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DIET & PREPARATION GUIDELINES FOR YOUR PRIVATE AYAHUASCA CEREMONY

Although you´re joining us for just one night of ceremony, for your own health, safety, and well-being, there is still preparation to do on your side.
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Your health, safety, and well-being is our utmost priority at Casa Galactica.  If you are joining us for a Private Ayahuasca Ceremony, your commitment to adhering to these Ceremony Diet & Preparation Guidelines is imperative for ensuring your safety and that of other participants within the ceremony.  These guidelines also allow you to mentally, physically, and spiritually prepare to obtain the most out of your healing and evolution experience with us.

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AYAHUASCA IS A STRONG MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITOR (MAOI) AND IS INCOMPATIBLE AND CONTRAINDICATED WITH MANY DIFFERENT MEDICATIONS, PHARMACEUTICALS, DRUGS, AND MEDICAL/MENTAL CONDITIONS.  INGESTING AYAHUASCA WHILE THESE MEDICATIONS, PHARMACEUTICALS, AND DRUGS ARE STILL IN THE SYSTEM, OR WHILE THE MEDICAL/MENTAL CONDITION IS STILL VERY MUCH PRESENT, MAY LEAD TO SEVERE INJURY, TRAUMA, AND EVEN DEATH.

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In order to participate in your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony, and of your own free will, you agree to adhere to these Ceremony Diet & Preparation Guidelines provided by Casa Galactica, to ensure your health, safety, and well-being when ingesting ayahuasca brew.

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1. Guidelines for Other Plant Medicines & Frog Medicines

 

The following guidelines are the absolute minimum recommendations, and we strongly advise that you cease taking all other plant medicines and frog medicines at least 2 to 4 weeks before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony to optimally prepare your body and mind for this deep-healing and evolution experience.

 

  • Rapé - Cease taking a minimum of 24 hours before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.  Consumption of Rapé is not permitted within our ceremonies.

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  • Cacao - Cease taking a minimum of 24 hours before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.  Consumption of Cacao is not permitted within our ceremonies.

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  • Coca - Cease taking a minimum of 48 hours before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.  Consumption of Coca is not permitted within our ceremonies.

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  • Natural Herbs - Cease taking a minimum of 48 hours before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.  Consumption of Natural Herbs is not permitted within our ceremonies.  Cease taking St. Johns Wort (if you are taking it regularly) a minimum of 2 weeks before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.

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  • Alcohol - Cease taking a minimum of 5 days before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.

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  • Marijuana - Marijuana can negatively impact not only your own experience within the ceremony, but also that of others around you.  Cease taking a minimum of 5 days before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.  Consumption of Marijuana is strictly prohibited within our ceremonies.

 

  • San Pedro - San Pedro can negatively impact not only your own experience within the ceremony, but also that of others around you.  Cease taking a minimum of 5 days before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.  Consumption of San Pedro is strictly prohibited within our ceremonies.

 

  • Psilocybin - Psilocybin can negatively impact not only your own experience within the ceremony, but also that of others around you.  Cease taking a minimum of 5 days before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.  Consumption of Psilocybin is strictly prohibited within our ceremonies.

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  • Kambo - Kambo can negatively impact not only your own experience within the ceremony, but also that of others around you.  Interactions with ayahuasca can cause hallucinations, agitation, tremors of extremities, oral paresthesia, skin lesions, and seizures.  Cease taking a minimum of 5 days before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.  Consumption of Kambo is strictly prohibited within our ceremonies.

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  • Tobacco - Consumption of Tobacco is not permitted in our ceremonies, as we have severe allergies to the smoke.

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  • All Other Plant Medicines - For any and all other plant medicines that have not been expressly named on this list, cease taking a minimum of 5 days before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.

 

We advise allowing yourself a minimum of 5 days after your ceremony before ingesting or taking other plant medicines to ensure your health, safety, and well-being, and to optimally support and nurture the healing you´ve received in ceremony.  As noted above, the interaction of some plant medicines and frog medicines with ayahuasca can cause severe problems and even death.

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2. Spiritual Guidelines for Food

 

For the spiritual and physical health benefits of detoxifying your body, opening your sensitivity to the ayahuasca, and improving your physical comfort in ayahuasca ceremony, we suggest that you cease ingesting the following foods a minimum of 48 hours before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.  Yet we strongly advise that you cease ingesting the following foods a minimum of 3 to 5 days before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony if you wish to jump-start your own healing process a bit earlier:

 

  • Hot peppers, or anything spicy in general

  • Onions and garlic

  • Fermented foods

  • Dairy (not including eggs)

  • Salt (simply reducing your intake can be beneficial)

  • Processed/refined sugar

  • Caffeine, or any kind of stimulant

  • Meat of all kinds

  • Heavy oils and fried foods

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Generally, the cleaner that your mind, body, and spirit are as you enter ayahuasca ceremony, the more you will benefit, as there is less interference from heavy and stimulating foods within your body.  This can allow you to go deeper with the plant medicine into the healing experience.  

 

 

3. Safety Guidelines for Food

 

Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi) is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI).  MAOIs block an enzyme called monoamine oxidase, which breaks down excess tyramine in the body.  Tyramine is an amino acid that helps regulate blood pressure, but tyramine can reach dangerous levels if you eat foods containing tyramine while on an MAOI.  This can lead to a sudden spike in blood pressure, and result in stroke, brain hemorrhage, and death.  There have been nearly 100 deaths recorded due to interactions between pharmaceutical MAOIs and tyramine-containing foods.

 

However, Ayahuasca is a reversible MAOI, or RIMA.  RIMAs are not as dangerous as other MAOIs, and there has never been a recorded fatality due to a food interaction with Ayahuasca.  However, food interactions with Ayahuasca can nevertheless cause unpleasant symptoms such as severe headache (sometimes lasting for days) and accelerated heartbeat.  There is also significant anecdotal evidence that eating proscribed foods can contribute to the risk of panic attack.  Sometimes people eat proscribed foods with Ayahuasca with no problems, yet on occasion very small amounts of proscribed foods may cause uncomfortable physical and mental symptoms during ayahuasca ceremony.

 

These Safety Guidelines for Food should not be confused with our Spiritual Guidelines for Food.

 

For your optimal physical health, safety, comfort, and well-being during your ceremony, we require that you cease taking or ingesting the following proscribed foods a minimum of 48 hours before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony and for a minimum of 48 hours after your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony: 

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  • Meat that is not fresh, especially unfresh liver (fresh meat and fresh liver are safe)

  • Bologna, pepperoni, salami, corned beef, sausage, hot dogs, and any cured meats

  • Smoked, fermented, pickled (herring) and otherwise aged or dried fish, lox; any fish that is not fresh

  • Fermented foods: tofu, bean curd, soybean paste, miso, etc

  • Soy sauce, even in small quantities

  • Teriyaki sauce

  • Cheeses, especially aged cheeses (ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese and cream cheese are safe)

  • Protein extracts

  • Liquid or powdered protein dietary supplements

  • Canned soups, or soups made with protein extracts or bouillon

  • Gravies and foods made with meat extracts

  • Dried egg whites

  • De-fatted peanut flour

  • Brewer’s yeast, yeast vitamin supplements, yeast extracts, foods with yeast in ingredients

  • Sourdough bread

  • Shrimp paste

  • Sauerkraut

  • Pickled foods

  • Olives (unless you can get fresh ones)

  • Fruits that are bruised or overripe

  • Avocados that are very soft, mushy, overripe or starting to turn grey (slightly underripe avocados are fine in moderation). Guacamole should be avoided.

  • Banana peels (as though you’d eat them anyway) and bananas that are overripe (turning brown or black). Bananas that are not overripe or bruised are totally fine.

  • Dried fruits, such as raisins and prunes

  • Fruit cake and candied fruits

  • Cranberries, canned

  • Red wine, especially Chianti; sherry, vermouth, champagne, brandy; beers and ales, including nonalcoholic; whiskey and liqueurs such as Drambuie and Chartreuse

  • Dairy products that are close to the expiration date or that have been unrefrigerated (fresh yogurt is safe)

  • Any food that has the word “hydrolyzed” or “autolyzed” in the ingredient list

  • Broad beans (fava and lima beans) – in large quantities

  • Navy beans – in large quantities

  • Peanuts – in large quantities

  • Brazil nuts – in large quantities

  • Coconut and coconut oil – in large quantities (coconut juice or coconut milk is safe)

  • Raspberries – in large quantities

  • New Zealand or Hot Weather Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides, a different plant from regular spinach, Spinacia oleracea, which is safe) – in large quantities

  • Parsley – in large quantities

  • Dill weed – in large quantities

  • Dried seaweed – in large quantities

  • Nutmeg – in large quantities

  • Kombucha – in large quantities

  • Dark chocolate – in large quantities (the theobromine in it may be potentiated, causing fast heartbeat)

  • Caffeine in large quantities (in a few rare individuals, there may be a severe interaction with even small amounts of caffeine)

 

Also avoid:

 

  • Aspartame (Nutrasweet)

  • Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) (or anything with the word “hydrolyzed,” code for MSG)

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4. Recommended Foods

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For some people, it´s easier to follow guidelines for foods that are recommended to eat within a minimum of 48 hours before the start time of your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony and for a minimum of 48 hours after your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony.  The following foods are recommended and are compatible with (not contraindicated to) drinking ayahuasca: 

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  • Fresh and cooked vegetables (broccoli, carrots, beets, lettuce, greens, tomatoes, sweet potato, potato, squash, corn)

  • Fresh fruits (watermelon, apple, orange, mandarin, papaya, mango, strawberries, blueberries, melon)

  • Whole grains (white rice, brown rice, granola, oats, quinoa, cous cous, barley)

  • Beans (lentils, black beans, red beans, pinto beans, split peas, chickpeas)

  • Herbs, in moderation (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme)

  • Protein (organic eggs, free-range chicken, well-cooked fish like trout, salmon, and tilapia)

  • Nuts/seeds and nut/seed butters, in moderation (almond, peanut, sesami, pumpkin, cashew, pecan)

  • Whole grain bread

  • Herbal, non-caffeinated teas

  • All-natural juices (without preservatives and added sugars)

  • Water - drink plenty of water

 

5. Guidelines for Sex & Sexual Stimulation

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For the spiritual and physical health benefits of eliminating outside stimulus, detoxifying your body and mind, and opening your sensitivity to the plants, we advise that you cease all sexual activity, including masturbation, for a minimum of 5 days before your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony and for a minimum of 5 days after your Private Ayahuasca Ceremony. 

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Sex and sexual stimulation, including masturbation, is not contraindicated with ayahuasca brew, and you will not experience harmful or detrimental physical, mental, or spiritual effects if you partake in sex and/or sexual stimulation, including masturbation, during the aforementioned advised period of abstinence. 

 

However, consciously choosing to abstain from sex and sexual stimulation can be a beneficial practice that helps you focus your attention inwardly.

 

Additionally, due to the nature of sexually traumatic memories that can arise for you during ceremony, due to the heightened sensitivity to energy experienced by all participants during ceremony, out of respect for survivors of sexual trauma who often experience a lack of personal agency as a result of sexual trauma, and in strict accordance with our professional codes of conduct, Casa Galactica comprehensively prohibits any/all sexual activity during the ceremony.  This includes married and non-married couples and masturbation. 

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