieris Caapi) vine seemed to actually settle my stomach during the ceremonies. It makes many people vomit but for me this did not happen. No, it didn't 'cure' my Crohns but it 'told me' to get regular exercise. Going through with this inner advice and doing yoga and other things helped a lot to make me feel better, even though Crohns did not actually go away. It gave me the impetus and a helping hand to keep this up. The brew also 'told me' to eat less junk food, more vegetables and no meat. This also seemed to help me.  I've made several adjustments like this which have improved my life a lot. Cold showers, breathwork, sometimes meditation. In Ayahuasca circles there is a lot of talk about 'healing'. My experience is that it has not made my IBD simply go away but it did help me to view it differently and to rise up to meet life with more energy.




Hey all,
I just want to tell my story. I'm not saying it works for everyone.

I had my first Ulcerative Colitis relapse in 2007. I had total colitis. So I bled all over the gut. with my life as a business owner and the stress it entails, I always got the slips back after about 6 months. I've tried most things. Been to Japan where I sat at a machine (affair treatment) for 10 days. I have gone through most of the meds the last one was Remicad. the doctor told me a year ago that now the intestine must be removed....

Now my transformation began. Bodily and mentally. I was at an Ayahuasca Cermoni where I was also offered Kambo. When I was there I bled a lot with about 40-50 toilet visits per day. I was in really bad shape, the Remicade didn't seem to help.
Immediately after the Cermonin, the bleeding stopped. As a maintenance medicine, I have Cannabis oil on prescription. Now a year has passed. I have lost 20 kg in weight. I no longer need Remicad or blood pressure medication. the only medicine now is Cannabis oil I have been prescribed.

Ayahuasca totally improved my life in every way. was up with a camera a few weeks ago. my polyps were gone..
Feel like a king







arnarp said:


> Hey there good people
> 
> I was wondering if any of you had tried ayahuasca?
> And if you have, whether it affected your IBD in a good way or bad. Or possibly nothing at all.
> ...


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