American tourist, 41, died after drinking psychedelic tea at spiritual retreat in Peru
Aaron Wayne Castranova, 41, died Monday after ingesting ayahuasca — a potent hallucinogenic plant brew banned in the US — during a shamanic ritual at La Casa de Guillermo ICONA, a hostel known for its 'spiritual tourism' in Loreto.
The hypnotic elixir triggered a multi-organ 'breakdown' that caused the Alabama man's lethal spiral, according to Narciso Lopez, the regional prosecutor's forensic pathologist, the Daily Mail reported.
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Aaron Wayne Castranova, 41, died Monday after ingesting ayahuasca during a shamanic ritual at La Casa de Guillermo ICONA.
Hostel managers reportedly claimed Castranova failed to inform ceremony organizers he was on antibiotics, which may have caused the fatal reaction, ahead of the ritual in Santa Maria de Ojeda's indigenous community.
The mind-altering concoction, long used by Amazonian tribes for spiritual and healing rites, has surged in popularity among tourists seeking transformative experiences or relief from their mental health struggles — despite warnings from the US Embassy in Peru about its adverse effects.
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'These dangerous substances are often marketed to travelers in Peru as ceremonial or spiritual cleansers,' the US embassy website states.
'However, Ayahuasca is a psychoactive substance dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a strong hallucinogen that is illegal in the United States and many other countries.'
Officials said that several US citizens died or suffered severe physical and mental health crises last year after consuming the drug.
Others were sexually assaulted, injured, or robbed while under its influences, the website cautioned.
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The trance-inducing mixture, made from a vine and leaf containing the powerful psychedelic, can cause 'irreversible damage' and death, Lopez warned, according to Infobae, an Argentine online news outlet.
Officials said that several US citizens died or suffered severe physical and mental health crises last year after consuming the drug.
Talita Santana Campos
Embassy officials noted it can also lead to psychosis, neurological diseases, insomnia, and persistent hallucinations.
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Short-term effects include nausea, vomiting and increased heart rate.
Castronova's death comes a year after Maureen Rainford, a British mother of three, suffered a similar fate after using the reality-shifting drug at a Bolivian retreat, the Daily Mail reported.
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