Participating in sacred ceremonies involving plant medicines requires thorough preparation and understanding. This is vital not just for your safety, but also to guarantee a meaningful and fulfilling healing journey.

ENERGETICAL PREPARATION

• Fragrance and Body Products: Avoid using strong-smelling fragrances and commercial body products. These scents can interfere with the energetic process of the ceremony and disrupt your connection to the medicine.
• Sexual Abstinence: Refrain from engaging in any sexual activity during the period leading up to and after the ceremony. This helps preserve your body’s own healing energy and maintains a focused, balanced state for the ceremony.
• Mindful Media Consumption: Limit exposure to the Internet and TV. Instead, immerse yourself in positive, uplifting, and spiritual messages to create a receptive and open mindset for the transformative experience.
• Adrenaline-inducing activities : Avoid extreme or adrenaline-inducing exercises (e.g. skydiving, horror movies). Maintain a stable energy level to ensure a balanced state during the ceremony.
• Clear Intentions: Set a clear and positive intention for the ceremony. Your intention can guide the energetic aspects of the experience and enhance the depth of your healing journey.
• Respectful Presence: Approach the ceremony with reverence and respect. Your energy and mindset contribute to the overall energetic environment, enhancing the healing process for all participants.
• Gentle Reintegration: After the ceremony, continue to avoid strong fragrances and focus on consuming positive and uplifting media. Engage in gentle physical activities that support your body’s equilibrium.
• Menstrual Cycle Consideration: If you are a person experiencing your menstrual cycle, refrain from involvement in the preparation, consumption of the brew, and attendance at ceremonies. This respects an ancient tradition rooted in safety considerations due to the unique energetic state during this phase.

MEDICAL PREPARATION

Please remember to consult your medical professional and inform us about any medications you are presently taking during the registration process. This step ensures both your security and overall well-being.

Neglecting to do so could potentially jeopardize both your health and safety. As a general guideline, it is advisable to refrain from using any other substances or medications, including herbal remedies, while undergoing plant medicine, dieta, or the use of other medicinal plants. This practice is essential not only for your personal safety but also to prevent any potential interference with the effectiveness of the plants or their energies.

Specific medications, such as MAOIs and SSRIs, pose substantial health complications in conjunction with plant medicine and therefore require a longer cessation period. Please reach out to us for detailed descriptions of specific medications and the recommended cessation period. And remember, always consult your doctor when ceasing any prescription medication. Some medications have moderate to serious withdrawal effects, so added time might be necessary to safely wean yourself off your medication(s). When consulting your doctor, please inform him that you will be taking a reversible MAOI. 

In our Welcome Package, you will find comprehensive information, including a list of medications and supplements that are contraindicated in combination with plant medicine.

• Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) – discontinuance at least 4 weeks prior the retreat. 
• Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) – discontinuance 4 weeks prior and 4 weeks after the retreat. 
• Antidepressants other than SSRIs, such as serotonin-norepinephrine inhibitors (SNRIs), serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs), norepinephrine inhibitors (NRIs), norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs), noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NaSSAs), and serotonin modulator and stimulators (SMSs)  – discontinuance 4 weeks prior and 4 weeks after the retreat. 
• Antibiotic therapy may cause potentially adverse reactions with the use of plant medicine. Discontinue the use of this medication and any of the following for at least 1 week before and until 1 week after taking the plant medicine.  
• Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants (and sleeping pills): discontinuance at least 2 weeks prior the retreat. 

Generally, all prescription medications, certain supplements, and illegal drugs should be ceased at least 2 to 8 weeks prior to drinking plant medicine depending on the specific type of medication or supplement.  It’s recommended avoiding marijuana for 2 weeks before the retreat.

Synthetic hormones taken for hypothyroidism are an exception. You may continue to take your hypothyroid medication during your course of plant medicine but are still required to inform Yogahuasca team that you are taking the medication. 

Contraindicated Supplements 

Below is a list of commonly used supplements/herbs and the respective time periods to discontinue before participation in Yogahuasca Retreat.

Because many interactions between supplements and plant medicine are unknown, it’s best to discontinue all supplements for two weeks prior to arrival:

• 5-HTP: 30 days 
• GABA: 30 days 
• Kratom: 30 days 
• St. John’s Wort: 14 days 
• Kava: 14 days 
• Ashwaganda: 14 days 
• Magnolia officinalis bark: 14 days 
• Ginkgo Biloba: 7 days (may reduce ayahuasca efficiency) 
• L-Tyramine: 7 days 

Medical Conditions

Please check back with us to provide up-to-date and comprehensive medical information about the potential health risks with plant medicine. If you suffer from a particular medical condition that is not covered below, please send an email to info@sachawasi.org prior to booking a retreat. Although plant medicine use under supervised conditions is generally considered safe, some medical conditions can have moderate to very serious complications in regard to the use of plant medicine. If you have any kidney, liver, heart, or other serious medical condition or if you or an immediate family member has a history of seizures, you must inform us prior to booking a retreat to discuss your particular situation. In every medical case, always discuss the use of a reversible MAOI with your doctor prior to booking.

• Epilepsy/Seizures 

If you or an immediate family member has a history of epilepsy and/or seizures, you MUST inform Yogahuasca team prior to booking a retreat. Use of plant medicine, if not properly managed and monitored, can induce a seizure if you have a prior family history of epilepsy. 

• Diabetes 

People with diabetes have extra risk involved with the consumption of plant medicine. The use of the MAOIs present in plant medicine can alter blood sugar levels through hypoglycemic effects. MAOIs may change the amount of insulin or oral antidiabetic medication that you need. People with severe unstable diabetes should not take plant medicine because of this risk. People with less severe diabetes should contact us prior to booking a retreat to discuss the particulars of the case including the possibility of a modified diet. 

• Heart/Cardiovascular Conditions 

If you have any chronic heart condition or high blood pressure it is not advisable to participate in the drinking of plant medicine. The use of plant medicine can elevate blood pressure and can pose serious and/or fatal risks to those with serious heart conditions or high blood pressure. Having such serious conditions would exclude you from participating in one of our plant medicine retreats. Prospective guests with minor heart conditions are welcome to discuss the matter with Yogahuasca team  prior to booking a retreat. 

• Liver and Kidney Conditions 

The use of plant medicine can be stressful for the liver and kidneys. The liver and the kidneys play essential roles in the metabolism of exogenous and endogenous chemicals. Plant medicine contains harmine and related alkaloids, which act as inhibitors of monoamine oxidase. This inhibition activity occurs in the liver and gastrointestinal tract. If a participant has various monoamines still present in their system from the diet, environmental exposure, medical condition, or use of pharmaceutical or illicit drugs, these would accumulate in the presence of an MAOI and would add further stress for the liver and kidneys.

• Hypothyroidism 

If you have a hypothyroidism condition, it is generally safe to partake in the use of plant medicine; however, you MUST inform Yogahuasca team of your condition, so that we can closely monitor your dosage during your course of plant medicine. You also may continue using your hypothyroid medication (synthetic hormones, such as Synthroid) during your retreat experience without complication.

• Mental Disorders 

If you have been diagnosed with any of the following mental health issues, we will need to be notified prior to your arrival:

• Generalized Anxiety
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Bipolar 1
• Bipolar 2
• Schizophrenia