Teenager death caused by allergic reaction to ayahuasca

[Francois]

This story broke earlier on the BBC news site, although it said there it was an allergic reaction to a plant concoction drunk in a shamanistic ritual. There is a bit more detail on the link I've posted at the bottom and it turns out it was in fact ayahuasca. Not good at all that he was dumped by the side of a road. Very sad for all involved and of course the aya community, considering the negative media coverage that will no doubt ensue.

British backpacker dies after taking hallucinogenic brew in Colombia

Gap year teenager from Bristol, Henry Miller, suffered allergic reaction after taking part in tribal ritual

www.theguardian.com

 

[۩]

No bueno.

I wonder what really happened.

Previous heart problems? Contraindicated medication? Choked on vomit? Too many tropanes?

Sad situation, and a horrible way to handle it. Not the first time something like this has happened either.

 

[AcaciaConfusedYah]

Hmm, I've read of "fake shamans" that don't know what they are doing, and have been dosing people with datura/aya mixes. I wonder if this played a role. There are parts of datura that are very dangerous.

 

[۩]

Brugmansia is used in this part of the world by some, not datura, but similar.

 

[AcaciaConfusedYah]

I see, that could be what I was thinking of. I knew that I had read that some of these "tribes" have been ripping off the Tourist and robbing them - dosing them with harmful stuffs. Not good.

 

[۩]

http://news.sky.com/story/1249793/british-teenager-dies-after-tribal-drug-ritual

This source that I got from another thread says he "tried to fly."
I hope when they release toxicology report they dont just say "yage" but specify exactly what compounds were found.

 

[AcaciaConfusedYah]

It's a shame that an aya accident makes the news. I guess people would get bored reading the front page of the news if they listed every car accident or alcohol overdose, each day. The front page would be filled, yet these things get dismissed and pushed under the rug.

 

[Infinite I]

No bueno.

I wonder what really happened.

Previous heart problems? Contraindicated medication? Choked on vomit? Too many tropanes?

Sad situation, and a horrible way to handle it. Not the first time something like this has happened either.

First thing I thought of was tropanes, he was found at a road after people fell asleep as if he walked away, so reports say. Of course they wont say what actually caused the deatg they will say yage, which I found strange,using the word yage and not ayahuasca. Mainstream media imo have an agenda to suppress such medicines and portray them in a bad light.

 

[Bill Cipher]

At least we have Lindsay Lohan on our side to counterbalance the bad press.

 

[obliguhl]

Sad to hear about this. The fact that he decided last minute to go ahead and drink it sounds suspicious. Perhaps he had taken something before and wasn't too sure if it would go well with ayahuasca? But this kind of speculation does no good. Isn't Alan Shoemaker et al. trying to establish some sort of council which would judge ayahuasqueros so tourists wouldn't fall prey to brujos or fake shamans? This could be one way to make ayahuasca tourism safer.

 

[null24]

This has shades of the Shimbre/ Mancoluto debacle of years back. This highlights inherent dangers of shaman tourism and hopefully won't be set upon by media vultures wishing to villianize ethnopharmacology. It is an opportunity to open dialogue among those who work in the field to address these issues of safety.

Perhaps the "dumped" body verbiage of the story is journalistic hyperbole, but the deceased was supposed to be looked after by shaman's family. How did he wander off and die alone? It is stated that he was making animalistic noises and gestures, perhaps they lost control of him and he ran into the darkness and couldn't be located. It makes me think of some times when someone in a room full of trippers started going weird like that and no one who was high noticed. If that person who is freaking makes it out the door to outside, there's no telling where they'll end up. It doesn't sound like an effort to conceal the body was made, and i doubt seriously any nefarious activity, but no matter, better precautions and efforts after the fact may have prevented this tragedy.

 

[Orion]

Actually happened to catch this on TV at a friends, immediately got a feeling of contempt for inevitable negative portrayal that did indeed follow only seconds later. One side of the story for all eh?. I wonder what actually happened.

 

[Entheogenerator]

First thing I thought of was tropanes, he was found at a road after people fell asleep as if he walked away, so reports say. Of course they wont say what actually caused the deatg they will say yage, which I found strange,using the word yage and not ayahuasca. Mainstream media imo have an agenda to suppress such medicines and portray them in a bad light.

The terminology (yagé v. ayahuasca, etc.) varies between different localities. IIRC, yagé is the name which is traditionally used in Colombia.

Very sad to hear about this tragedy, and I too worry about the response that will be provoked by the apparent demonization of the medicine in the media.

My most sincere condolences go out to those close to the deceased young man.

 

[DoingKermit]

Hmm, I've read of "fake shamans" that don't know what they are doing, and have been dosing people with datura/aya mixes. I wonder if this played a role. There are parts of datura that are very dangerous.

My friend and his girlfriend came back from Ecuador a few months ago and said the first two rituals they partook in were with Datura (they called it moonflower or Angel's Trumpet) and said it was extremely terrifying and took a tole on their bodies. They almost gave up, but then found a "proper shaman" supposedly and had a great experience. Partly due to actually getting the right concoction, I believe.

I just saw the article posted on FB and immediately thought the same thing... people who are not actually shaman's making out they are to get money out of tourists. It's sad and can easily be avoided if people do their homework before heading out there. Asking random people in a random town can lead to these types of scenarios, IMO, giving something that is relatively safe a bad name.

 

[Francois]

A BBC article that's currently 9th most read on the site specifically on ayahuasca, even has some Dennis Mckenna quotes and mentions datura among other things. Not entirely sure what I think on the matter but at least it's not as sensationalist as it easily could've been:

Why do people take ayahuasca?

British student Henry Miller, 19, died in Colombia after apparently consuming hallucinogenic drink ayahuasca. Why is it a rite of passage for some backpackers?

www.bbc.co.uk

EDIT: However it also mentions the awful 'Talk to Frank' website. Which amused me long ago for this particular quote:

'Like drinking and driving, driving while high on DMT is illegal – you can get a heavy fine, be disqualified from driving or even go to prison'

It's enough to make one never want to drive under the influence of DMT!..

 

[DreaMTripper]

It is very sad and my thoughts go out to his freinds and family.

I know that on the South American travel circuit among young travellers cocaine is very popular maybe he had some not so long before.

 

[Cognitive Heart]

Very tragic and unfortunate event. Although, taking anything in a remote area by the guidance of shamans, in this case 'shamans;' you are taking a risk with your life in the trust of others who have been utilizing sacred medicine for generations. I too have my doubts on the actual ingredients used and most likely, an allergic reaction. Many brews tend to be different from Peru and Columbia region. We are talking about a very alien and obscure mixture of plants from the western perspective, here. Not everyone's body will be able to handle or accept it, even if the person taking it for the greatest intentions, it can happen.

I also agree upon the possibility of too much tropane alkaloids. Which is far more dangerous than the brew itself. My sincere gratitude to the family and friends. It is not for the media to disguise or lie about Ayahuasca, but to tell the truth about the risks involved and the responsibility to seek out reputable sources of healing centres.

An incredibly sacred and restorative experience for oneself and humanity.

 

[The Observer]

I'm also guessing that it wasn't pure Ayahuasca brew (ie. Ayahuasca vine and Chacruna). How did they come to the conclusion that it was an allergic reaction?

Sounds more like a potential mix with what many in Peru refer to as Toe (pronounced Toe-A)

Basically the same thing as Jimson weed, trumpet flowers, brugsmania, Datura, etc.

I had a friend die after ingesting some Datura tea with several other people while camping. They found his body, fully clothed underwater, in a pond next to where they were camping. He probably walked into the water thinking he was walking on something other than water. One of the other guys wasn't found for 2 days, and was still totally delirious, seated in the middle of a bunch of thorny, pricker bushes.

Datura is used to extract "Scopolomine". Google "Scopolomine and Columbian criminals". Very powerful drug.

I would strongly advise anyone going for ceremony in S.A., to make sure that they only use Aya vine and Chacruna (Psychotria Viridas) in their brew. Don't be shy about asking what they use to make it. The last time I went to Peru, they said they also put a bit of "Sanango" bark in the brew. When initially asked, they said it was just a bark that helped in the cleansing. What the head of the retreat fessed up to after our first ceremony was that "Sanango" is Peruvian Iboga root (ie. Ibogaine like). I couldn't believe that he gave this brew to everyone without warning us that they had put Sanango in the Aya brew.

DATURA, TOE, BRUGSMANIA, TRUMPET FLOWERS, JIMSON WEED, DEVIL'S WEED, ETC. ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY FATAL. UNLESS YOU WANT TO TEMPT FATE, STICK TO A BETTER, LESS DANGEROUS COMPOUND!

 

[SKA]

We can speculate till the end of time. It may have been Toe. It may have been Sanango.
It may have been self-inflicted injuries performed in a severely psychotic state, induced by otherwise fine, traditional Ayahuasca. We'll never know unless the toxicologist report is published, which I doubt will ever happen.

Knolan's(The poor guy who did at Shimbre) toxicology report never showoed up either, AFAIK.

But stop being surprised when mainstream media channels lie and withhold crucial information.
It's just what they do; We should know that by now and expect nothing else from them.

The only thing to do for us is to provide counter-media portraying the truth about Aya and other Psychedelics.