For the Amazonian natives in Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil and Ecuador for whom ayahuasca tea has been a part of their native traditions for as long as anyone can remember, the herbal tea brewed from the vine is sacred; part of a religious ritual. In the collection of the ethnological museum in Quito, Ecuador is a ceremonial ayahuasca cup that is at least 2,500 years old.

For westerners who travel to the Amazon to experience the powerful effects of ayahuasca, it is done for healing and to gain insight into their lives. The healing may be both emotional and physiological. In a report published in a National Geographic magazine in 2006, it was reported that curing metastasized colorectal cancer has been documented.

You do not have to travel all the way to Iquitos, Peru or the Amazon River in order to gain the effects of ayahuasca. There are now several reputable online sources of ayahuasca, San Pedro cactus, and other ethnobotanicals. Here is a recommended link to buy ayahuasca vine and leaves.