If you are still deciding whether to do this at all
Three articles, in the order we send them by email. The first is designed to talk the wrong person out of it.
Cusco, Peru · 11,150 feet · Written by the people in the room
Blog
Most writing about ayahuasca is either mystical or promotional. This is neither. It is what we tell guests on screening calls, written down so you can read it before you contact anybody — including the parts that talk you out of coming.
No cure claims
Ayahuasca is not a treatment for any condition, and nothing here will suggest otherwise.
Research cited with its limits
Where studies exist we name the sample size and what they do not show.
Written by staff, not an agency
The physician, the integration leads and the founder. Reviewed before publishing.
Latest
Medical screening28 August 2026
Ayahuasca Safety: The Altitude Rules Nobody Publishes
69.9% of drinkers get a physical adverse effect and 2.3% need a doctor. The 7 conditions that rule a person out, and the second screening list that only applies above 8,000 feet.
Every retreat page publishes a contraindication list. Almost none of them mention altitude, and the CDC has a separate list for anywhere above 2,450 m. Cusco sits at 11,150 feet, so both lists apply here.
More articles
The rest of what we have published so far
Research28 August 2026
Ayahuasca And Depression: What The Research Actually Says
We recomputed the statistics in the most-cited study and found 4 errors. What 40 first-time drinkers actually showed, and what no centre can claim.
Ceremony28 August 2026
How Long Does Ayahuasca Last? The 3 Clocks
4 to 6 hours of drug, 7 hours in the room, 3 months to the number that counts. Most articles collapse all three into one.
Start here
Where to start, if you are new to this
Most people arrive at a blog like this through one search and leave without finding the article that would actually have helped. This is the sequence we send by email.
Browse by topic
Or find the one thing you came for
Nothing here is medical advice, and no article on this site will tell you that ayahuasca treats a condition. If you want a question answered that we have not written about, ask and we will answer by email — and if it is a good question, it becomes the next article.
No charge to apply · reviewed within 48 hours
Read enough. Send us the awkward question.
A physician reads every application before anyone takes a payment, and about one in five does not proceed. Nothing is charged either way, and a no comes with the reason in writing.