Halpern John H, Sherwood Andrea R, Passie Torsten, Blackwell Kimberly C, Ruttenber A James
Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA.
Med Sci Monit. 2008 Aug;14(8):SR15-22.
Ayahuasca is a South American hallucinogenic tea used as a sacrament by the Santo Daime Church, other religions, and traditional peoples. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision indicates religious ayahuasca use is protected, but little is known about health consequences for Americans.
MATERIAL/METHODS: 32 (out of 40) American members of one branch of the Santo Daime Church were interviewed providing demographic information, physical exam, drug use timeline, a variety of psychological measures, and data about childhood conduct disorder. Subjects were asked about extent of Church participation, what is liked least and most about ayahuasca, and what health benefits or harms they attribute to ayahuasca.
Members usually attend services weekly (lifetime 269+/-314.7 ceremonies; range 20-1300). Physical exam and test scores revealed healthy subjects. Members claimed psychological and physical benefits from ayahuasca. 19 subjects met lifetime criteria for a psychiatric disorder, with 6 in partial remission, 13 in full remission, and 8 reporting induction of remission through Church participation. 24 subjects had drug or alcohol abuse or dependence histories with 22 in full remission, and all 5 with prior alcohol dependence describing Church participation as the turning point in their recovery.
Conclusions should not be extrapolated to hallucinogen abusers of the general public. For those who have religious need for ingesting ayahuasca, from a psychiatric and medical perspective, these pilot results substantiate some claims of benefit, especially if subjects interviewed fully reflect general membership. Further research is warranted with blinded raters, matched comparison groups, and other measures to overcome present study limitations.
死藤水是一种南美致幻茶，被圣多美教会、其他宗教团体及传统民族用作宗教仪式用品。美国最高法院近期一项裁决表明，宗教用途的死藤水使用受到保护，但美国人使用死藤水对健康产生的影响却鲜为人知。
材料/方法：对圣多美教会一个分支的40名美国成员中的32人进行了访谈，收集了他们的人口统计学信息、体格检查结果、吸毒时间线、各种心理测量数据以及童年品行障碍的数据。研究对象被问及参与教会活动的程度、对死藤水最不喜欢和最喜欢的地方，以及他们认为死藤水对健康有哪些益处或危害。
成员们通常每周参加仪式（一生中参加269±314.7次仪式；范围为20 - 1300次）。体格检查和测试分数显示研究对象身体健康。成员们称死藤水对心理和身体有益。19名研究对象符合终生精神障碍标准，其中6人部分缓解，13人完全缓解，8人报告通过参与教会活动病情得到缓解。24名研究对象有药物或酒精滥用或依赖史，其中22人完全缓解，所有5名曾有酒精依赖的研究对象均将参与教会活动描述为他们康复的转折点。
本研究结论不应外推至一般公众中的致幻剂滥用者。对于那些有宗教需求而摄入死藤水的人，从精神病学和医学角度来看，这些初步结果证实了一些有益的说法，尤其是如果接受访谈的研究对象能充分反映普通成员情况的话。有必要进行进一步研究，采用盲法评估者、匹配的对照组以及其他措施来克服本研究的局限性。
