The Myth about Salt and Ayahuasca
“Before my first ayahuasca retreat in Mexico last year, the organizer sent the participants a list of foods to avoid beforehand: no drugs for three weeks, no alcohol or pork for two weeks, and no dairy, fried food, caffeine, or sugar for two days. The reasoning behind some of these guidelines was dubious (“no salt for two days because ayahuasca’s a plant and plants like freshwater, not saltwater”), while others seemed more reasonable (“no foods with an amino acid called tyramine because it can increase your heart rate, as can ayahuasca”). Some of them seemed to be geared toward enhancing the experience, while others were geared toward avoiding health risks. Despite following them all, two of my three journeys were very weak.” — Vice
“Actually, until quite recently, there was not much salt available in the Amazon. What salt there was was used to salt fish and meat to bring it to market without spoiling, not to be wasted on food. Remember, until 2000 or so, nearly all village to town trips were made by dugout canoe, meaning they often took several hours or maybe half a day. If collecting enough fish to make it worthwhile to go to town to sell them took a week, salt was vital to preserving them. (In 2000 or so the cheap Honda motors for peque-peques became available for the first time, allowing a lot more people to have access to motorized transportation in the Amazon.) The Chinese, however, when brought over to build railways in Peru, brought with them Aji-no-Moto, MSG, and that became a staple of food seasoning in the Amazon.” — The Gorman Blog
“MSG has been used as a food additive for many years. During this time, the FDA has received many reports of concerning reactions that people have attributed to foods that had MSG in them. These reactions — called MSG symptom complex — include:
Headache
Flushing
Sweating
Face pressure or tightness
Lack of feeling (numbness), tingling or burning in the face, neck and other areas
Quick, fluttering heartbeats
Chest pain
Feeling sick (nausea)
Weakness”
“Good quality salt is alkalizing, which reduces inflammation and strengthens our bones because minerals are not being pulled from them to keep blood pH balanced. It reduces acid and reduces acid reflux, prevents muscle cramping, and creates an electrolyte balance — all things that lead to a lot LESS inflammation.” — Christa Orecchio
I believe the indigenous Shamans were actually noticing the downsides of MSG, not salt!
To take any medicine to heal yourself, please eat, drink, and take what you need for your heart to be calm and relaxed.
I actually believe it is very dangerous to NOT have salt. It is a cleansing agent for your body.
*Please comment with your own experiences and insights! I am very curious to hear. I hope we all can be healthy while taking these powerful medicines.
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Another misnomer I believe is that you should or cannot take cannabis. Actually, the shamans here are not aware of this medicine. It is from Asia, and was brought by the colonialists.
Therefore, the shamans may believe it is part of the racist-sexist-cotton industry-alcoholic misnomer, which you can read about here, and which I’ll likely write more about later.
When actually, this beautiful herb can help you open your heart and reach greater and more loving dimensions of existence. It can make your experience much more powerful. You can learn more about it here.
“Those in the Brazilian Santo Daime tradition, for example, sometimes smoke weed during ayahuasca ceremonies.” — Vice
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Another recommendation is to always connect to Christ and The Kingdom. I have heard various reports about having to go to Catholism and Exorcisms after their Shamanic operations. If you are on the healing journey, it will likely be intense. So eat your salt, take your Santa Maria, and connect to The Father.
