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A British woman who allegedly drank tea made with the psychedelic drug ayahuasca has died at a health facility deep in the Amazon rainforest.
Mother-of-three Maureen Rainford, 54, was staying at the Ayahuasca and San Pedro Pisatahua Retreat in Bolivia when she died last month.
Witnesses said she died a short time after drinking ayahuasca tea – a mind-altering concoction made from two Amazonian plants – reports Telegraph.
Rainford complained of feeling sick for 10 minutes after drinking the tea before she had trouble breathing, they said.
Despite attempts at resuscitation, she died an hour later and before the arrival of doctors.
Her daughter Rochel, 32, said staff at the shelter told her she had suffered a “medical emergency”.
Rochel said that after contacting the British consulate, her mother’s body was returned to the UK and an autopsy confirmed that she had suffered a heart attack.
The funeral was held last week.
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Ayahuasca, also known as “yage”, is made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the leaves of the chacruna plant found in the Amazon rainforest.
It is usually taken in the jungle as part of a ritual ceremony, led by a shaman singing traditional songs.
In recent years, many Westerners have flocked to ayahuasca centers in the jungle because it is said to have beneficial effects on conditions such as depression and anxiety, as well as helping people break free from serious addictions.
But outside the Amazon, ayahuasca has an ambiguous legal status. It is classified as a class A illegal drug in the UK.
British Prince Harry, writes in his memoirs Sparehe admitted to taking the drug “therapeutically” and “medicinally” to help him overcome PTSD related to his mother’s death.
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