AYAHUASCA SUSTAINABILITY FIELD REPORT

Over the past several years, members of ayahuasca groups and various social media sites have referred to the supply of ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi, Malpighiaceae) in Peru as imperiled and environmentally devastated. And yet, the largest ayahuasca retreat centers in Iquitos (Loreto region) and Pucallpa (Ucayali region) appear well supplied with this vine. To determine supply, I conducted a multi-site field assessment in the Peruvian Amazon.

“Cultivation of ayahuasca is very much on people’s minds, both from a sustainability standpoint and from a cost perspective. Cultivation of ayahuasca assures sustainability, and also offers full traceability of materials. These are great advantages. Additionally, there is a sense among many that ayahuasca, even if it is relatively plentiful in the Rio Tamaya area, will sooner or later become endangered if cultivation efforts are not widely initiated.” – Chris Kilham

CHRIS KILHAM ON COAST TO COAST

Listen to Chris Kilham on Psychoactive Plants on Coast to Coast AM, July 2019.

Medicine hunter Chris Kilham is referred to by CNN as the Indiana Jones of Natural Medicine. In the first half, he talks about plants and herbs that enhance connection with the spirit world and healing. Working with companies to develop and popularize traditional plant-based food and medicinal products, he has traveled to such exotic locations as the Amazon, Congo, and Siberia. While researching kava on the island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific during the 1990s, he learned that the plant provides a sense of tranquility and relaxation. Its popularity has spread in the ensuing years -- there are many kava bars in the US now -- you might see patrons speaking softly as one of the effects of the plant is that hearing becomes more acute, he noted.

He describes a region in Siberia, where cannabis was grown everywhere, and speaks about ayahuasca, first used by shamans in the Amazon. The psychoactive concoction is derived by mixing two plants, one of which activates the DMT in the other. It offers intensely transformational experiences, he reported, including remarkable healing visions and realizations. Kilham also details some of the dangers that have arisen on his travels, including disease, pirates, and transportation mishaps, as well as many of the bizarre food and drinks he's partaken. These include frog blender drinks, fried scorpions, snake liquor, and grubs.

MEDICINE HUNTER BOTANICAL PRODUCTS

Chris Kilham created these premium sustainable botanical formulas exclusively for Purity Products. Find them on PURITY PRODUCTS or AMAZON.

“At Medicine Hunter, we believe that trade in medicinal plants, when conducted well and ethically, can result in a cascade of benefits. In order to promote trade effectively, we work with companies to investigate medicinal plants and to develop and market plant-based remedies.” – Chris Kilham

Ashwagandha, The King of Herbs

Chris is currently Brand Ambassador for KSM-66 Ashwagandha, the finest Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract in the world. KSM-66’s certified organic, whole ashwagandha root extract sets the high bar for traceability, manufacturing excellence, superior composition, and clinical studies.

“Of all the medicinal plants used in India’s several millennia old tradition of Ayurveda, Ashwagandha is the most highly prized. It is used in many cases, for virtually every condition. It is also especially good for restoring vitality and full sexual potency.” - Chris Kilham