The Ayahuasca Diet


These Ayahuasca dietary guidelines are essential to get the most out of your experience with Mother Ayahuasca. 


The Ayahuasca is made up of two primary plants, the vine of the Ayahuasca and leaves of the Chacruna. These plants work with your body in strong biochemical and energetic ways. So everything else put in, on, or around your body (especially food) must be considered in terms of how it harmonizes or clashes with these natural medicines, and the work they are trying to do inside your body and your energy field.
In order to maximize your healing and avoid any negative experiences, we follow and provide a strict Ayahuasca diet for our Ayahuasca ceremonies and Ayahuasca retreats.


You can think of this as creating a blank canvas within your system so the plants have as much space as possible to heal you without competition from other sources or interference from lower vibrational energies.


Or another way to look at it, is that you need to be as clean as possible for the Ayahuasca to work inside you to its greatest capacity. By eliminating certain things from your diet, what you’re doing is cleaning your body, physically and energetically, so that the plants can work and heal you to their fullest.


These guidelines also apply to post-dieta, the period in your life after your Ayahuasca retreat. From the perspective of this shamanic tradition, each plant represents and holds a different spirit, and in traditional thinking the work with Ayahuasca is not considered finished until many weeks or months after the actual ceremony.


By working with the plants we not only access the biological healing properties of the plant on a physical level, but also commune with the nature spirits who work through them, and if our consciousness allows, then through the doorway of their presence, we commune with the divine spirit which permeates all.


These plant spirits must be totally respected within the body. They can intensely heal and transform you, but if you disrespect their gifts by contaminating your body once they are inside you, there can be very serious consequences. Following the Ayahuasca diet can go a long way in demonstrating respect to these spirits.


This is not something to take lightly. A person can get very ill, or experience a wide array of unpleasant experiences, physically, energetically and spiritually if they disrespect the plants, or disregard the guidelines of the retreat.


If you can not follow the Ayahuasca diet outlined on this page, then it is very likely that working with Ayahuasca is not for you. However, if you can, then you can prepare yourself for some of the deepest healings, teachings, realizations and transformation that no words can ever fully describe. 


Ayahuasca Diet Preparation


Before your arrival please consider the following guidelines. These guidelines are in place for your ultimate wellbeing, and so that you can get the most out of your experience with the medicine.
The Ayahuasca that is served during your ceremony is a very concentrated sacred plant brew, and in order for these plants to work within you to their greatest capacity, it is important that you prepare yourself to receive them.


All of the following should be thought of as a “minimum” – the more you can prepare yourself and your body before your retreat, the more effective your retreat will be!

30 Days before drinking Ayahuasca:

  • Discontinue any prescription meds(under the guidance of the doctor who prescribed them, unless otherwise specified by someone on our qualified staff)

2 weeks before drinking Ayahuasca:

  • Avoid any recreational drugs including marijuana and Alcohol

  • Avoid all pork & red meat related products

Minimum 72 hours(3-30days) before drinking Ayahuasca, avoid:

  • Fried foods

  • Excessive oil(small amount of cold olive oil or avocado is fine)

  • Sexual contact

  • Spicy foods

  • Fermented food

  • Caffeine(at least be weaned off by day 1 of your retreat to avoid withdrawal headaches)

  • Non-fresh (canned or packaged) meat or fish products

  • Liquid and Powdered protein extracts

  • Brewers yeast or yeast-based supplements

  • Dairy products(milk/cheese/butter/yoghurt)

  • All Processed Foods & Artificial Colors

  • Sweets and refined sugar

  • Salt(a pinch of sea salt is ok, but no more)

This time is also an excellent opportunity for you to cut anything else out of your life which you may feel is not in line with your highest truth and potential.

What We Recommend You Eat

We recommend that while you prepare for your Ayahuasca Retreat, that you focus on eating a very clean, whole foods diet, with minimal starches, ample fresh organic vegetables, organic fruit and vegetable juices, fish, beans, organic eggs and chicken, with some mild and aromatic herbs and spices.


Other aspects of the Ayahuasca Diet, may mean the avoidance of:
media, newspapers, toxic relationships, violent movies, pornography, limiting thought forms, etc...
Some good additions to help prepare you for your work with ayahuasca are:
Yoga, meditation, playing music or singing, warm baths with essential oils or plant essences, reading of spiritual books, practicing presence, keeping a journal of your thoughts and emotions or a dream journal, conscious non-violent communication practices, self inquiry practices, and more...

Once again, the more “sacrifices” that you can make in cutting out these things from your diet in preparation for your experience, the fuller your experience can be. Mother Ayahuasca is sensitive to the amount of importance that you place on your healing, and we find that she tends to reward hard work!
IMPORTANT: Please read our Medical Guidelines for information regarding specific supplements and medications. This is especially important for people who are currently taking any type of medication or supplements. It is our policy that all guests must be free of pharmaceutical intervention 30 days prior to their scheduled retreat. Consult with your doctor if you need to stop taking any medication.

Post Ayahuasca Retreat – Continued self-care

For your wellbeing and the integration of your healing, we suggest that you continue to keep your body and habits as clean as possible. The healing process with these medicines does not stop after their effects are no longer noticeable in your consciousness! The spirit of the plants will be with you for a long time after your retreat, and you can greatly help the process of your healing and transformation by adhering to the following schedule:

For 3 Days Avoid

  • Fermented Foods

  • Hot Spicy Foods(3-10 days)

For 10 Days, avoid

  • Deep Fried Foods (lightly sauteed in coconut or olive oil is ok)
    Processed Sugars

  • Frozen Or Icy Cold Foods/Drinks

  • Dairy

For 2 Weeks, avoid

  • Red meat

  • Coffee

  • Dairy

    For 1 Month, Avoid

  • Alcohol

  • Pork

Note on sexual contact: We recommend that you avoid sexual contact for one week before, and one week after your ceremony. This can make some people’s jaws drop, we understand! However, there are some very important reasons for this that we would like to discuss.

During your retreat with us, the Ayahuasca and/or Huachuma Tea that you will be drinking will be opening you so deeply energetically, so as to really make space for the plants within you to do their work, heal you, and share all of their gifts with you.

When you connect with another person in a sexual way, you share something very deeply with that person. There is a great deal of energetic “give-and-take”, even between people who have never sat with the medicine before, and who may not be as open as you will be following ceremony. The openness that you will experience may cause you to “take on” energies from another person which may not be in line with your own healing and transformation.

So, to maintain the integrity and the momentum of your healing (which continues far longer than the time you spend with us) it is very important that you keep your energy to yourself. Additionally, it is recommended that men avoid all ejaculation for the same time period, as there is great power in reserving the sexual energy to increase and strengthen your healing process.

This abstinence is also important because it really helps give you space to be able to work with yourself. So as not to bring your focus externally, but really to hold the space for you to concentrate on your inner journey, the healing journey which led you to this sacred medicine.

We don’t believe in rules “just because.” This really is for your own benefit, so you can get the most out of your healing experience, and give you the space that so many people do not give themselves, to really be with yourself. And in that space, to find greater depths of peace, joy, and bliss.

If you feel like you can adhere to these dietary guidelines, then the magnitude of healing that you can experience is so far beyond words. Healing on every level – mentally, physically, emotionally & spiritually.

So if you’re up for it, and you can find the will within to remove these things in your life for a short period, to gain gifts that will last a lifetime, then you can learn more about our Ayahuasca & Plant Medicine Retreats Here.
To Your Deepest Healing On Every Level!