Word: ayahuasca
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Hamilton Souther, a California native who moved to Peru in 2001 to learn about medicinal plants from local Indians. After receiving the title of master shaman, Souther set up Blue Morpho, a collection of charming thatch-roofed huts and nature trails with a ceremonial roundhouse where Souther offers ayahuasca sessions for a mostly U.S. crowd. As the only full-fledged gringo shaman in the Peruvian Amazon, Souther is a natural interpreter for tourists navigating the mysteries of traditional Indian culture and its sacred plants. "These are people who are interested in their own spiritual growth and development," Souther says...
...Many of Souther's guests shun alcohol and recreational drugs. Some experiment with ayahuasca to address emotional, physical or psychological problems that Western medicine has failed to alleviate. Others hope to time-travel in order to confront childhood traumas. Some even view ayahuasca as a way to kick their addiction to prescription drugs...
...Although traditional-medicine practices had been waning in some Indian communities in Latin America, ayahuasca tourism has helped spark a revival, as guiding foreigners through the ceremonies can provide a decent income for shamans. The business has become so popular that at the airports in Iquitos and the Colombian Amazon city of Leticia, locals trying to drum up clients for freelance medicine men stand outside the terminals shouting "Ayahuasca! Ayahuasca...
...Outsiders, however, are advised to proceed with caution. Even among devotees, there's a consensus that people with heart ailments, high blood pressure or mental disorders should steer clear of ayahuasca. And, Souther says, mixed with certain foods or recreational drugs like cocaine, ayahuasca can be toxic, even fatal...
...Despite these provisos, Weiskopf, who says he has taken the tonic hundreds of times "with everyone from guerrillas to government ministers," remains a passionate advocate for ayahuasca. A growing flock of travelers are heading to Latin America to explore the experience for themselves...