Medical-Grade Ayahuasca Retreats
In a surprising bit of recent news, the Toronto Star recently reported that a Canadian psychedelic drug company just developed medical-grade ayahuasca that could potentially be offered at ayahuasca retreats in the not-so-distant future.
So what’s so medical-grade about it? They say that their processing of the ingredients results in “standardized and measurable levels of the active ingredients”, and this is apparently necessary as the CEO of the company (Filament Health) – Ben Lightburn – says he’s working towards an FDA-approved Ayahuasca trial in 2023.
Interestingly, their approach is to focus on the traditional brew instead of focusing solely on DMT, which is where most researchers tend to focus on.
Instead, Ben and his team suspect that the both of the plants that are traditionally used in the brew – Chacruna and the Ayahuasca vine – provide health benefits, which might be connected with anti-depressant properties of MAOIs.
And to that I say…
It seems as though being able to offer a brew that’s been standardized in terms of quality and potency could be a move in the right direction for Ayahuasca retreats, and it’s certainly exciting to see research and development in this area as we creep toward legalization.
So what are your thoughts on the potential for medical-grade Ayahuasca? I welcome your thoughts in the comments below.
Cheers,
Tim G.
AyaAdvisors.org
