Dieta - Dietary Guidelines: Ayahuasca

To prepare your mind body and soul for the ayahuasca experience, the “dieta” is a tradition designed to help you to fully receive the profound benefits of the plant spirit. It is a sacred relationship with you and the spirit of the plants. It is an opportunity to practice a devotional commitment to Mother Ayahuasca and Her plant allies and spirits who will guide you on your healing journey.

Our recommendation is to begin your ayahuasca dieta at least two weeks before a retreat and to continue the dieta for at least two weeks after the last ceremony. This allows for your body to prepare for and integrate with the plant medicines.

Ayahuasca Dieta

Pre-Retreat Guidelines

For 2 weeks prior, abstain from:

• Any natural medicines/psychedelics (including San Pedro, ayahuasca, mushrooms, LSD, cannabis, kambo, rapé, etc.)

• All street drugs (cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines, etc.)

• Sexual activities of any kind, including with self

• Alcohol

• Pork

• Spicy foods

• Ice, ice cream, or ice-cold drinks

For 1 week prior, abstain from:

• Refined sugars

• Red meat

• Junk foods

• Excess salt (only add salt to food if necessary for health reasons, and keep it to a minimum)

• Sweets or chocolate

• Oils (if you must use oil, use olive or coconut oil very sparingly)

• Animal fats (lard, etc.)

• Carbonated drinks (including diet sodas, energy drinks, non-alcoholic beer, seltzer water, etc.)

• Dairy products (anything made with animal milk)

• Fermented foods

• Caffeine & other stimulants

Additional Restrictions:

• IMPORTANT: Please ensure you have listed all medications in your application, and regarding any medication use you did not reveal during your application process.

• If you will be menstruating during the retreat, please inform your facilitators upon arrival.

• Ayahuasca is not compatible with pregnancy.

• Avoidance of synthetic soaps, perfumes, toiletries, etc. Please bring only natural, non-toxic toiletries for your personal use at the retreat center.

By eliminating the above from your diet, you will prepare your body, physically and energetically, to work with ayahuasca and perhaps reduce the amount of “purging” needed to cleanse your body.

In addition to the physical aspects, by showing your commitment and devotion to ayahuasca and the other master plants, you are developing a sacred relationship with them and honoring them with respect which is important for this work.

Post-Retreat Required Restrictions

For 3 days after:

• Protect the crown (your head) from sunlight and rain

• Abstain from Ice, ice cream, or ice-cold drinks

For 1 week after, abstain from:

• Spicy foods

• Dairy Products

• Red Meat

• Intense exercise (gym and weights work, hard running, etc.)

• Receiving and giving massages (gentle, therapeutic, sports, energetic, etc)

• Doing energy work as a practitioner (and in some cases, it is best to wait two weeks – please consult with the healers during your stay at the Temple).

For 2 weeks after, abstain from:

• Sexual activities of any kind, including masturbation

• Alcohol

For 4 weeks after, abstain from:

• Any plant medicines/psychedelics (including San Pedro, ayahuasca, mushrooms, LSD, cannabis, kambo, rapé, etc.)

• All street drugs (cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines, etc.)

• Pork

• Other types of energetic work, such as Reiki and shamanic energy work.

• Intense breathwork (such as holotropic, any deep process-inducing breathwork)

Medications: Many medications are pharmacologically and/or energetically contraindicated with ayahuasca, both before and after your retreat.

The healers recommend following a healthy ayahuasca dieta for the time after the retreat, and to also be mindful about intake of the following for 2 weeks after your retreat:

• Refined sugars

• Red meat

• Junk foods

• Salt or pepper

• Sweets or chocolate

• Oils

• Animal fats (lard, etc.)

• Carbonated drinks (including diet sodas, energy drinks, and non-alcoholic beer)

• Dairy products

• Fermented foods

• Caffeine & other stimulants

Critical Note – Due to a very limited number of past guests who have not adhered to dietary restrictions after leaving a retreat, we need to re-emphasize that maintaining the Ayahuasca dieta is essential to the healing process.  

The four most fundamental restrictions after a retreat are alcohol, street drugs (cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, etc), sexual activity, and pork.

If a guest decides not to adhere to this critical advice after leaving the retreat center, we cannot be held liable for the consequences (which can be severe psychological and energetic damage).