ReviewCurrent neuropharmacology2019
Ayahuasca: Psychological and Physiologic Effects, Pharmacology and Potential Uses in Addiction and Mental Illness.
Review in Current neuropharmacology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05894902 (Open-Label Dose-Ranging Study of Oral SM-001 in Healthy Adults), which is not on this map. Cited by 61 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Open-Label Dose-Ranging Study of Oral SM-001 in Healthy Adults
Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 174 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelics in Treating Substance Use Disorders: A Review of Clinical Trials.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of ayahuasca in preclinical studies with animals: a systematic review.Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologica · 2025Pooled it
- Adverse events in clinical treatments with serotonergic psychedelics and MDMA: A mixed-methods systematic review.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2022Pooled it
- The pharmacological interaction of compounds in ayahuasca: a systematic review.Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999)Pooled it
- Rapid and sustained decreases in suicidality following a single dose of ayahuasca among individuals with recurrent major depressive disorder: results from an open-label trial.Psychopharmacology · 2021Trial
- Ayahuasca Impairs Fear Memory Reconsolidation and Promotes Rapid Structural Plasticity in the Hippocampus and Prelimbic Cortex.Molecular neurobiology · 2026Article
- Ayahuasca and Its Main ComponentBiomedicines · 2026Review
- The therapeutic potential of ayahuasca in depression, generalized anxiety, and substance use disorders: modulation of the depressive burden in a longitudinal study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Psilocybin and ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: clinical evidence, methodological constraints and ethical challenges: a narrative review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Predicting drug-drug interactions between ayahuasca alkaloids and SSRIs using physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2026Article
- Efficacy and Safety of Psychedelics in Mental Disorder Cases: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine diminishes connectivity between the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens: relevance to pathologies of mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Review
- Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Potential Benefits and Challenges in Mental Health Treatment.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2025Review
- Psychedelic Drugs in Mental Disorders: Current Clinical Scope and Deep Learning-Based Advanced Perspectives.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- Review
- Article
- Psychedelics and schizophrenia: a double-edged sword.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Review
- Unveiling the Complexities of Medications, Substance Abuse, and Plants for Recreational and Narcotic Purposes: An In-Depth Analysis.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- From taboo to treatment: The emergence of psychedelics in the management of pain and opioid use disorder.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2024Review
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAyahuasca, a traditional Amazonian decoction with psychoactive properties, is made from bark of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine (containing beta-carboline alkaloids) and leaves of the Psychotria viridis bush (supplying the hallucinogen N,N-dimethyltryptamine, DMT). Originally used by indigenous shamans for the purposes of spirit communication, magical experiences, healing, and religious rituals across several South American countries, ayahuasca has been incorporated into folk medicine and spiritual healing, and several Brazilian churches use it routinely to foster a spiritual experience. More recently, it is being used in Europe and North America, not only for religious or healing reasons, but also for recreation.
objectiveTo review ayahuasca's behavioral effects, possible adverse effects, proposed mechanisms of action and potential clinical uses in mental illness.
methodWe searched Medline, in English, using the terms ayahuasca, dimethyltryptamine, Banisteriopsis caapi, and Psychotria viridis and reviewed the relevant publications.
resultsThe following aspects of ayahuasca are summarized: Political and legal factors; acute and chronic psychological effects; electrophysiological studies and imaging; physiological effects; safety and adverse effects; pharmacology; potential psychiatric uses.
conclusionMany years of shamanic wisdom have indicated potential therapeutic uses for ayahuasca, and several present day studies suggest that it may be useful for treating various psychiatric disorders and addictions. The side effect profile appears to be relatively mild, but more detailed studies need to be done. Several prominent researchers believe that government regulations with regard to ayahuasca should be relaxed so that it could be provided more readily to recognized, credible researchers to conduct comprehensive clinical trials.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.