ayahuasca
noun
aya·hua·sca
| \ ˌī-yə-ˈhwäs-kə
, -ˈwäs-\
, -ˈwäs-\
Definition of ayahuasca
: a hallucinogenic beverage prepared from the bark of a South American woody vine (Banisteriopsis caapi of the family Malpighiaceae)
Examples of ayahuasca in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Harmine-containing yage is the primary ingredient in modern-day ayahuasca, and is often combined with DMT-containing chacruna. — Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, "Ancient hallucinogens found in 1,000-year-old shamanic pouch," 6 May 2019 Many new ayahuasca shamans have started touring Colombia giving yagé (another term for the brew) to enthusiasts. — The Economist, "Indigenous Colombians fear losing their hallucinogenic brews," 14 June 2019 Oakland even went a step further by decriminalizing not just mushrooms but a range of other psychoactive plants and compounds including peyote, iboga and ayahuasca. — Hailey Branson-potts, latimes.com, "How a trip on magic mushrooms helped decriminalize psychedelic plants in a California city," 22 June 2019 New shamans are modifying the traditional ayahuasca rituals. — The Economist, "Indigenous Colombians fear losing their hallucinogenic brews," 14 June 2019 And what kind of restorative getaway would be complete without a fireside ayahuasca sesh? — Jenna Rennert, Vogue, "All the 2019 Wellness Trends in Katy Perry’s New Music Video," 31 May 2019 The use of hallucinogens including magic mushrooms and ayahuasca has historically been related to spirituality. — Elly Belle, Teen Vogue, "People With Depression and Anxiety Could Benefit From Hallucinogens," 10 Aug. 2018 Anthropologists say the region's history of violence and lawlessness could be replicating itself in the virtually unregulated ayahuasca industry. — Franklin Briceno, chicagotribune.com, "Psychedelic tourism thrives in Peru despite recent killing," 8 June 2018 Other research presented at the APA conference explored how LSD and ayahuasca might also help to improve symptoms of people struggling with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and how ayahuasca, specifically, can help those coping with trauma. — Elly Belle, Teen Vogue, "People With Depression and Anxiety Could Benefit From Hallucinogens," 10 Aug. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ayahuasca.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ayahuasca
ayahuasca
noun
aya·hua·sca
| \ ˌī-ə-ˈ(h)wä-skə
\
\
variants:
also ayahuasco \ ˌī-ə-ˈ(h)wä-(ˌ)skō, -skə \
Medical Definition of ayahuasca
: a hallucinogenic beverage that is prepared from the bark of a South American woody vine (Banisteriopsis caapi of the family Malpighiaceae) typically in a mixture with other psychoactive plants (such as the shrub Psychotria viridis)
Their fascination with ayahuasca stems from a little-known mind-altering compound called dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, a substance the sacred tea contains by the bucketload.— Lisa Melton, New Scientist, 26 June 2004
also
: the woody vine (B. caapi) from which ayahuasca is prepared
— called also caapi, yage