Ayahuasca, a powerful hallucinogenic drink made from vines in South America, has now reached the shores of the U.K., with a number of websites offering to deliver the herb to customers' homes for as little as USD 13.62, according to The Daily Mail.
The drink, which has been used for centuries in shamanistic rituals, has become a major tourist draw in South America, with a number of lodges and retreats offering it to backpackers and gap year students as part of an "authentic" Amazon experience.
During ancient times, Amazonian Indians used the drink as a healing brew, and more notably, as a means to contact the spirit world. Shamans have claimed that taking the brew enables the spirit to take flight, thereby allowing them to descend to the underworld and locate the source of illnesses.
However, the drink might have very adverse health effects. Just recently, 24-year-old Matthew Dawson-Clarke from New Zealand died after taking the powerful hallucinogen during a "cleansing ceremony," according to The Mirror.
The drink has also been linked to a number of religious cults in Brazil, where reports have emerged that the mind-altering brew was a common factor among a string of suicides, murders, several cases of mental illness and insanity. Most of the victims of ayahuasca side effects were reported to have experienced its adverse effects immediately after ingesting it for the first time.
With notable supporters, including celebrities Sting and Lindsay Lohan, stating that the brew has life-changing qualities, the popularity of the powerful, potentially deadly brew continues to grow.
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