What you seek is seeking you.
What you seek is seeking you.
HOW TO PREPARE
FOR AYAHUASCA?
It's common to be nervous before an Ayahuasca ceremony.
Here are tips to help you.
Here are tips to help you.
Let's talk about Ayahuasca preparation
as a complex process
that will boost your experience.
as a complex process
that will boost your experience.
Sign up for APL’s online preparation course:
Discover the introduction
to the course:
to the course:
This course is the result of the decade of APL's founder's experience working with various Amazonian healers, teacher-plants, and over a thousand participants, who safely connected with Ayahuasca under the facilitation of APL.
Introduction to the course
Dietary books
for our participants:
for our participants:
At our Ayahuasca retreat center, we provide all participants with access to our dietary guidance books to ensure a safe and optimal experience. These resources will assist you in making dietary choices that prevent any harmful interactions between Ayahuasca, food, and any medications you may be taking.
Once you sign up for your retreat we share the link with you to access our resources and prepare yourself for the upcoming encounter with Ayahuasca.
Once you sign up for your retreat we share the link with you to access our resources and prepare yourself for the upcoming encounter with Ayahuasca.
Dietary guidance
for food products
for food products
Dietary guidance
for drugs
for drugs
Sign up for a retreat or enroll in the course to access
Diet book with recipe ideas
What is the Ayahuasca diet
and Why is it important to follow it?
Ayahuasca, a powerful traditional medicine used by indigenous people of the Amazon. For those wondering how to prepare before taking ayahuasca, an essential part of the process is adhering to a specific diet and it is crucial to understand what is the ayahuasca prep diet and dieta meaning and importance in relation to the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the experience.
🧘🏽♂️ Physical Benefits: The ayahuasca diet is an integral part of ayahuasca preparation, ensuring the body is ready to receive the plant medicine.
It is vital to ensure that you are not taking any pharmaceutical and recreational drugs that interact with ayahuasca and can cause life threatening side effects.
The food diet consists of clean, natural, and unprocessed, tyramine-free foods, which are beneficial for the body in several ways.
Firstly, dietary restrictions reduce the likelihood of adverse reactions by minimizing potential interactions between the diet and the ayahuasca brew.Secondly, it helps cleanse the body promoting optimal digestion and absorption of the medicine.
🧘🏽♂️ Physical Benefits: The ayahuasca diet is an integral part of ayahuasca preparation, ensuring the body is ready to receive the plant medicine.
It is vital to ensure that you are not taking any pharmaceutical and recreational drugs that interact with ayahuasca and can cause life threatening side effects.
The food diet consists of clean, natural, and unprocessed, tyramine-free foods, which are beneficial for the body in several ways.
Firstly, dietary restrictions reduce the likelihood of adverse reactions by minimizing potential interactions between the diet and the ayahuasca brew.Secondly, it helps cleanse the body promoting optimal digestion and absorption of the medicine.
🧠 Mental Preparation: Preparing for an ayahuasca ceremony involves more than just physical cleansing; it requires mental and emotional preparation as well. In the weeks leading up to the experience, individuals are encouraged to engage in self-reflection, set clear intentions, refrain from disturbing information and communication. It is as well advised to focus on the upcoming experience by reading related literature about traditional shamanism and psychological and spiritual aspects of the experience.
This mental preparation allows for deeper insights and understanding during the ceremony, enhancing the overall positive potential of ayahuasca.
🌀 Spiritual Aspects: The spiritual significance of the ayahuasca diet cannot be overstated. By adhering to the ayahuasca guidelines, participants demonstrate their respect for the sacred plant medicine and their commitment to personal transformation. The diet also helps to create a strong energetic foundation, allowing for a more profound connection with the spirit of ayahuasca.
Why is the Ayahuasca Diet Important? The ayahuasca diet is a fundamental aspect of the overall ayahuasca journey, offering a range of benefits that contribute to a more fruitful and transformative experience. Here are some reasons why it is essential to follow this diet:
The ayahuasca diet is a vital component of the preparation process, offering numerous benefits that extend beyond the physical realm. By adhering to the diet, individuals cultivate the optimal conditions for a truly transformative and meaningful ayahuasca journey.
This mental preparation allows for deeper insights and understanding during the ceremony, enhancing the overall positive potential of ayahuasca.
🌀 Spiritual Aspects: The spiritual significance of the ayahuasca diet cannot be overstated. By adhering to the ayahuasca guidelines, participants demonstrate their respect for the sacred plant medicine and their commitment to personal transformation. The diet also helps to create a strong energetic foundation, allowing for a more profound connection with the spirit of ayahuasca.
Why is the Ayahuasca Diet Important? The ayahuasca diet is a fundamental aspect of the overall ayahuasca journey, offering a range of benefits that contribute to a more fruitful and transformative experience. Here are some reasons why it is essential to follow this diet:
The ayahuasca diet is a vital component of the preparation process, offering numerous benefits that extend beyond the physical realm. By adhering to the diet, individuals cultivate the optimal conditions for a truly transformative and meaningful ayahuasca journey.
Essential rules to prepare
PHYSICAL BODY
2–6 weeks before the retreat
7–5 days before the retreat
5 days before the retreat
On ceremony days
- ❌ Stop all recreational drugs, alcohol, antidepressants (SSRIs), stimulants, sleeping aids, pain relievers and other medications listed below (after consultation with your doctor and APL Center)
- ✅ Begin gentle movement (walking, yoga) and daily intention-setting journaling.
7–5 days before the retreat
- 🚫 Transition to a clean, low-tyramine diet (see “Restricted Foods” below).
- ✅ Eat fresh, whole foods; drink 2–3 L of water daily.
- ✅ You may use up to 1 teaspoon of pure, additive-free sea salt per day to maintain electrolytes.
5 days before the retreat
- 📵 Abstain from all sexual activity, including masturbation.
- 🤫 Limit exposure to distressing media, news, social feeds and heavy conversation.
- 🧘♀️ Meditate 10–20 minutes twice daily; continue intention-setting journaling.
On ceremony days
- ✅ Rest, hydrate and spend quiet time reflecting on your intention.
- 📖 Review your goals for the journey and trust the process.
Medications & Substances restricted in preparation For ceremonies
2–6 weeks before the retreat following APL Center advise upon your screening process.
💊 Prescription & OTC Medications
All sedatives (sleeping pills, anesthetics), cold and certain allergy treatments (decongestants, antihistamines, pseudoephedrine), migraine remedies, and common painkillers (NSAIDs, acetaminophen).
🧠 Antidepressants & Mood Regulators
Avoid all SSRIs and other prescription antidepressants, any MAO-inhibiting drugs or supplements (including herbal MAOIs), and St. John’s Wort, as they can dangerously amplify Ayahuasca’s effects.
⚖️ Recreational Stimulants & Weight-Loss Aids
Refrain from stimulants and diet pills such as cocaine, amphetamines, MDMA, phentermine, and ephedra-based products.
💊 Prescription & OTC Medications
All sedatives (sleeping pills, anesthetics), cold and certain allergy treatments (decongestants, antihistamines, pseudoephedrine), migraine remedies, and common painkillers (NSAIDs, acetaminophen).
🧠 Antidepressants & Mood Regulators
Avoid all SSRIs and other prescription antidepressants, any MAO-inhibiting drugs or supplements (including herbal MAOIs), and St. John’s Wort, as they can dangerously amplify Ayahuasca’s effects.
⚖️ Recreational Stimulants & Weight-Loss Aids
Refrain from stimulants and diet pills such as cocaine, amphetamines, MDMA, phentermine, and ephedra-based products.
🌿 Psychedelics & Entheogens
Skip all other hallucinogens and entheogenic plants: DMT, peyote, San Pedro, morning glory or Hawaiian Woodrose seeds (LSA), macromerine, Marijuana and related psychoactive herbs.
🚫 Alcohol & Other Interactors
No alcohol of any kind, and limit high-dose chocolate or any food/drug stimulations your body. Staying clear keeps your ceremony safe, focused, and healing.
❗️Important: Consult first with your health care provider before making any changes in your prescribed medication.
Skip all other hallucinogens and entheogenic plants: DMT, peyote, San Pedro, morning glory or Hawaiian Woodrose seeds (LSA), macromerine, Marijuana and related psychoactive herbs.
🚫 Alcohol & Other Interactors
No alcohol of any kind, and limit high-dose chocolate or any food/drug stimulations your body. Staying clear keeps your ceremony safe, focused, and healing.
❗️Important: Consult first with your health care provider before making any changes in your prescribed medication.
- 💡Tip: If you’re unsure about a substance, consult your APL Center and your doctor for possible interactions with MAOIs.
Restricted Foods on Ayahuasca Diet
5–7 days prior to minimize tyramine, nitrates, preservatives and stimulants.
📛 High-Tyramine Foods
(Aged, fermented, cured or spoiled foods)
☕ Caffeine & Stimulants
🥩 Red Meats & Fats
📛 High-Tyramine Foods
(Aged, fermented, cured or spoiled foods)
- Aged Cheeses & Cured Meats
- Fermented Foods: sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha, pickled vegetables
- Condiments: soy sauce, fish sauce, curing salts (≤ 1 tsp pure sea salt/day is allowed)
- Fermented Soy: tofu, tempeh, natto
☕ Caffeine & Stimulants
- Coffee, tea, soda, chocolate
- Energy drinks, guarana
🥩 Red Meats & Fats
- Pork & red meat
- Shellfish
- Dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt (vegan yogurts OK)
- Animal Fats
- Use olive or coconut oil very sparingly
🍬 Sugars & Sweet Fruits
🌶️ Condiments & Spices
- Table sugar, honey & other sweeteners (stevia, aspartame, agave)
- High-sugar fruits: banana, mango, dried fruit, citrus (allowed in a very small quantity)
🌶️ Condiments & Spices
- Garlic, onions & leeks
- Hot spices (chilies, black or white pepper; mild herbs like basil or oregano OK)
- Vinegars & pickled foods
- Seaweed, kelp, dulce, arame
- Yeast & yeast extracts (simple unleavened, unsalted bread OK)
What Is Tyramine & Why Avoid It?
Tyramine is a naturally occurring compound formed when proteins break down in foods. High-tyramine products, such as aged cheeses, cured/dried meats, fermented or spoiled foods can trigger dangerously high blood pressure or severe headaches when combined with the MAO-inhibiting effects of Ayahuasca.
- How to spot them: Look for foods labeled “aged,” “fermented,” “cured,” “smoked” or “spoiled.” If it’s bright red, sharply flavored, or has a sour tang, it often contains elevated tyramine. You can google every product by “name of the product” and “Tyramine” or ask an AI. APL Center is also always available for your questions.
- Why avoid: By eliminating tyramine during Ayahuasca preparation diet, you minimize the risk of dangerous hypertensive reactions and ensure Ayahuasca’s effects remain safe without dangerous Ayahuasca interactions.
Why Some Non-Tyramine Foods
Are Also Restricted
Although pure salt, most fresh spices, garlic and onions do not naturally contain tyramine, they’re excluded during ceremonial diet because:
- Salt & spices stimulate digestion and taste buds, keeping the body “busy” with complex flavors rather than in a neutral, receptive state.
- Alliums (garlic, onions, leeks) can increase gastrointestinal activity and introduce strong energetic “noise.”
- Aim: A plain, almost “tasteless” diet helps purify your system, quiets sensory distractions, and creates the inner space needed for Ayahuasca’s guidance.
What can I eat on Ayahuasca Diet?
Ayahuasca diet is much less challenging as people may think. Prepare nourishing, simple meals by boiling, baking, steaming or lightly sautéing in olive or coconut oil.
Detailed recipes are available in our cook book for participants upon your registration.
- Proteins: chicken; white-meat fish (sole, tilapia, halibut, trout, snapper); eggs
- All Grains: rice; quinoa; millet; wheat berries; amaranth; whole wheat; spelt; kamut
- Vegetables: all fresh vegetables except onions, garlic and leeks
- Fruits: low sugar such as berries; apples
- Beverages: water; coconut water; nut milks; herbal teas (mint, chamomile, rooibos)
Detailed recipes are available in our cook book for participants upon your registration.
Essential rules to prepare MENTAL BODY
In preparation for an ayahuasca retreat, it is essential to engage in various practices that foster mental and emotional readiness, creating an environment conducive to a transformative experience. Here is a comprehensive list of guidelines to follow in the days leading up to the ceremony:
🚫 Sexual Abstinence:
Starting five days before the retreat, refrain from all sexual activity (including masturbation) to help balance your energy and deepen your connection with Ayahuasca.
🤐 Mindful Communication:
For the final five days, limit or avoid distressing conversations, news, and media. This creates mental space and focus for your journey.
🧘 Meditation:
Practice daily meditation to cultivate clarity and self-awareness, making you more receptive to Ayahuasca’s insights.
🚫 Sexual Abstinence:
Starting five days before the retreat, refrain from all sexual activity (including masturbation) to help balance your energy and deepen your connection with Ayahuasca.
🤐 Mindful Communication:
For the final five days, limit or avoid distressing conversations, news, and media. This creates mental space and focus for your journey.
🧘 Meditation:
Practice daily meditation to cultivate clarity and self-awareness, making you more receptive to Ayahuasca’s insights.
✍️ Journaling:
Spend time writing down your thoughts, emotions, and intentions. Reflecting on paper brings clarity to your goals for the ceremony.
🌳 Time in Nature:
Connect with the Earth by hiking, gardening, or simply sitting outside. Immersing yourself in nature attunes you to Ayahuasca’s energy.
🌬️ Mindful Breathing:
Use deep-breathing or pranayama exercises to calm the mind, ease stress, and center your awareness.
🤸 Yoga & Gentle Stretching:
Incorporate light yoga or stretches to release tension, enhance flexibility, and strengthen your mind-body connection.
By embracing these practices, participants can ensure they are mentally and emotionally prepared for the profound and transformative journey that ayahuasca ceremonies offer. This comprehensive approach to preparation creates an optimal environment for personal growth and healing.
Spend time writing down your thoughts, emotions, and intentions. Reflecting on paper brings clarity to your goals for the ceremony.
🌳 Time in Nature:
Connect with the Earth by hiking, gardening, or simply sitting outside. Immersing yourself in nature attunes you to Ayahuasca’s energy.
🌬️ Mindful Breathing:
Use deep-breathing or pranayama exercises to calm the mind, ease stress, and center your awareness.
🤸 Yoga & Gentle Stretching:
Incorporate light yoga or stretches to release tension, enhance flexibility, and strengthen your mind-body connection.
By embracing these practices, participants can ensure they are mentally and emotionally prepared for the profound and transformative journey that ayahuasca ceremonies offer. This comprehensive approach to preparation creates an optimal environment for personal growth and healing.
Setting an intention
preparing for Ayahuasca
⚓ Choose One or a Few “Anchors”
Your intention can be a single heartfelt aim or a small cluster of related goals. Think of them as anchors keeping you grounded during intense moments or as a lighthouse guiding you back to shore when the journey feels turbulent.
❤️ Lead with Your Heart, Not Your Head
Intentions arise from emotional intelligence, your deepest feelings, rather than from perfectly crafted phrases. Trust simple, honest motivations (“I want to heal old grief,” “I seek greater self-love”) over intellectual constructs.
🎈 Keep Them Light, Not Heavy
Intentions are gentle guideposts, not obsessions. They point you forward without trapping you in rigid expectations. If you catch yourself over-analyzing, gently remind yourself that the journey is about openness, not outcomes.
🌱 Allow Intentions to Evolve
Ayahuasca is a dialogue with the plant. As you progress through ceremonies, new insights and Ayahuasca spiritual guidance may shift your focus. Be open to refining, expanding, or even replacing your original intentions in response to what the medicine reveals.
Your intention can be a single heartfelt aim or a small cluster of related goals. Think of them as anchors keeping you grounded during intense moments or as a lighthouse guiding you back to shore when the journey feels turbulent.
❤️ Lead with Your Heart, Not Your Head
Intentions arise from emotional intelligence, your deepest feelings, rather than from perfectly crafted phrases. Trust simple, honest motivations (“I want to heal old grief,” “I seek greater self-love”) over intellectual constructs.
🎈 Keep Them Light, Not Heavy
Intentions are gentle guideposts, not obsessions. They point you forward without trapping you in rigid expectations. If you catch yourself over-analyzing, gently remind yourself that the journey is about openness, not outcomes.
🌱 Allow Intentions to Evolve
Ayahuasca is a dialogue with the plant. As you progress through ceremonies, new insights and Ayahuasca spiritual guidance may shift your focus. Be open to refining, expanding, or even replacing your original intentions in response to what the medicine reveals.
🕊️ Anchor & Release
Hold your intentions in mind at the start of each ceremony, then let them rest in the background, always there to return to when needed, but never so loud that they drown out the plant’s own wisdom.
By setting open-hearted, flexible intentions, you create a supportive container for your Ayahuasca experience, one that both grounds you and invites unexpected growth.
Hold your intentions in mind at the start of each ceremony, then let them rest in the background, always there to return to when needed, but never so loud that they drown out the plant’s own wisdom.
By setting open-hearted, flexible intentions, you create a supportive container for your Ayahuasca experience, one that both grounds you and invites unexpected growth.
Key points to focus on
prior to Ayahuasca:
🌿 Ayahuasca: A Sacred Path to Self-Discovery
Not just a psychedelic trip, but a revered medicine for holistic balance and a true dialogue between self and spirit.
🚀 Embrace the Journey, Not the Challenge
Approach the ceremony with trust and respect, every emotion (fear, joy, etc.) is a gift and an opportunity for transformation.
🌀 Maintaining Control
True “control” comes through surrender: focus your mind and open to shamanic wisdom instead of resisting.
🤝 Accepting Responsibility
Honor the medicine by following dietary guidelines and ceremony protocol and integrate its lessons into daily life.
📞 The Call of the Medicine
Listen to your inner prompt for change; your body and spirit are ready to receive its guidance.
🛡️ Safety First
Ensure your retreat is led by an experienced, reputable maestro shaman, professional team and be transparent about your wellbeing, background any substance use.
🌎 Transcending Religion
Ayahuasca invites seekers of all faiths, it transcends dogma and opens to universal spirituality.
🗝️ Preparation Is Key
Physical and mental prep (especially diet) lays the foundation for a safe, connected experience.
🕊️ Surrender to the Process
When you face inner fears, even the fear of death, let go and allow the medicine’s wisdom to flow.
💖 The Power of Trust, Respect & Surrender
With an open heart and humble attitude, Ayahuasca becomes a powerful catalyst for lasting growth.
Not just a psychedelic trip, but a revered medicine for holistic balance and a true dialogue between self and spirit.
🚀 Embrace the Journey, Not the Challenge
Approach the ceremony with trust and respect, every emotion (fear, joy, etc.) is a gift and an opportunity for transformation.
🌀 Maintaining Control
True “control” comes through surrender: focus your mind and open to shamanic wisdom instead of resisting.
🤝 Accepting Responsibility
Honor the medicine by following dietary guidelines and ceremony protocol and integrate its lessons into daily life.
📞 The Call of the Medicine
Listen to your inner prompt for change; your body and spirit are ready to receive its guidance.
🛡️ Safety First
Ensure your retreat is led by an experienced, reputable maestro shaman, professional team and be transparent about your wellbeing, background any substance use.
🌎 Transcending Religion
Ayahuasca invites seekers of all faiths, it transcends dogma and opens to universal spirituality.
🗝️ Preparation Is Key
Physical and mental prep (especially diet) lays the foundation for a safe, connected experience.
🕊️ Surrender to the Process
When you face inner fears, even the fear of death, let go and allow the medicine’s wisdom to flow.
💖 The Power of Trust, Respect & Surrender
With an open heart and humble attitude, Ayahuasca becomes a powerful catalyst for lasting growth.
WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT MY FUTURE AYAHUASCA EXPERIENCE?
When you sign up for the retreat with APL, you get an access to a complete library focused on the tradition, mindfulness, therapy and science. Below are a few examples of books you can read to prepare.
The question of where to find information about Ayahuasca is a complex one. On the one hand, it is essential to understand what the Ayahuasca experience entails and why you have chosen to participate in a ceremony. On the other hand, having too many preconceived notions and expectations can create a mental barrier that hinders your openness to the journey that Ayahuasca will take you on. The truth is that even after extensive research and reading, you may still be wrong about what to expect from your own personal Ayahuasca experience.
Our advice is to educate yourself through reading and research, but avoid forming rigid expectations and remain open to the unknown. To get started, we recommend exploring the following 3 books that approach Ayahuasca and shamanism from different perspectives.
The question of where to find information about Ayahuasca is a complex one. On the one hand, it is essential to understand what the Ayahuasca experience entails and why you have chosen to participate in a ceremony. On the other hand, having too many preconceived notions and expectations can create a mental barrier that hinders your openness to the journey that Ayahuasca will take you on. The truth is that even after extensive research and reading, you may still be wrong about what to expect from your own personal Ayahuasca experience.
Our advice is to educate yourself through reading and research, but avoid forming rigid expectations and remain open to the unknown. To get started, we recommend exploring the following 3 books that approach Ayahuasca and shamanism from different perspectives.
- Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon,Book by Stephan V. Beyer
- The Ayahuasca Experience: A Sourcebook on the Sacred Vine of Spirits
- The Therapeutic Use of Ayahuasca
Also you can visit Kahpi website and subscribe for Ayahuasca Courses. A lot of information on their website is incredibly helpful for the right understanding of Ayahuasca as a Medicine:
PAYING RESPECT
TO AYAHUASCA CEREMONY:
When you choose to participate in an Ayahuasca ceremony, you are asking the spirit of the medicine for guidance and support. To honor this request, it is essential to demonstrate respect, discipline, honesty, and gratitude. The foundation of a successful Ayahuasca experience begins with proper preparation, and we are here to guide and support you every step of the way, from the moment you arrive at our retreats. Let us help you on your transformative journey.
Maestro Sani.
About shamanism and the role of the Shaman in the ceremonial process.
About shamanism and the role of the Shaman in the ceremonial process.
"We wish you a great journey"