Amazonian Medicine and the Psychedelic Revival: Considering the “Dieta”

Background: In Peruvian Amazonian medicine, plant diets ( dietas ) are a fundamental and highly flexible technique with variety of uses: from treating preventing illness, to increasing strength resilience, rites passage, learning even medicine itself. Many the plants used in psychoactive; for example, one now well-known that can be dieted is Banisteriopsis caapi —the vine also psychoactive brew ayahuasca . The use has attracted clinical attention towards recent decades, much work focused on potent DMT-containing brew, thus placing tradition within purview psychedelic science. Aims: comparison ayahuasca, properties have been studied less often. Our draws data healers examine as medical practices, while considering their fit “set setting framework” central research. We argue framework not sufficiently broad understanding diets, investigation aimed expand conceptual field particularly context renewed science its theoretical concepts. Design: qualitative interviews healers, applying thematic analysis contrasting findings available literature. Setting: Interviews were conducted various locations San Martín province Peru between 2015 2017. Participants: selected interviewed eight who had extensively trained traditional medicine. Measures: Semi-structured gain insight into healers’ personal experiences diets. Conclusions: Diets complex but understudied practices should explained by reference pharmacology or psychology only. Intercultural interdisciplinary research programmes called order only better understand whole.