American tourist dies after drinking hallucinogenic herbal tea in Amazon rainforest
An American tourist has reportedly died after drinking hallucinogenic herbal tea during an ayahuasca session in Peru.
The 41-year-old man, said to be from Alabama, died in Santa María de Ojeal in the Loreto region of the Amazon Rainforest on 2 June, reported local outlet Canal N Peru.
Narciso López, coordinator of the Forensic Medicine Department in Loreto, told Canal N that the American suffered multiple organ failure with complications including pleural effusion and acute pancreatitis shortly after consuming the psychoactive brew.
Autopsy testing at the central morgue in Iquitos will determine the official cause of death, said Lopez.
According to Canal N, the tourist had not reported taking antibiotics at the time of ingesting ayahuasca.
It is thought that mixing ayahuasca with antibiotics can create an adverse reaction.
The outlet added that the ayahuasca ceremony took place at a spiritual hostel in Santa María de Ojeal.
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew prepared from the bark of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and a plant containing dimethyltryptamine (DMT), traditionally used by indigenous communities in the Amazon.
The psychoactive substance is illegal to consume in several countries, including the US.
Many tourists try the drug in South America, often marketed to travellers as a 'ceremonial' or 'spiritual cleanser'.
In January 2025, the US Embassy in Peru issued a health alert warning tourists not to 'ingest or use traditional hallucinogens, often referred to as ayahuasca or kambo'.
It said: 'Ayahuasca can cause several negative health effects, including nausea, vomiting, increased heart rate, and even death. Some of the long-term effects include psychosis, difficulty sleeping, neurological diseases, and ongoing hallucinations.
'In 2024, several U.S. citizens died or experienced severe illness, including mental health episodes, following consumption of ayahuasca.'
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The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
American tourist dies after drinking hallucinogenic herbal tea in Amazon rainforest
An American tourist has reportedly died after drinking hallucinogenic herbal tea during an ayahuasca session in Peru. The 41-year-old man, said to be from Alabama, died in Santa María de Ojeal in the Loreto region of the Amazon Rainforest on 2 June, reported local outlet Canal N Peru. Narciso López, coordinator of the Forensic Medicine Department in Loreto, told Canal N that the American suffered multiple organ failure with complications including pleural effusion and acute pancreatitis shortly after consuming the psychoactive brew. Autopsy testing at the central morgue in Iquitos will determine the official cause of death, said Lopez. According to Canal N, the tourist had not reported taking antibiotics at the time of ingesting ayahuasca. It is thought that mixing ayahuasca with antibiotics can create an adverse reaction. The outlet added that the ayahuasca ceremony took place at a spiritual hostel in Santa María de Ojeal. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew prepared from the bark of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and a plant containing dimethyltryptamine (DMT), traditionally used by indigenous communities in the Amazon. The psychoactive substance is illegal to consume in several countries, including the US. Many tourists try the drug in South America, often marketed to travellers as a 'ceremonial' or 'spiritual cleanser'. In January 2025, the US Embassy in Peru issued a health alert warning tourists not to 'ingest or use traditional hallucinogens, often referred to as ayahuasca or kambo'. It said: 'Ayahuasca can cause several negative health effects, including nausea, vomiting, increased heart rate, and even death. Some of the long-term effects include psychosis, difficulty sleeping, neurological diseases, and ongoing hallucinations. 'In 2024, several U.S. citizens died or experienced severe illness, including mental health episodes, following consumption of ayahuasca.'
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
American tourist dies in shamanic ritual in Peru after drinking hallucinogenic herbal tea during 'spiritual tourism session' in remote Amazon
An American tourist has died after taking ayahuasca at a spiritual retreat in the Peruvian Amazon. The 41-year-old man died on Monday in Loreto, a region on the border with Brazil, after drinking the trance-inducing brew in a spiritual session. According to the regional prosecutor's forensic pathologist, Narciso Lopez, the man suffered a 'breakdown that led to his death', with the ayahuasca triggering a multi-organ reaction in his body. The ritual is said to have taken place in a hostel in the indigenous community of Santa Maria de Ojeda, which has been largely associated with 'spiritual tourism' in recent years. Ayahuasca, which Lopez warned can cause 'not only death, but also permanent, irreversible damage', is a concoction traditionally used by Indigenous cultures in the Amazon, often for spiritual and healing rituals. The bitter-tasting drink is made from the bark of a vine and the leaves of a bush found in the Amazon that contains N-N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a hallucinogenic. Ayahuasca tourism in Peru has surged in recent years, with dozens of jungle retreats offering the traditional indigenous brew to visitors under the supervision of a guide or shaman. Many tourists seek the drug out because of its reputation as a way to help ease depression and other mental troubles. Amazonian tribes in South America use ayahuasca, or yage, as an important spiritual and medicinal tool. The tragedy comes a year after a British mother died at a Bolivian retreat that specialises in the psychedelic drug. Social worker Maureen Rainford booked a ten-day stay in October 2024 at the Ayahuasca and San Pedro Pisatahua Retreat, an Amazon commune billed as a wellness and detox retreat. The family of the mum-of-three, who paid £800 for the trip, stressed that she was fit and healthy ahead of the visit. Her daughter Rochel, 32, was told by a resort official named Eric that Ms Rainford suffered a 'medical emergency' while on site. Others told her that her mother collapsed ten minutes after drinking the ayahuasca and she was complaining of feeling ill as her breathing and heart rate dropped. Despite CPR efforts Ms Rainford died an hour after she collapsed with a doctor not arriving until after, the family heard.
The Sun
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