Hypotheses regarding the mechanisms of ayahuasca in the treatment of addictions

Introduction

Liester and Prickett situate ayahuasca as a traditional Amazonian plant preparation used for healing and spiritual purposes for millennia. The brew combines Banisteriopsis caapi, which contains beta-carboline monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), with plants such as Psychotria viridis that contain N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). When taken together these constituents produce profound alterations of consciousness, and ayahuasca has increasingly been reported as a treatment for substance addictions. Despite growing clinical and popular interest, the mechanism by which ayahuasca might reduce addictive behaviours remains unclear. This paper sets out to synthesise existing biochemical, physiological, psychological, and historical literature in order to generate mechanistic hypotheses. Rather than report new empirical data, Liester and Prickett propose four interrelated hypotheses—biochemical, physiological, psychological, and transcendent—that together might explain ayahuasca's putative anti-addiction effects and identify directions for future research and validation.