Where to Drink Ayahuasca

Mee Ok never advises drinking ayahuasca without thoroughly vetted, highly skilled indigenous maestras or maestros. While many tribes all over the Amazon serve ayahuasca and drink responsibly, the Shipibo tribe are the sole descendants of this medicine and its “original keepers” (though there are many great healers working in other traditions, Mee Ok cannot make any recommendations since she only does so based on her personal experience). With a population of only 30,000 Shipibo-Conibo left in the world, there is a reason they are the king of the jungle: they vaunt the most renowned and precise ayahuasca surgeons in the world. Among these, there are many Shipibo who pour the medicine, but few true maestras and maestros with the knowledge, competency, and integrity to serve medicine — and are willing to share it with Westerners. Should you decide to drink outside of this option, Mee Ok strongly suggests drinking solely with maestras, especially if you are a woman, and never on land where it is not legal or with non-indigenous practitioners. She also recommends drinking at reputable retreat centers fully staffed with Western professionals who can properly screen and offer support post ceremonies. Be very, very careful when choosing a place to go. The world of ayahuasca is a wild and dangerously unregulated one. There is no perfect place to drink ayahuasca, but there are safe places.

To arrange a consultation with Mee Ok to learn more about opportunities for deeper healing (and places to avoid or have caveats), send her a note!

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