Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian brew made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the leaves of the Psychotria viridis plant. The vine contains MAO inhibitors that allow the DMT in the leaves to be orally active. It has been used ceremonially in the Amazon for centuries.

How long does ayahuasca last?

Effects typically begin 30-60 minutes after drinking, peak around 90 minutes, and last 4-6 hours total. Most ayahuasca ceremonies are held overnight to give participants the full arc.

Is ayahuasca legal in the United States?

DMT is a Schedule I substance under federal law. However, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (1993) provides federal protections for sincere religious exercise involving sacramental plant medicines. Ceremonia operates as a 508(c)(1)(a) church and holds ayahuasca ceremonies within that framework.

What's the difference between ayahuasca and psilocybin?

Both are serotonergic and produce expanded states, but they feel different. Ayahuasca is often experienced as more emotional and visionary; psilocybin as more reflective and embodied. Ayahuasca is consumed as a brew over several rounds; psilocybin as a measured dose at the start of a session.

What does a Ceremonia ayahuasca ceremony look like?

Ayahuasca is served in cohort within our church framework. Trained facilitators guide the ceremony, on-site medical staff are present, and the same screening and preparation that grounds every Ceremonia retreat applies. Ceremonies are typically held overnight.

Plant Medicine

Ayahuasca

An Amazonian brew of vine and leaf. Held in Ceremonia's 508(c)(1)(a) church framework, with the same preparation and integration that grounds every retreat.

What it is

Ayahuasca is a brew prepared from two plants: the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the leaves of Psychotria viridis. The vine contains MAO inhibitors that make the DMT in the leaves orally active. Together, they produce a 4-6 hour expanded state. The combination has been used ceremonially in the Amazon for centuries and is at the center of multiple indigenous and syncretic religious traditions.

Ceremonia honors those origins without adopting them. Read more about our inspiration-not-appropriation approach.

How it works in the body

DMT binds to serotonin (5-HT2A) receptors, similar to psilocybin, producing temporary changes in perception, emotional access, and self-referential thought. The MAOI component slows the breakdown of DMT, extending the experience and shaping its character, ayahuasca is often experienced as more emotional and visionary than psilocybin.

For research foundations see ayahuasca research.

Legal framework

DMT is a Schedule I substance under federal law. Ceremonia holds ayahuasca ceremony as sacramental religious practice within a 508(c)(1)(a) church framework, drawing on protections established by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Read more about RFRA and 508(c)(1)(a) status.

How Ceremonia holds ayahuasca ceremony

Medical screening before participation (MAOI interactions are serious, diet and medication review is required)
Preparation calls and intention-setting in the weeks before
Ceremony in cohort, overnight, with facilitators and on-site medical staff
Integration support in the weeks following

For the full method see How It Works. For safety considerations specific to ayahuasca, see medication interactions.

Talk with a facilitator

History and lineage

Ayahuasca has been used ceremonially in the Upper Amazon for at least several centuries, likely much longer. Indigenous traditions including the Shipibo, Shuar, Ashaninka, and many others developed the brew, the icaros (medicine songs), and the ceremonial container. Twentieth-century syncretic churches, Santo Daime, União do Vegetal, Barquinha, carried the medicine into the Brazilian and global mainstream, blending Christian and indigenous cosmologies.

Ceremonia honors these lineages without claiming them. We are a Western-rooted 508(c)(1)(a) church holding ayahuasca as sacrament; we are not a Shipibo lineage, a Daime hymnal, or a curandero tradition. Read more about our inspiration-not-appropriation approach.

What the research shows

Ayahuasca research is earlier-stage than psilocybin research, but a growing body of work documents effects on mood, neurogenesis, and trauma processing.

Depression (Palhano-Fontes et al., 2019) — randomized placebo-controlled trial in treatment-resistant depression showed significant reductions at 7 days post-dose. Published in Psychological Medicine.
Neurogenesis (Morales-García et al., 2017) — harmine and tetrahydroharmine (the β-carbolines in the brew) promote neurogenesis in adult human stem cells in vitro. Published in Scientific Reports.
Long-term safety (Bouso et al., 2012) — long-term ceremonial users showed no cognitive impairment relative to controls; some scored better on neuropsychiatric measures. Published in PLOS ONE.
Default mode network (Palhano-Fontes et al., 2015) — fMRI shows ayahuasca decreases DMN activity during the experience, similar to psilocybin. Published in PLOS ONE.

Research is preliminary. Ayahuasca is not FDA-approved for any condition. See our research summary for primary citations.

Contraindications and safety

Ayahuasca contains MAO inhibitors (β-carbolines). Combining MAOIs with certain medications, foods, or other substances can cause serotonin syndrome or hypertensive crisis— both medical emergencies. Screening and pre-retreat preparation are not optional.

Conditions and substances we screen for:

SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, tricyclics — require supervised tapering well before retreat
Tramadol, dextromethorphan, lithium, St. John’s wort, 5-HTP
Stimulants (amphetamines, cocaine), MDMA
Tyramine-rich foods (aged cheese, cured meats, fermented soy) — avoided in the days before
Personal or family history of psychosis or schizophrenia spectrum
Bipolar I disorder
Significant cardiovascular conditions, uncontrolled hypertension
Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Recent or active suicidal ideation requiring crisis-level care

Full screening and tapering protocol is at medication interactions and contraindications.

What to expect during ceremony

Ceremonies are held overnight and follow a consistent arc:

Opening (evening): Cohort gathers, intentions spoken, the room is prepared — candles, music, blankets, mats. The first cup is served.
Onset (30–60 min): Body sensitivity increases. Some experience purging — physical, emotional, or both. Purging is part of the medicine for many traditions.
Peak (1–3 hrs): Visionary and emotional content surface. Music — sometimes icaros sung by experienced facilitators — guides the journey.
Optional second cup (around 2 hrs): Deepens the experience.
Descent (3–6 hrs): Quieter integration. Many people sleep, write, or sit in silence.
Morning: Cohort gathers for breakfast and a sharing circle.

Read more about the full retreat structure.

Where: Baja, Mexico

Our ayahuasca retreats are held at a private beachfront retreat property on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, in partnership with our venue host Yandara. The setting is intentional: ocean, sun, open sky, and the deep quiet of the Baja desert. Sun pavilion, deluxe-tent and standard-room lodging, daily chef-prepared meals (vegetarian default, with optional fresh local fish, gluten-free and vegan accommodations), and direct beach access.

See the venue at retreat-center/baja-mexico.

Integration after ceremony

The ceremony is a doorway. What you do in the days, weeks, and months afterward is the work that determines lasting change. Ceremonia includes:

Daily integration check-ins for the first week after retreat
Weekly group integration calls for weeks two through four
Optional 4-month Awaken at Home extension for deeper integration
Access to alumni community for ongoing support

Ayahuasca is not for everyone

If you have any contraindication, are not willing to taper relevant medications under physician guidance, or are looking for a recreational experience, this is not the right work for you. We turn away applicants when participation would not be safe. Saying no is part of saying yes.