Pharmacological Study of Ayahuasca in Healthy Volunteers

Institute de Recerca, Hospital de Sant Pau – Barcelona, Spain
Sponsor: Institut de Reserca, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (HSCSP)
The initial pilot study has been completed, including a published report of subjective effects in 6 volunteers. An 18-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of ayahuasca effects is now complete. Included were measures of subjective effects, cardiovascular effects, sensorimotor gating, EEG variables, urinary monoamine metabolite excretion, and pharmacokinetics of ayahuasca alkaloids.

• Riba J (2003) Human Pharmacology of Ayahuasca, TESI Doctoral Dissertation, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona.
• Riba J, Valle M, Urban G, Yritia M, Morte A, Barbanoj MJ (2003) Human Pharmacology of Ayahuasca: Subjective and cardiovascular effects, monoamine metabolite exretion, and Pharmacokinetics. JPET 306 (In Press)
• Riba, J et al. (2001) Subjective Effects and tolerability of the South American psychoactive beverage Ayahuasca in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology 154:85-95.
• Riba J, Rodriguez-Fornells A, Barbanoj M (2002) Effects of ayahuasca on sensory and sensorimotor gating in humans as measured by P50 suppression and prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex, respectively. Psychopharmacology (Berl), 165: 18-28
• Riba J, Anderer P, Morte A, Urbano G, Jane F, Saletu B, Barbanoj M (2002) Topographic pharmaco-EEG mapping of the effects of the South American psychoactive beverage ayahuasca in healthy volunteers. Brit J Clin Pharmacol 53: 613-628
• Yritia M, Riba J, Ortuno J, Ramirez A, Castillo A, Alfaro Y, de la Torre R, & Barbanoj MJ(2002): Determination of N,N-dimethyltryptamine and beta-carboline alkaloids in human plasma following oral administration of Ayahuasca Journal of Chromatography B 779:271-281
• “A Pharmacological Study of Ayahuasca in Healthy Volunteers” – MAPS Bulletin, Vol. 8 No. 3, Autumn 1998