Latest news with #NarcisoLopez
New York Post
a day ago
- Health
- New York Post
American tourist, 41, died after drinking psychedelic tea at spiritual retreat in Peru
An American tourist died after drinking a psychedelic tea that caused a 'breakdown' of several organs while he was on a spiritual retreat in the Peruvian Amazon, according to reports. Aaron Wayne Castranova, 41, died Monday after ingesting ayahuasca — a potent hallucinogenic plant brew banned in the US — during a shamanic ritual at La Casa de Guillermo ICONA, a hostel known for its 'spiritual tourism' in Loreto. The hypnotic elixir triggered a multi-organ 'breakdown' that caused the Alabama man's lethal spiral, according to Narciso Lopez, the regional prosecutor's forensic pathologist, the Daily Mail reported. Advertisement Aaron Wayne Castranova, 41, died Monday after ingesting ayahuasca during a shamanic ritual at La Casa de Guillermo ICONA. Hostel managers reportedly claimed Castranova failed to inform ceremony organizers he was on antibiotics, which may have caused the fatal reaction, ahead of the ritual in Santa Maria de Ojeda's indigenous community. The mind-altering concoction, long used by Amazonian tribes for spiritual and healing rites, has surged in popularity among tourists seeking transformative experiences or relief from their mental health struggles — despite warnings from the US Embassy in Peru about its adverse effects. Advertisement 'These dangerous substances are often marketed to travelers in Peru as ceremonial or spiritual cleansers,' the US embassy website states. 'However, Ayahuasca is a psychoactive substance dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a strong hallucinogen that is illegal in the United States and many other countries.' Officials said that several US citizens died or suffered severe physical and mental health crises last year after consuming the drug. Others were sexually assaulted, injured, or robbed while under its influences, the website cautioned. Advertisement The trance-inducing mixture, made from a vine and leaf containing the powerful psychedelic, can cause 'irreversible damage' and death, Lopez warned, according to Infobae, an Argentine online news outlet. Officials said that several US citizens died or suffered severe physical and mental health crises last year after consuming the drug. Talita Santana Campos Embassy officials noted it can also lead to psychosis, neurological diseases, insomnia, and persistent hallucinations. Advertisement Short-term effects include nausea, vomiting and increased heart rate. Castronova's death comes a year after Maureen Rainford, a British mother of three, suffered a similar fate after using the reality-shifting drug at a Bolivian retreat, the Daily Mail reported.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- 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.
