for whom?

Be aware that if  you drink a brew from Sacred Plant Medicines, it is important for yourself and us to know if you are in the right physical and mental condition to take these medicines. That is why we ask everyone who registers with Chakana to fill out an intake form and we always contact you by telephone. In cases of a history of psychoses, schizophrenia and sometimes borderline, we do not recommend taking part in a workshop. (But then again it can depend on the nature of the problems. Sometimes psychoses are confused with other phenomena like a trauma that comes to the surface and wants to be heard/ recognized. Still, caution needs to be taken!)

If you have a past with physical complaints such as cardiovascular diseases, severe kidney problems, strokes, cerebral infarctions, severe neurological disorders, or epilepsy, we also advise against participating in one of our workshops. And we advise you to always contact a doctor or pharmacist when in doubt about your own conditions and ability to consume the Plants.

The moment you’ve registered with us we will send you all the information on how to best prepare yourself for a workshop. It is wise to really create space in your daily routines for this coming event. So do not plan as if you are making a pitstop in between extremely busy times. We advise you to watch your daily activities and diet for a bit and also create some time after the retreat (if possible) in order to be able to process all of what you have experienced.

The MAO-inhibiting effect of the drink requires following an appropriate diet for approximately three days in advance. The MAO in Sacred Plant brews is in fact a reversible inhibitor of Monoamine Oxidase or a RIMA. RIMAs have a shorter effect than the pharmaceutical variant of a MAOI. Nevertheless, combinations with certain medications are hazardous. Especially antidepressants and other emotional oppressors must be avoided at all times because they can lead to life-threatening situations! In addition, it can have a damping or strengthening effect (with panic as a result) on your journey. Therefore, always prepare well in advance if you use one of these medications. Always check with any medication you take what the interaction will be with the MAOI/ RIMA. 

All drugs must be avoided in combination with the Plants! In case of medication and drugs a much longer time of being off of them is needed then the stated 3 days for food and (small amounts of) alcohol. Some food products may cause nausea or headaches, and therefore it is better to avoid them 24 hours and up to 3 days in advance to the ceremonies.

MAO stands for Monoamine Oxidase; two enzymes, MAO-A and MAO-B, occur naturally within the human gastrointestinal tract. The MAO barriers are a safety mechanism that protects us from lightly hazardous food. For example: Without these enzymes, a slice of old cheese could floor us.

Although it is often said that the Sacred Plant medicine is an MAO-inhibitor, we are actually talking about a RIMA, a reversible inhibitor of Monoamine Oxidase. There are some significant differences between an MAOI and a RIMA. First of all, MAOIs last much longer; pharmaceutical MAOIs tend to linger for a few days to a few weeks. RIMAs, on the other hand, only last a few hours. Sacred Plant brews RIMA mechanism also shows a more selective inhibition than its synthetic counterparts. These differences explain why there are no known victims of Sacred Plant brews, as opposed to the incidental deaths caused by synthetic MAOI drugs.

There is also evidence that the harmala alkaloids of the drug act exclusively on MAO-A, in a mechanism similar to Moclobemide, an anti-depressant with no dietary restrictions. For other antidepressants (e.g. SSRI’s), so find out if you are taking these medications!

Many foods contain the amino acid “tyramine”. A certain amount of tyramine is no problem for our system. But if the MAO enzymes are inhibited, tyramine can be freely absorbed, in larger amounts than our body can handle. When tyramine enters our system, it moves the stored adrenaline in our adrenal glands. Once adrenaline is dumped into our bloodstream, it can lead to a hypertensive crisis, which can then lead to severe headaches, excessive sweating, enlarged pupils, stiff neck, palpitations, high blood pressure and, in severe cases, heart failure. Releasing excess adrenaline can also cause feelings of anxiety and ultimately panic, which only makes the situation worse.

Plant Medicines do not fully inhibit the breakdown of tyramine, allowing the body to regulate it to a certain extent. Therefore, there are no known victims as a result of eating food containing tyramine while the Plant medicine was being taken, but it is still wise to proceed with caution and this is especially true for people with high blood pressure or known heart problems and people who tend to get stressed or nervous easily.

It is up to each individual to decide to what extent he or she wants to avoid food containing tyramine. We do advise you not to eat any blue cheese/over-ripened cheese or consume any alcohol at least 3 days before the use of the brew.

• Ripened cheese/ blue cheese (Avoid!)
• Each alcoholic beverage (Avoid!)
• Meat that is not fresh, liver in particular
• Processed meat, such as sausage, pepperoni, salami, etc.
• Protein dietary supplements
• Protein extracts
• Fish which is not fresh or has undergone any kind of processing: Smoked, fermented, etc.
• Yeast in any form (bread is possible because it doesn’t contain much yeast)
• Soy sauce and fermented soybean paste
• Fermented tofu
• Fermented bean curd
• Canned soup, broth or any soup containing protein extracts
• Miso soup
• Sauerkraut
• Crushed or overly ripe fruit
• Dried fruit including, but not limited to, dried grapes and figs
• Avocado and guacamole
• Non-alcoholic drinks (e.g. non-alcoholic beer)
• Dairy products which have not been refrigerated or which are close to their expiry date
• Shrimp paste
• Broad beans
• Aspartame
• Large quantities of peanuts
• Large quantities of raspberries
• Large quantities of spinach

It is up to each individual to decide to what extent he or she wants to avoid food containing tyramine. But do not eat any blue cheese /over-ripened cheese or consume any alcohol at least 3 days before the use of the brew.  

If you want to be sure of not having any negative effects with food in the combination with the Plant brews try to avoid eating food rich in tyramine at least 24 hours before and after the use of a Sacred Plant Medicines ceremony, and check the quantities of these products yourself. Our advice is to be moderate if you don’t know what the effects will be for you. We do advise you to eat fresh healthy food and to avoid fasting! You need your energy during the workshops, so do not exhaust yourself by depriving yourself of food. 

The following types of drugs, medication and herbs have contraindications with the Plant Medicines and are therefore dangerous!

 !! This list is not absolute or complete so always check, check, double check with your doctor or pharmacist when in doubt!!

• SSRIs (any selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) such as the herb Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) and the medications paroxetine (Seroxat), fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram, (Cipramil), fluvoxamine (Fevarin) and sertraline (Zoloft)
• Alcohol
• Anti-psychotics
• Appetite inhibitors (diet pills)
• CNS (Central Nervous System) Suppressors
• Amphetamines (including meth and dex and variants)
• Antihypertensives (high blood pressure medication)
• Medication for asthma, bronchitis or other respiratory problems
• Antihistamines, medicines against colds, sinus problems, hay fever or allergies (Actifed DM, Benadryl, Benylin, Chlor-Trimeton, Compoz, etc)
• Anesthetics
• Amphetamine (speed), MDMA (XTC)
• LSA (morning glory and baby Hawaiian wood rose seeds)
• Actifed
• Amantadine hydrochloride (Symmetrel)
• Amoxapine (Asendin)
• Benadryl
• Benylin
• Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
• Buspiron (BuSpar)
• Carbamazepine (Tegretol, Epitol)
• Chlor-Trimeton
• Clomipramine (Anafranil)
• Cocaïne
• Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)
• Cyclizine (Marezine)
• Desipramine (Petrofrane)
• Dextromethorfan (DXM)
• Disopyramide (Norpace)
• Doxepin (Sinequan)
• Ephedra
• Efedrine
• Flavoxaat hydrochloride (Urispas)
• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Ginseng
• Imipramine (Tofranil)
• Isocarboxazid (Marplan)
• Kava
• Levodopa (Dopar, Larodopa)
• Loratadine (Claritine)
• Maprotiline (Ludiomil)
• Meperidine (Demerol)
• Methylfenidaat (Ritalin)
• Nortriptyline (Aventyl)
• Oxybutynine chloride (Ditropan)
• Orfenadrine (Norflex)
• Parnate
• Paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat)
• Phenergen
• Fenelzine (Nardil)
• Procaïnamide (Pronestyl)
• Protriptyline (Vivactil)
• pseudo-efedrine
• Quinidine (Quinidex)
• Salbutemol
• Salmeterol
• Selegiline (Eldepryl)
• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Sinicuichi
• Johanneskruid (St John’s Wort)
• Tegretol
• Temaril
• Tranylcypromine (Parnate)
• Tricyclische antidepressiva (Amitriptyline, Elavil)
• Trimipramine (Surmontil)
• Yohimbine

!! This list is not absolute or complete so always check, check, double check with your doctor or pharmacist when in doubt!!

Always be wise with the use of alternative medicines, herbs and vitamin preparations. Not all can be taken limitlessly, and some are not suitable for all.

We advise you not to take recreational drugs at least one week in advance. Special attention should be paid to the drugs and medications that work on the Serotonin receptors as these in combination with an MAOI can cause the so-called life-threatening serotonin syndrome. This applies to MDMA (XTC) and MDMA-related substances. The use of Marijuana and/or Hash is also better to stop for a while, as we have noticed that the use of these substances makes it difficult for participants to enter the trip.

Don’t consume alcohol for a while, we recommend at least 3 days before and after the ceremony.

The purer your body and mind are, the deeper you will be able to journey and the more you will get out of the experience. So, try to avoid extreme situations, horror or porn films, too much exposure to the internet/ cellphone, unhealthy food, … you know…

It is possible that you have taken something that should not be combined with an MAO-inhibitor.

You may also have eaten something unnoticed that should not be combined with an MAO-inhibitor. The following complaints can then arise:

– severe headache
– feeling of intense unrest
– dizziness
– not being able to see well anymore
– overall “lousy” feeling.

In all cases, and in case of other sudden complaints that you cannot explain during the ceremony, report this immediately to us.

(Click): Foods and Medications to Avoid with MAOIs – ayahuasca.com