What is ayahuasca? Netflix's Apple Cider Vinegar explores psychedelic retreats

Emma Clarke
·Contributor
Updated ·7 min read
Tilda Cobham-Hervey's Apple Cider Vinegar character, Lucy Guthrie, goes to an ayahuasca retreat in Peru in the new Netflix series. (Netflix)
Tilda Cobham-Hervey's Apple Cider Vinegar character, Lucy Guthrie, goes to an ayahuasca retreat in Peru in the new Netflix series. (Netflix)

Ayahuasca (ai-uh-wa-skuh), also known as yage, is a hallucinogenic plant-based brew used as medicine in regions of the Amazon. Using the Banisteriopsis vine and the Psychotria shrub, the potent concoction was first formulated by indigenous South Americans and is said to benefit the brain and general wellbeing of those who take it.

That said, the psychoactive brew has also been associated with severe – and sometimes life-threatening – side-effects.

Still, the lore around the medication and its use extends beyond the indigenous peoples of the region. It is often referenced in pop culture – from Prince Harry’s ayahuasca confession, William S Burroughs’ novel Queer and the 2024 film adaptation featuring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, to, more recently, Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar – a dramatisation of the Belle Gibson social media scandal of 2015.

In the latter, which was released on the streaming platform last week, the fictitious character of Lucy Guthrie (played by Tilda Cobham-Hervey) is influenced by Gibson’s praise of alternative treatments, and in a desperate bid to fight breast cancer, takes herself off to Peru to an ayahuasca retreat.

There, she samples the brew, at first questioning its effect. Before long, she starts vomiting and wanders off into the woods, where she starts hearing voices and feeling strange sensations. So convinced is she by the powers of the tea, that she signs up for a second round and pays for it on her card.

Here, we explore the benefits and side-effects of ayahuasca, as well as what really happens at these retreats.

Queer ayahuasca scene
In the 2024 film adaptation of William S Burroughs' Queer, Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey's characters go to the Amazon to try ayahuasca. (A24)

Psychotria viridis, one of the two main ingredients of ayahuasca, contains the psychedelic substance N,N-dimethyltryptamine – or DMT. Although punchy stuff, the body’s enzymes – monoamine oxidases (MAOs) – quickly break it down in the liver and gastrointestinal tract. It is therefore combined with Banisteriopsis caapi, which has monoamine oxidases inhibitors (MAOIs), to prolong the psychoactive effects.

The combination alters mood, sense of reality and brain activity, often leading to what is called an “out-of-body experience”.

Its effects can last several hours and, depending on the individual, can take a long time to kick in.

Ayahuasca is considered a Class A drug and is, therefore, illegal in the UK. Possession of the substance is punishable by seven years in prison and an unlimited fine, but there are still underground retreats.

Countries where ayahuasca is legal include the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Jamaica and Costa Rica, as well as Peru, Brazil, Colombia and more.

It is also legal in some states, including Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, with the Supreme Court ruling in 2006 that some religious groups, such as the Uniao de Vegetal, can continue its ceremonies, as they are protected under the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Colombian shaman Claudino Perez leads a yage or ayahuasca ceremony in La Mesa, Cundinamarca department, Colombia on March 09, 2024. Perez, as well as six other indigenous people from Peru and Brazil, had been arrested in Mexico for
Colombian shaman Claudino Perez, as well as six other indigenous people from Peru and Brazil, were arrested in Mexico for "introduction of narcotics", for carrying bottles of ayahuasca. After remaining in custody for two years, he demonstrated the importance of this brew for his worldview and was released. (Getty Images)

According to Australia’s Alcohol and Drugs Foundation, the substance can impact people in different ways, depending on a number of factors, including:

  • a person’s size, weight and health

  • whether the person is used to taking it

  • whether other drugs are taken around the same time

  • the amount taken

  • the strength of the decoction (varies from batch to batch)

  • environment (where the drug is taken)

There have been numerous studies into the effects of ayahuasca, looking at its impact on mental health – including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and drug dependence.

In a 2018 study, where participants were given a single dose of ayahuasca or a placebo, experts found that those on the drug had modulated salivary cortisol levels – the hormone linked to stress and severe depression. It concluded that the antidepressant properties of ayahuasca, therefore, should be explored further.

Equally, a 2013 medical review found that various studies had suggested the drug’s "beneficial effects for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety and depression associated with life-threatening diseases, and tobacco and alcohol dependence," concluding that ayahuasca could be an important pharmacological tool for those with with mood disorders and substance dependency.

More research is required into the effects it has on PTSD.

Also known as hoasca, daime, iagê, santo-daime and vegetal, it is an entheogenic drink from the combination of the
Ayahuasca is a brew served as part of an ancient Amazonian ceremony. (Getty Images)

Common side-effects of taking the drug include:

  • vomiting

  • diarrhoea

  • paranoia

  • panic

  • raised heart rate

According to Talk to Frank, it can also lead to:

  • seeing and hearing things that aren’t there (hallucinating), which might be a good or bad experience

  • feeling like time and movement is speeding up or slowing down

  • feeling like colours and sounds are distorted, this is sometimes called ‘visuals’

  • having double vision

  • feeling like you’re having an out-of-body experience

Potential risks of ayahuasca:

  • raised blood pressure

  • raised heart rate

  • can be harmful to those with a pre-existing heart condition

  • can cause nausea and vomiting, as a result of intoxication

  • can lead to flashbacks

  • can be especially serious for someone with a history of mental health problems. It could trigger a problem for someone who didn’t know they had a predisposition to mental health problems

  • can lead to the user harming him or herself if the trip goes bad – so it’s probably best to avoid taking DMT if you're in a bad or anxious mood

  • can lead to unpleasant and emotional effects that could last for days after taking the drug

In 2014, a 19-year-old British student named Henry Miller died after taking part in an ayahuasca ceremony in Colombia. His body was found by the roadside in the remote Putumayo region. Four years later, in 2018, a coroner ruled the cause of accidental death was intoxication.

Mr Miller's family said in a statement: "Young travellers should be made aware of the small but real dangers of this practice."

ZAKARPATTIA OBLAST, UKRAINE - AUGUST 5: Visitors of
Retreats are more common in South America, where ayahuasca was first formulated, but others have cropped up around Europe and other parts of the world. (Getty Images)

Although the drug – and retreats – are illegal in the UK, there are various retreats around the world offering travellers and visitors a chance to take the brew. In Europe, there are some based in Ibiza, Barcelona, the Netherlands and parts of Germany.

Traditional ceremonies take place at night, with the effects lasting some hours. The ritual begins after a shaman prepares and blesses the brew. They then pass the tea around the circle of guests, and may also perform music or chant, to help enhance the psychedelic experience.

Each guest has their own unique experience under the guidance of the shaman or host, before they are invited to share their stories with the others. In addition to the aforementioned side-effects, it is common for participants to cry or show signs of release.

The aim of retreats is to aid a person's journey to self-discovery or healing. Depending on the programme, retreats may also combine ayahuasca ceremonies with practices such as yoga, meditation and nature excursions.

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