Evidence of health and safety in American members of a religion who use a hallucinogenic sacrament
This qualitative interview study (n=32) analysed the self-report of interviewees, recruited from the community of the Santo Daime Church, who use ayahuasca as a religious sacrament. Interviewees attributed psychological and physical benefits to their ayahuasca use and reported the remission of psychiatric disorders and drug abuse.
Authors
- Thomas Passie
- James Halpern
Published
Abstract
Background
Ayahuasca is a South American hallucinogenic tea used as a sacrament by the Santo Daime Church, other religions, and traditional peoples. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision indicates religious ayahuasca use is protected, but little is known about health consequences for Americans.Material and Method: 32 (out of 40) American members of one branch of the Santo Daime Church were interviewed providing demographic information, physical exam, drug use timeline, a variety of psychological measures, and data about childhood conduct disorder. Subjects were asked about extent of Church participation, what is liked least and most about ayahuasca, and what health benefits or harms they attribute to ayahuasca.
Results
Members usually attend services weekly (lifetime 269+/-314.7 ceremonies; range 20-1300). Physical exam and test scores revealed healthy subjects. Members claimed psychological and physical benefits from ayahuasca. 19 subjects met lifetime criteria for a psychiatric disorder, with 6 in partial remission, 13 in full remission, and 8 reporting induction of remission through Church participation. 24 subjects had drug or alcohol abuse or dependence histories with 22 in full remission, and all 5 with prior alcohol dependence describing Church participation as the turning point in their recovery.
Conclusions
Conclusions should not be extrapolated to hallucinogen abusers of the general public. For those who have religious need for ingesting ayahuasca, from a psychiatric and medical perspective, these pilot results substantiate some claims of benefit, especially if subjects interviewed fully reflect general membership. Further research is warranted with blinded raters, matched comparison groups, and other measures to overcome present study limitations.
Research Summary of 'Evidence of health and safety in American members of a religion who use a hallucinogenic sacrament'
Introduction
Halpern and colleagues situate their study in the ethnobotanical and legal context of ayahuasca, a traditional South American sacramental tea containing DMT and reversible MAO inhibitors. Earlier research characterises the pharmacology and acute subjective effects of ayahuasca and reports relatively few harms when used in ritual settings; however, most published samples have been Brazilian and little systematic data exist about American members of ayahuasca religions. The authors note relevant legal developments in the United States, including an Oregon exemption and a 2006 U.S. Supreme Court ruling permitting religious importation for a related church, which together raise public-health questions about the safety and longer-term consequences of sacramental ayahuasca use in American congregations. This study therefore set out to perform an initial health and safety evaluation of active members of one Santo Daime community in the United States. The investigators aimed to collect demographic, medical, psychiatric and substance-use data, plus self-reported benefits and harms attributed to church participation, using standardised psychiatric interviews and rating scales. The study is presented as a pilot assessment intended to inform further, more definitive research rather than to establish causal claims about ayahuasca use in the wider population.
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Study Details
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- APA Citation
(2008). Evidence of health and safety in American members of a religion who use a hallucinogenic sacrament. Medical Science Monitor.
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