Observational · 2026
Depression scores after ritual ayahuasca use tracked for six months in 280 patients
- Original title
- The therapeutic potential of ayahuasca in depression, generalized anxiety, and substance use disorders: modulation of the depressive burden in a longitudinal study.
- Authors
- Camargos GS, de Faria Júnior GM, Lourenço M, et al.
- Journal
- Frontiers in psychiatry, 2026
- Molecules
- Ayahuasca
- Conditions
- Depression, Anxiety, Substance use disorder
- Participants
- 280
- Evidence grade
- Low
- Source
- Read the original paper
The question
Do depressive symptoms change after people take part in ritual ayahuasca sessions, and does this also apply to people whose main diagnosis is an anxiety disorder or a substance use disorder?
What they did
Researchers followed 280 adults being treated at clinics in the northwestern region of São Paulo state, Brazil. Participants had depressive disorders, anxiety disorders or substance use disorders. Depressive symptoms were measured with a standard clinician-rated scale (the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, or MADRS) at six time points across six months after an ayahuasca session. Participants also received psychotherapeutic support.
What they found
The authors report a significant drop in depression scores shortly after the ayahuasca session, with improvement maintained up to 180 days. Responses varied considerably from person to person. The authors also describe benefits for anxiety symptoms and potential value for substance dependence, and suggest that therapeutic support and integration of the experience influenced how well people responded.
The fine print
There was no control or placebo group, no blinding, and participants were not randomly assigned, so the improvement cannot be attributed to ayahuasca itself. Everyone also received psychotherapy, which makes the two effects impossible to separate. The abstract reports no actual score changes, statistics, dropout numbers or safety data, and participants came from one region of Brazil in a ritual setting. This summary is based on the abstract only.
What it means
In a real-world Brazilian setting, depression scores fell after ritual ayahuasca use alongside therapy and stayed lower for six months, but without a comparison group this study cannot show that the ayahuasca caused the improvement.
Evidence grade: Low. An observational study with no control or comparison group and no blinding, so improvements cannot be separated from expectation, therapy support or natural recovery.
This summary is based on the study’s published abstract.