What’s Brewing? NO NEED TO GET ON A PLANE TO PERU TO EXPERIENCE THE HEALING BENEFITS OF AYAHUASCA, A PLANT MEDICINE USED FOR EVERYTHING FROM PERSONAL EXPLORATION TO TREATING DEPRESSION, PTSD AND ADDICTION. B.C. HAS A THRIVING (UNDERGROUND) COMMUNITY OF FACILITATORS. BY F R E YA WA ST E N E YS
PHOTO: BRIAN VAN TIGHEM / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
D
own a gravel road alongside a picturesque river, Vancouver Island’s lush second-growth opens up to a small clearing and an unassuming settlement. A mellow, white dog wanders around the property, lolling between the main cabin, a large yurt, a vegetable garden, an artist studio and a tarped mound that turns out to be a sweat lodge. Rows of vehicles hint at those in attendance. There are the expected hippie-sleepers—VW vans and the like—but the odd BMW and mini-van are notable in the mix. This weekend, a small cross-section of society has converged on this quiet corner of the Island to experience what’s been described in correspondence as a “plant-based meditation.” This is one of the many covert ayahuasca retreats where people have gathered to be led in ceremony by trained facilitators. Protected by word-of-mouth, and a case-by-case trust system, the location is suitably remote, but not quite the trek to South America that was once required. Ayahuasca, or yagé, is a brew made primarily from stems of the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi), and most often boiled with the leaves of the chacruna plant (Psychotria viridis). Bitter to taste, the concoction is deeply rooted in the spiritual practices of the indigenous peoples of South America. On their own, the ingredients have no effect, but when combined, the MAO inhibitor of the ayahuasca vine allows the DMT of the chacruna plant to enter the circulatory system. The effect is an intense, spiritual psychoactive experience which takes the form of vivid hallucinations, and sometimes vomiting. The brew has been
MAY 2018
still 39
