Ayahuasca, global consumption & reported deaths in the media

For years, a number of concerns have been raised in the field of ayahuasca research that, so far, no one has tried to systematically resolve. The first consideration: How many people in the world have taken ayahuasca in their lifetime? How many people take ayahuasca each year? How many servings of ayahuasca are taken each year?

And another important question:

What do we know about the deaths the media has attributed to ayahuasca?

It seems that answering the first question by estimating the prevalence of ayahuasca consumption globally is valuable to understand ayahuasca’s expansion and its social, economic, and environmental implications. Comparing these numbers alongside an analysis of the deaths the media attributed to ayahuasca would amplify the value of this information collectively. It can also help shed light on the alleged danger of ayahuasca which can be a tool to guide public policies.

With this idea in mind, the authors conducted research between 2021 and 2022 that tried to fill in these gaps of information. This document offers an executive summary with the most significant data we found.