Megan fox

What is Ayahuasca? Effects, Uses and Origins

Ben McKimm
By Ben McKimm - Evidence Based

Published: Last Updated: 

Readtime: 4 min

Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here.

A commonly talked-about but deeply misunderstood substance, Ayahuasca has observed a strong resurgence in recent years. For communities in the Amazon River basin, the traditional elixir holds significant medicinal and spiritual value, but for Western practitioners, Ayahuasca is often viewed as a ‘miracle cure’. The reality lies somewhere in the middle, but with celebrities such as Joe Rogan singing its praises and Megan Fox decrying its use, it is worth asking the question: what is Ayahuasca, and how is it used?

What is Ayahuasca?

According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, “Ayahuasca (pronounced ‘eye-ah-WAH-ska’) is a plant-based psychedelic”. And as we should already know, Psychedelics affect all the senses, altering your thinking, sense of time and emotions. Ultimately the user wants to hallucinate – e.g. seeing or hearing things that do not exist or are distorted.

In its physical form, “Ayahuasca is a brown-reddish drink with a strong taste and smell. Otherwise known as a decoction (a concentrated liquor) made by prolonged heating or boiling of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with the leaves of the Psychotria Viridis shrub, although there can be a variety of other plants included in the decoction for different traditional purposes” said the Alcohol and Drug Foundation. The active ingredient is (you guessed it) DMT, but it also contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

What are the effects of ayahuasca

What are the Effects of Ayahuasca?

For younger audiences, the first exposure to Ayahuasca may have come through actress Megan Fox and boyfriend Machine Gun Kelly. When speaking to Arsenio Hall on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The pair revealed that they took an anniversary trip to Costa Rica to experience the psychotropic drug. Things turned south pretty quickly with Fox explaining that “It’s your own version of hell. And I was definitely there.”

Often referred to as a “little death”, Megan experienced a similar effect while on Ayahuasca, “It just goes straight into your soul and takes you into the psychological prison you hold yourself in… it’s your own version of hell. And I was definitely there,” she said. However, the effects of ayahuasca are subjective and can change dramatically depending on your size, weight, health and the amount taken. According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, they may include:

  • Nausea and vomiting (induced by drinking the decoction)
  • Diarrhoea
  • Euphoria
  • Feelings of connection and unity
  • Introspection
  • Intense visual and auditory hallucinations
  • Experiencing powerful emotions
  • Anxiety
  • A moderate increase in blood pressure and heart rate
  • Increased body temperature.

Why on earth people take this kind of psychedelic is neither here nor there, but to provide a little clarity on the subject matter and remind you exactly why you shouldn’t do drugs kids is Megan Fox. The American actress, model, and producer explained how she experienced her “own personal hell,” and it doesn’t sound pretty.

“The second night I went to hell for eternity… and just knowing eternity is like torture in itself because there’s no beginning, middle or end. So you have a real ego death,” she said.

Ayahuasca is illegal in Australia, it’s classified as a Schedule 9 substance like marijuana, LSD and ecstasy. In fact, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website warns about the ayahuasca tourism that Megan Fox and her boyfriend embarked upon. It’s a dangerous industry in parts of South America and while not illegal, the ABC has reported on terrible instances where people have been robbed, raped and murdered while high.

This hasn’t stopped some local facilitators from conducting their own rituals Downunder. An SBS story from 2016 featured an interview with a local facilitator of ayahuasca ceremonies who believes that “we’re so caught up in the outside world that we’re looking in the wrong places for the answers when we should be looking inside our own minds.” Even Australia’s favourite comedians, Hamish and Andy, have tried “The Thing” in an outtake of their ‘Gap Year’ series.

The Legal Battle

Where do people take ayahuasca

Where Do People Take Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is typically taken on an experiential journey into the South American Rainforest. Typically, those embarking on the journey choose to do it in a similar setting to Fox and her boyfriend MGK, what she describes as “a proper setting, with indigenous people.” Although, for some, the experience can be a little unnerving. As you could imagine it would with a ceremony of 20 other people who had to “vomit a certain amount of lemongrass tea until you get back with everyone else” she continued.

Disclosure: The contents of this article are intended for educational purposes. The authors of this post are not medical professionals and the information included within should not be treated as medical advice. Please consult your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before taking any medication mentioned in this article.

Ben McKimm

Journalist - Automotive & Tech

Ben McKimm

Ben lives in Sydney, Australia. He has a Bachelor's Degree (Media, Technology and the Law) from Macquarie University (2020). Outside of his studies, he has spent the last decade heavily involved in the automotive, technology and fashion world. Turning his ...