A psychoactive brew made from South American plants, traditionally used in indigenous spiritual practices; also spelled 'ayahuasca.'
From Quechua 'aya' (spirit/ghost) and 'huasca' (vine), literally 'vine of the soul,' describing its traditional use in shamanic rituals.
Ayahuasca represents how indigenous knowledge of plant chemistry predates modern science by centuries—shamans were doing sophisticated plant pharmacology without microscopes or periodic tables.
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