Zuzanna Sadowska - Força (power) and ayahuasca multiplicity

Ayahuasca brewed from Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis is not a singular substance within the social context of Acre, Brazil. Instead, it is ontologically multiple, defined primarily by its forca - a concept of power or force - rather than its chemical composition. These various forms emerge through the social practices, relations, and settings surrounding the preparation and use of the brew, which are intended to stabilize and direct its effects toward healing. At the Via da Paz drug treatment center, the use of ayahuasca is a central sacrament used alongside community support and individual therapy. The brew acts to stabilize people within specific social structures, helping individuals transition out of street life through a commitment to collective and sober living. The study emphasizes that current psychedelic medicalization often overlooks these vital social contexts, reducing the complex, relationally dependent nature of ayahuasca to a simplistic 'magic bullet'.