Effects of Huachuma as Measured by QEEG: Pre-Post and During Experience
ABSTRACT
Huachuma is a cactus which has been used in the Andes for ceremonial purposes for thousands of years. Huachuma, also known as San Pedro, contains mescaline along with other alkaloids and is used in shamanic practices in traditional cultures in the highlands of Peru. To date there has been very little research whatsoever on the neurological, psychological, and spiritual effects of Huachuma. The primary aim of this study is to publish QEEG brain mapping data while participants are under the acute effects of Huachuma. Our team also performed pre and post maps on the participants to track change over time. To our knowledge this is the first study to publish QEEG data on the effects of Huachuma. Secondarily, in addition to pre and post QEEG brain mapping we use a specially designed questionnaire called a Cognitive Emotional Checklist (CEC), which is an emotional/mental self-inventory targeting brain function. The CEC provides additional data and further validates the data gleaned from QEEG data.
This study included ten participants. Each participant completed a pre and post QEEG brain map in addition to a brain map that was taken while experiencing Huachuma. The study was conducted at a retreat space in Urubamba, a town located in the Sacred Valley of Peru. The San Pedro was administered to the participants by an experienced curandero.
In this study we found that each personโs brain experienced a wide variety of effects that were not consistent. The QEEG brain mapping of each participant indicated a significant effect on neural functioning. These range from markers of inflammation, attention, anxiety and depression. Each person also experienced a very large change of all neurometric dimensions within a very short period of time.
The Effects Of The Ayahuasca Ceremony On Participants As Measured By qEEG And The Cognitive Emotional Checklist
ABSTRACT
Ayahuasca is a plant from the Amazon jungle that has been used shamanically for both psychological healing and mystical experiences. Though the plant has been used traditionally for hundreds of years or more, recently it has become a topic of more global interest, especially in the West as means of healing and spiritual connection.
Many people around the world have traveled to the Amazon and have experienced Ayahuasca. The challenge for modern scientific research is how to quantify these experiences. In this study we use both pre and post QEEG brain mapping and a specially designed questionnaire called a Cognitive Emotional Checklist (CEC), an emotional/mental self-inventory targeting brain function. To our knowledge this type of study has not been conducted in the field of Ayahuasca research.
In this study we found that each personโs brain appeared to respond uniquely and there was a wide variety of differences between the pre and post maps although very significant changes occurred in each case. The Pre and post CEC indicated that many individuals experienced a dramatic reduction in negative symptomology. We conclude that the effect of Ayahuasca is highly individualized but very effective in producing positive changes.
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SEASON 1 EPISODE 40 | 00:49:37 | JUNE 16, 2025
A conversation with Luke Jensen
