Ayahuasca Diet: Restrictions required before the retreat
During the 2 weeks prior, abstain from:
- Any natural/psychedelic medicines (including San Pedro, Ayahuasca, mushrooms, LSD, cannabis, kambo, snuff, etc.)
- All street drugs (cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines, etc.)
- Sexual activities of any kind, including masturbation.
- Alcohol
- Pork
- Spicy foods
- Ice, ice cream or iced drinks.
During the previous week, abstain from:
- Refined sugars
- Red meat
- Junk food
- Excess salt (only add salt to food if necessary for health reasons and keep it to a minimum)
- Sweets or chocolate
- Oils (if you must use oil, use olive or coconut oil in moderation)
- Animal fats (lard, etc. )
- Carbonated beverages (including diet sodas, energy drinks, non-alcoholic beer, sparkling water, etc.)
- Dairy products
- Fermented foods
- Caffeine and other stimulants
Additional restrictions:
- IMPORTANT: Please contact us if you are currently taking any medications or supplements.
- If you will be menstruating during the retreat, please inform your facilitators when you arrive.
- Ayahuasca is not compatible with pregnancy.
- Avoid synthetic soaps, perfumes, toiletries, etc.

By eliminating the above from your diet, you will physically prepare your body for the ayahuasca journey and perhaps also reduce the amount of “purging” needed to cleanse your physical body. In addition to the physical aspects, by demonstrating your commitment and determination to ayahuasca and the master plants, you are creating the foundation of your relationship with them and offering them the respect that is essential to this work.
Mandatory post retreat restrictions
For 3 days afterwards:
- Protect the crown of your head (your head) from sunlight and rain.
- Refrain from ice, ice cream or iced drinks.
For 1 week after, abstain from:
- Spicy foods
- Dairy products
- Red meat
- Light massage (gentle, therapeutic massage)
- Intense exercise (gym and weight work, intense running, etc.)
- Perform energy work as a practitioner (and in some cases, it is better to wait 2 weeks, consult with healers during your stay at the Temple)
For 2 weeks after, abstain from:
- Sexual activities of any kind, including masturbation.
- Alcohol

Ayahuasca is a plant used in traditional and ancestral medicine. It is the result of combining chacruna and ayahuasca, resulting in a brew derived from two Quechua words: "aya," meaning dead, and "huasca," meaning rope. This is why it is known as "the rope of the dead" or "the vine of souls." For this reason, it is also considered a powerful plant. It does not generate any dependency or toxicity compared to a drug with these characteristics.

No, they are not the same. The word "ayahuasca" refers to an ancient infusion whose primary ingredient is the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi). Ayahuasca is a sacred plant from the Amazon rainforest that provides healing and self-knowledge.

On the other hand, San Pedro is known as the spiritual guide, the male plant of the Andes, which expands consciousness to cosmic dimensions.

these drugs and treatments can be dangerous if taken with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs):
- Medications for breathing problems such as asthma or bronchitis, as well as antihistamines and drugs for colds, sinusitis, hay fever or allergies (e.g., Actifed DM, Benadryl, Benylin, Chlor-Trimeton, Compoz, Bromarest-DM or -DX, Dimetane-DX cough syrup, Dristan Cold & Flu, Phenergan with Dextromethorphan, Robitussin-DM, Vicks formula 44-D, and various Tylenol products for colds, coughs and flu, among others, especially those with DM or Tuss in the name).
- Other monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Medications for hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Appetite control supplements (diet pills)
- Central nervous system depressants
- Antipsychotic medications
- Barbiturates
- Alcohol

Illegal or recreational drugs that are extremely dangerous in combination with MAOIs:
- Cocaine
- Amphetamines (such as methamphetamine, dextroamphetamine)
- MDMA (ecstasy)
- MDA
- MDEA
- PMA
- Dextromethorphan (DXM)
- Opioids
- Mezcaline (any psychoactive phenylethylamine)

Other psychoactives to avoid with MAOIs:
- Kratom
- Kava

It is not necessary to be vaccinated if you are coming to Cusco.
However, it is recommended and important to have vaccines against dengue fever from mosquito bites if you are going to do ayahuasca in the jungle.

Yes, it is safe as long as it is done under the supervision of a shaman during the whole ceremony. Ayahuasca should never be taken on an outpatient basis.

The word “ayahuasca” designates an ancestral infusion whose primary ingredient is the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi). This vine is cooked, usually mixed with at least one other sacred plant, to create a dark liquid that is consumed during healing ceremonies conducted by Amazonian sages known as ayahuasqueros. The effects of this infusion can vary greatly, depending on the admixture plants used, the guidance of the healer during the ceremony and a number of enigmatic and profound factors.

Since time immemorial, ayahuasca has been a mainstay of medicine in the Peruvian Amazon, long before the arrival of the Spanish, the formation of the Inca Empire, and even before written history. The oldest ayahuasca-related object known to date is a ceremonial cup carved in stone, dating from a culture that ended in 50 A.D. It was discovered in Ecuador and is now housed in the Ethnological Museum of the Central University in Quito. In the Peruvian Amazon, its use goes back even further in time.
The main tryptamine in ayahuasca is Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT. This natural biochemical substance is believed to be secreted by the pineal gland of the human brain, especially during sleep. Rick Strassman, author of ‘DMT Spirit Molecule’, proposed that 49 days after the development of the human embryo, the pineal gland produces a much larger amount of Dimethyltryptamine than usual. The only other time this occurs naturally is at the time of death. Thus, Strassman concluded that DMT production is a chemical expression of a spiritual event, the entrance and exit of the spirit into and out of the physical body. Dimethyltryptamine is found in numerous species of plants and animals throughout the world.

Although some scientists describe the ayahuasca experience as a simple oral experience of DMT activated by a beta-carboline MAO inhibitor, this view fails to capture the complexity of the experience. The dynamics of the ayahuasca experience are much more intricate, thanks in part to the ayahuasca vine itself, which is said to bring ‘wisdom’ to the experience. This idea is supported by almost all cultures that use ayahuasca in the Amazon rainforest.

In reality, ayahuasca is part of a complex, multifaceted and mysterious healing phenomenon that defies chemical or scientific reductions and simplifications. Ayahuasca is not just a ‘drug’ or ‘medicine’ that acts on a passive recipient; it is a relationship that involves numerous factors, including the intention of the drinker and the role of the healer, who uses his or her experience and connection with the ayahuasca spirit (as well as with other plants) to guide and deepen the healing.

Ayahuasca is being evaluated as a possible therapy for addictions. Centers such as Takiwasi in Peru, the União do Vegetal (UDV) and the Churches of Santo Daime in Brazil offer treatments for personal growth as well as for addictions, depression and post-traumatic stress, especially in people with a history of addiction.

"The ayahuasca stems are cut into small pieces without leaves. In a pot, a layer of chacruna leaves without stems is placed at the bottom. The small pieces of ayahuasca are crushed with stones and then a layer of them is placed on top of the chacruna. Everything is covered with a new layer of chacruna leaves and then water is added to cover all the contents. It is made to boil for three hours, adding water when necessary and taking care that the foam does not overflow and is lost. Then it is left to cool, the liquid is transferred and the chacruna is discarded. The ayahuasca pieces are crushed again and everything is boiled for two hours or more.

Having a period during the retreat is not a cause for concern. Occasionally, the Shipibo healers at the Temple may ask a woman to slightly reduce her ayahuasca dose on the first day of her period or when her flow is heaviest, if there is a ceremony that night. Women tend to be more sensitive to ayahuasca at this time, so reducing the dose generally doesn't change much.

Ayahuasca is not addictive; on the contrary, it helps with addiction problems related to tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.

You must inform us before the start of the tour to take it into account.

Of course, you just need to inform us of the type of diet so we can help you.

Yes, we have four ceremonies you can add, and you can also add an additional ayahuasca ceremony for an additional cost.
• Coca leaf reading
• Payment to the Earth
• Energy cleansing
• Flowering bath
• San Pedro retreat
• Additional ayahuasca ceremony

You can visit Machu Picchu with us, or you can opt for the 3-day tour.

Yes, just contact our staff for a personalized tour.