The New Yorker published a lengthy piece and thoughtful piece by Ariel Levy regarding the hallucenogenic brew ayahuasca. The article delves into the history and neurochemistry of this mixture of chacruna leaves (containing the psychedelics) and banisteriopsis caapi vine (which shuts down the bodily functions that otherwise breakdown the psychedelic components in a matter of seconds), its introduction to the U.S. via the brother Terrence and Dennis McKenna and its increasing popularity in both hipster and techie communities. While the feature’s grand finale is the de rigeur snarky chronicle of a thoroughly dodgy ayahuasca ceremony in Williamsburg/Brooklyn, if you adjust for that…the piece overall is pretty solid; and honestly it’s not a bad thing to be forewarned as to what to look out for when shopping for what should be a productive experience. “Feed your head” indeed!
Read it here: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/12/the-ayahuasca-boom-in-the-u-s
