Often mocked by standup comedians and sitcom writers – a sure sign of its ubiquity – ayahuasca, the hallucinogenic tea, has brought an influx of western travellers going on healing retreats to the forests of Peru. Focusing on its medicinal properties, Marc Silver’s documentary aims to dispel certain misconceptions about the psychedelic brew.
Among Indigenous people, rituals involving ayahuasca have been practised for millennia. Made from vines and other plant extracts, the concoction relieves patients of physical and mental traumas. The cure also carries a ceremonial aspect; the taking of the medicine is at times accompanied by songs and chants.
