Ayahuasca effects are a combination of pharmacology, pharmacogenetics, bodily response to the substance, and the set and setting circumstances. Sometimes, even after a mega-dose of ayahuasca, users report having no results, showing that the experience is complex and case-by-case dependent.
This episode explores the pharmacopoeia of plants around ayahuasca, including its admixture plants and the dieta training of the curanderos. It also examines the misconception that ayahuasca has been fully understood in terms of botany, chemistry, and pharmacology.
Long regarded as primitive superstition by Western scientists, the use of pepper in Amazonian medicine was found to increase the bioavailability of certain poisons, allowing them to take faster effect. This has led to its adoption as a key ingredient in modern anesthesia, and highlights the potential for the study and application of traditional medicine in new contexts.
This podcast discusses the mystifying null experience of ayahuasca and how the unique circumstances surrounding the absorption and elimination of the substance affect its potency. There is a mention of how ayahuasca can also be considered as a learned experience and the podcast touches on the issue of having zero effect experiences with the substance.