19.2 Hoasca Use in Adolescents in a Brazilian Religious Community

Abstract

In 2001, a follow-up to a biomedical-psychiatric 1993 study of adult members of the syncretic church, Uniao do Vegetal (UDV), was conducted in Brazil to examine the effects of legally administered ayahuasca to adolescent members of the church. The goal of the study was to determine if a sample of adolescents with histories of ayahuasca use in a religious setting had sustained negative psychological outcomes from their participation in UDV ceremonies and to clarify the risk-to-benefit ratio of ayahuasca when consumed within the UDV ceremonial context.