OBJECTIVES: Ayahuasca (AYA), a natural psychedelic brew prepared from Amazonian plants and rich in dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmine, causes effects of subjective well-being and may therefore have antidepressant actions. This study sought to evaluate the effects of a single dose of AYA in six volunteers with a current depressive episode. METHODS: Open-label trial conducted in an inpatient psychiatric unit. RESULTS: Statistically significant reductions of up to 82% in depressive scores were observed between baseline and 1, 7, and 21 days after AYA administration, as measured on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Anxious-Depression subscale of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). AYA administration resulted in nonsignificant changes in Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) scores and in the thinking disorder subscale of the BPRS, suggesting that AYA does not induce episodes of mania and/or hypomania in patients with mood disorders and that modifications in thought content, which could indicate psychedelic effects, are not essential for mood improvement. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that AYA has fast-acting anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in patients with a depressive disorder.
OBJECTIVES: Ayahuasca (AYA), a natural psychedelic brew prepared from Amazonian plants and rich in dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmine, causes effects of subjective well-being and may therefore have antidepressant actions. This study sought to evaluate the effects of a single dose of AYA in six volunteers with a current depressive episode. METHODS: Open-label trial conducted in an inpatient psychiatric unit. RESULTS: Statistically significant reductions of up to 82% in depressive scores were observed between baseline and 1, 7, and 21 days after AYA administration, as measured on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Anxious-Depression subscale of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). AYA administration resulted in nonsignificant changes in Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) scores and in the thinking disorder subscale of the BPRS, suggesting that AYA does not induce episodes of mania and/or hypomania in patients with mood disorders and that modifications in thought content, which could indicate psychedelic effects, are not essential for mood improvement. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that AYA has fast-acting anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in patients with a depressive disorder.
Authors: Rafael G Dos Santos; Flávia L Osório; José Alexandre S Crippa; Jordi Riba; Antônio W Zuardi; Jaime E C Hallak Journal: Ther Adv Psychopharmacol Date: 2016-03-18
Authors: A V Lebedev; M Kaelen; M Lövdén; J Nilsson; A Feilding; D J Nutt; R L Carhart-Harris Journal: Hum Brain Mapp Date: 2016-05-06 Impact factor: 5.038
Authors: Joaquim Soler; Matilde Elices; Alba Franquesa; Steven Barker; Pablo Friedlander; Amanda Feilding; Juan C Pascual; Jordi Riba Journal: Psychopharmacology (Berl) Date: 2015-11-27 Impact factor: 4.530