Many people have found great healing through the powerful tea blend of ayahausca, made up of two amazonian plants married together into a brew. The brew has been used for thousands of years. As with any medicine whether it be natural or pharmaceutical, there can be side effects. Ayahausca is classed as an MAO inhibitor (Meaning it inhibits amines such as dopamine + serotonin keeping them in the synapse for longer. Individuals who carry a slow MAO gene are therefore more at risk of psychosis. This is due to these individuals already having an excess of serotonin which cannot be adequately processed and cleared from the synapse.
If your MAO gene is naturally slow to process these amines, the additional amines consumed from ayahausca can be excessive hence serotonin syndrome becomes a risk. Other individuals who are not recommended to consume this plant medicine are those who have been prescribed SSRI medication. For further information please read an article I previously wrote for Mind Medicine Australia discussing the safety around Ayahuasca.
