Uso de plantas psicoactivas en el norte de chile: evidencia química del consumo de ayahuasca durante el Periodo Medio (500–1000 d.C.)
Latin American Antiquity December 1, 2010 Juan Pablo Ogalde, Bernardo Arriaza, Elia C. Soto 4 citations
Analysis of hair from thirty-two mummies from the Middle Period (ca. 500–1000 CE) in the Azapa Valley of northern Chile, using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, found no traces of Anadenanthera, a plant with a long archaeological record of psychoactive use in the region. However, two mummies tested positive for Banisteriopsis, the plant used to prepare the psychoactive infusion known as Ayahuasca. The authors propose that Banisteriopsis consumption in the Azapa Valley was linked to curative and medicinal practices, such as childbirth and postpartum care, rather than to hallucinogenic rituals.