The Ayahuasca Experience: A Sourcebook on the Sacred Vine of Spirits (New Edition of Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca)

Ayahuasca is presented as an Amazonian entheogenic brew used by Indigenous shamans and adapted in Western medical and psychological discussions. The book frames ayahuasca through its botanical components, explaining that Banisteriopsis caapi and the DMT containing plant Psychotria viridis work together through MAO inhibition to enable oral DMT activity and visionary effects. It positions ayahuasca as a “plant teacher” and source of healing and divination, linking its ritual use in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador to altered states and spiritual encounters. The sourcebook spans scientific discovery, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and neuropharmacology, while also including contributions from major researchers and firsthand accounts of ritual experiences and life changes. It also connects ayahuasca visions to broader questions about modern worldviews and discusses potential applications in medicine and psychology.