Ayahuasca Use and Reported Effects on Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: An International Cross-Sectional Study of 11,912 Consumers

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100098

Commentary

Ayahuasca is an Amazonian brew with psychoactive properties. This study shows that it has antidepressant and anxiolytic effects.

As a result, 78% of participants who reported depression (n = 1571) or anxiety (n = 1125) when taking ayahuasca reported that their depression was "greatly" improved (46%) or "completely" eliminated (32%).

On the other hand, 70% of those with anxiety reported that their symptoms were "very" improved (54%) or "completely resolved" (16%).

A variety of factors, including subjective mystical experience, number of ayahuasca sessions, and number of personal psychological insights, were associated with improvement in emotional symptoms. However, 2.7% and 4.5% of participants reported worsening of symptoms, respectively.

Limitations include the fact that this is a cross-sectional analysis where treatment effects cannot be assessed, so respondents with favorable experiences with the intervention may be biased.