Ayahuasca Depression Neurogenesis

Virtually unheard of in North American until recently, ayahuasca has been used medicinally for hundreds of years by indigenous people throughout the Amazon river basin. Within the last couple of decades, ayahuasca has undergone a revival of sorts as its gained traction as an effective treatment for a plethora of ailments, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Perhaps owing to legal concerns until very recently, ayahuasca’s efficacy has only really been supported anecdotally in the form personal testimony. However, the last couple of years has seen the emergence of a handful of clinical studies examining ayahuasca’s role in treating depression. A 2017 study based out of Brazil — where ayahuasca is legal — found that participants experienced a significant reduction in depressive symptoms after a single dose of the brew. This study is remarkable in that it is the first double-blind, placebo-controlled study of ayahuasca’s therapeutic effects.

Based on related research findings, this therapeutic anti-depressive effect has been linked to neurogenesis in the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved with emotional processing and the formation of new memories. In examining ayahuasca’s mechanisms for neurogenesis, another study found that several of the alkaloids present in B. caapi, one of the constituent plants of ayahuasca, promote adult neurogenesis in vitro. These alkaloids — including harmine, tetrahydroharmine, and harmaline — were found to stimulate neurogenesis through proliferation, migration, and differentiation of cells into adult neurons. Findings from this study suggest that modulation of brain plasticity could be a major contribution to the antidepressant effects of ayahuasca. They also expand the potential application of B. caapi alkaloids to other brain disorders that may benefit from stimulation of endogenous neural precursor niches.