How to choose your plant medicine center
Choosing the right place for an Ayahuasca or Yagé journey is perhaps the most important decision you will make on this path.
It is a vulnerable experience that requires deep trust, so knowing what to look for can make the difference between a challenging ordeal and a life-changing transformation. Here is a guide on how to navigate those choices with clarity and care.
🛡️ The Foundation of Safety and Screening
The very first thing to look for in a center is their approach to safety. A responsible center will always prioritize your physical and psychological well-being before you even book a flight. This starts with a rigorous medical screening process.
You should be asked detailed questions about your medical history, current medications, and any mental health challenges. This isn't about being exclusive; it is about ensuring that the medicine will be a help and not a hindrance. For example, certain heart conditions or psychiatric medications can have dangerous interactions with the brew. If a center does not ask these questions, it is a significant red flag. You can learn more about why this matters in our guide on Preparing for your journey.
👥 Understanding the Lineage and the Staff
Who holds the space matters just as much as what is in the cup. Ideally, you want to see a balance of traditional wisdom and modern support.
Traditional healers, often called Shamans, Taitas, or Curanderos, should come from an established lineage. This means they have spent years, or even decades, apprenticing under elders. This training is what allows them to navigate the energetic space of a ceremony safely.
However, it is also helpful to have facilitators who speak your language and understand your cultural background. They act as a bridge, helping you translate the profound experiences of the ceremony into concepts you can actually use in your life. When researching a center, look for a team that feels grounded, transparent, and experienced. Our approach to Our Cofán lineage reflects this deep respect for tradition.
🍵 The Brew: Knowing What is in Your Cup
The traditional Ayahuasca or Yagé brew is simple. It typically consists of two plants: the vine (which provides the MAO-inhibitor) and a DMT-containing leaf like Chacruna or Chaliponga.
Some practitioners add other plants to the mix to intensify the experience, such as Toé (Brugmansia). While these plants have their place in very specific traditional contexts, they can be incredibly dangerous and deliriant for those not deeply trained. Always ask what is in the brew. A pure, traditional recipe is generally the safest and most effective way to work with the medicine.
🌱 Integration and the Path Home
The ceremony is just the beginning. The real work often starts when you return home to your daily life. This is why integration support is a non-negotiable factor when choosing a retreat.
Look for centers that offer structured time for sharing and processing after the ceremonies. A good center will provide you with tools and perhaps even one on one sessions to help you make sense of your insights. Without this, the lessons of the jungle can quickly fade once you are back in the noise of the city. You can see how we handle this in our section on Integration support.
🌳 The Environment and Practical Comfort
While you are looking for a spiritual experience, your physical body still needs care. Consider the group size: smaller groups often allow for more personal attention from the healers and facilitators. Also, look at the balance of nature and comfort. You want to be immersed in the medicine of the jungle, but you also need a clean, safe place to rest and nutritious food that respects the traditional diet.
🦜 Why We Created Jungle Harmony
At Jungle Harmony, we built our sanctuary to reflect these exact standards of safety, tradition, and care. We follow the ancient Yagé tradition of the Colombian Cofán people, led by authentic Taitas who have carried this wisdom for generations.
Our mission is to provide an educative and supportive environment where the ancestral power of the medicine meets modern, trauma-informed guidance. We keep our groups small to ensure every guest receives the attention they need, and we place a heavy emphasis on 1:1 integration with our staff therapist. From our strict Safety protocols to our beautiful location in the Amazon, everything we do is designed to help you return to your most harmonious state.
