Ayahuasca is a popular religious potion that can be used to treat depression.
IN PHOTO: A cup containing a beverage made of ayahuasca is placed next to a tobacco pipe and cigarettes during a ritual treatment in Lima by shaman Pedro Tangoa, April 23, 2007. A powerful hallucinogenic vine, long revered by Amazon Indians as a tool for peering deep into the psyche, is drawing interest from urban Peruvians and enticing foreign visitors to Peru. Known as the "vine of souls" in the Quechua language of the ancient Inca empire, ayahuasca contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a chemical resembling the structure of psilocybin in psychedelic mushrooms. To match feature PERU-AYAHUASCA/REUTERS/Enrique Castro-Mendivil

A study on a hallucinogenic brew popular in South American tribes has shown promising results as treatment for depression. The study was conducted on March by a Brazilian research team and published in the Brazilian journal Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria or Brazilian Review of Psychiatry.

The brew made from ayahuasca has attracted many people who would head to the deep jungle just to give it a try. Some take it to become more in touch with their emotions, while others take it simply for recreation. Many studies have already been conducted on the brew’s potential as a treatment for different psychological conditions.

In the latest study, the research team, led by University of São Paulo, Brazil neuroscientist Jaime Hallak, tested ayahuasca to see its effects on depression. The preliminary results were promising.

The study involved six volunteers battling mild to severe depression, who do not respond well to commercial antidepressants. These volunteers were given ayahuasca doses and were allowed to sit in a dimly lit room. Researchers then started to ask clinical questions to help them track depression symptoms.

They later found that the volunteers’ depression symptoms were reduced three hours after taking the brew. Typically, ayahuasca trip lasts for about five hours. Volunteers also reported that they felt positive effects lasting for up to three weeks.

While the study produced favourable results, it is not enough to draw definite conclusions, considering the small sample size used. In addition, the study didn’t have a control group, which is a standard for all medical research. Ayahuasca also contains ingredients that are illegal in many countries.

Ayahuasca is a concoction containing the bark of jungle vine and leaves of a shrub and is popularly used in South American religious rituals. It is not the first time that researchers used psychedelic drugs as treatment for depression. The latest study only encouraged researchers to conduct bigger trials on the brew.

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