Reading back at my previous posts, I find it hard to believe how my thinking has changed. Or, I should say my conception of Ayahuasca. I have not tried the tea here in Brazil, but listening to the adherents of its religion I see that the tea cannot so easily be labeled a hallucinogen. The term itself is so misleading, it puts a generic, false presupposition upon the substance. I even hesitate to use the word “substance” for this in itself is misleading. I think brew or tea might be a better term. From what I’ve gathered, people view the tea as a powerful spiritual guide to the realm of God, the astral or heaven, and as a guide for moral behavior. Also, they view it as a powerful healer. I’ve seen the brew itself, outside the religious domain, used as an antiseptic on cuts or wounds, to promote healing of cradle cap, and I’ve heard two testimonials of it curing cancer.

I’ve been trying to work up my vocabulary and courage to ask women at the churches about their views on pregnancy and Ayahuasca (huasca) and children drinking huasca. But have only felt comfortable talking with a few people I already know. From these conversations, I can make an educated guess of how people feel about the subject; huasca helps ease the pain associated delivery, children who drink huasca have a higher GPA, are generally more calm and are happier than other children. I'm looking forward to finding out if this is right and maybe do a little research to see if anyone has done any work with these topics...

From the few people I have talked with, I’ve gotten extreme responses, which has me even more excited about the topic. First, I was told that women don’t use huasca anymore during labor because they have cesarean sections. I asked, “all the women?” And then followed up with, “why?” The response was yes, all. Women are afraid of the pain associated with childbirth. Not that I‘m chauvinist, but this information was given by a man, so I was a bit skeptical of his straight forward, matter-of-fact reply.

Therefore I did a little sleuthing on Google Scholar. What I found was alarming. Brazil has the highest cesarean rate in the world, with 36% of women having c-sections and in private hospitals as high as 80 to 90% (Hawkins 2000). The study found that first time mothers do not seek to have c-sections, but that doctors promote the procedure and since they are “the authority”, the woman complies. From other studies I have read about birthing, the authority of the doctor is not questioned in the US either.

The second conversation about huasca during delivery was a bit different. I was told that women use it currently to help ease the discomfort of labor, and yes, this information was given by a woman. So, we have such differing accounts, I think my best plan, once I feel comfortable with my language skills is to go and speak with the women at the various churches. There are many different huasca religions here in town, but, since I have contacts in two sects, these are the two I will focus on. Spend some time visiting with the local OBs and midwives, and then going to the “Maternity Hospital”.

More to come, soon I hope…