What science tells us
This page summarises what peer-reviewed research says about ayahuasca and mental health, and where the evidence is still thin. It is for readers who want the evidence before they decide, without the hype.
Last updated 28 October 2026.
These recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses highlight ayahuasca’s potential therapeutic benefits, particularly in addressing depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use disorders. These studies also note that ayahuasca may influence personality traits, such as increasing openness and self-transcendence, which could contribute to its therapeutic effects. However, while the findings are promising, researchers emphasise the need for more rigorous, controlled studies to fully understand ayahuasca’s efficacy and safety profiles.
Research is one part of the picture. Before any decision, read Safety and care for the screening and standards worth insisting on.
Ayahuasca, DMT and Mental Health: A Current Review (2026)
Summary: A current synthesis from the Brazilian group behind the landmark trials, reviewing the preclinical and clinical evidence for ayahuasca and DMT across conditions including depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance use and eating disorders.
Key Findings: Preclinical work shows enhanced neuroplasticity and reduced inflammation and oxidative stress, and neuroimaging a more flexible brain state, but the human evidence remains mainly observational, with a favourable safety profile in structured settings.
Read the full articleSystematic Review on Ayahuasca and Psychological Disorders (2024)
Summary: This review focused on ayahuasca’s effects on mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, and eating disorders, analysing 43 studies published between 2017 and 2023.
Key Findings: The review underscores ayahuasca’s potential as a therapeutic tool, particularly when considering the ritualistic and “mystical” aspects of its use, though it notes limitations due to the reliance on self-reported data.
Read the full articleSystematic Review on Therapeutic Effects of Ayahuasca (2023)
Summary: This comprehensive review analysed 66 peer-reviewed studies up to December 2022, highlighting ayahuasca’s potential benefits in treating depression, anxiety, neurobiological disorders, and its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.
Key Findings: The studies suggest significant therapeutic potential, though they also emphasise the need for more rigorous clinical trials to confirm these effects.
Read the full articleSystematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Ayahuasca and Personality Traits (2023)
Summary: This study examined the relationship between long-term ayahuasca use and personality traits, providing insights into how ayahuasca may influence aspects like openness and conscientiousness.
Key Findings: The analysis suggests that ayahuasca use is associated with certain personality changes, though the authors call for more longitudinal studies to better understand these effects.
Read the full articleAdverse Effects of Ayahuasca: Results from the Global Ayahuasca Survey (2022)
Summary: An online survey of 10,836 people who had drunk ayahuasca, asking about physical and mental health effects during and after use.
Key Findings: 69.9% reported acute physical effects, most often vomiting or nausea (62.0%), and 2.3% needed medical attention afterwards. 55.9% reported difficult mental or emotional effects in the weeks or months after, and about 12% sought professional support; 87.6% saw these effects as part of a positive process of growth or integration. Physical effects were more common with older age at first use, physical health conditions, heavier use and use without supervision; mental health effects with anxiety disorders and physical health conditions, and less common in a religious setting. The data are self-reported and retrospective, so they show associations, not causes.
Read the full articleCan DMT Repair the Brain? (2026)
Summary: An Ayahuasca.Nexus article relating two landmark trials, DMT for stroke (Science Advances, 2025) and for major depression (Nature Medicine, 2026), to ayahuasca and its wider therapeutic context.
Key Findings: It weighs the neuroprotective and antidepressant evidence, distinguishes isolated intravenous DMT from the full ayahuasca brew, and stresses that both trials remain early-stage.
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