Ask Dr. Maté –
July 8, 2018 – Alternative therapies and medicinal plants are definitely having a moment. Last week the FDA approved a seizure medication derived from cannabis, and now ayahuasca, a psychedelic drug, is being studied as a treatment for depression. Despite its questionable legal status, ayahuasca has been finding its way into mainstream culture on shows like Weeds and in the Ben Stiller movie While We’re Young for years. In the wellness world, the hallucinogenic drug has become a trendy gateway to cleansing and spiritual awakening with ayahuasca ceremonies held in yoga studios and organized trips to South America (think a yoga retreat but with an added element). Ayahuasca is a combination of brewed plants that has traditionally been used for spiritual and religious purposes by indigenous people of the Amazon Basin. In the 1960s many psychedelics, including ayahuasca and LSD, were studied for their promising psychiatric benefits…
