Ayahuasca Diet & Physical Guidelines

Ayahuasca is a powerful plant medicine, and preparing for a ceremony is just as important as the experience itself. One of the most common questions people ask is: Why no salt? At Pachamama Sanctuary, we guide participants through the right way to prepare for an Ayahuasca journey, including dietary restrictions. The Ayahuasca diet is designed to help cleanse the body and mind, ensuring that participants receive the full benefits of the medicine.

The Importance of Ayahuasca Diet Preparation

The way you eat before an Ayahuasca ceremony plays a big role in how deeply you connect with the medicine. The diet, or “dieta,” isn’t just about avoiding certain foods—it’s about purifying your system so you can fully embrace healing. This is why ayahuasca diet preparation is essential. By following these guidelines, you create the best conditions for a transformative experience.

Why No Salt? The Science Behind It

Salt is something we use in almost every meal, so it may seem strange to cut it out before an Ayahuasca ceremony. However, salt can interfere with how Ayahuasca works in the body. It affects water retention, disrupts the balance of neurotransmitters, and can make it harder for the medicine to be absorbed. Ayahuasca is all about cleansing, and salt can slow down this process.

Beyond the physical effects, salt is often linked to cravings and attachments. The Ayahuasca journey encourages participants to let go of things that no longer serve them. By removing salt from your diet, you start practising detachment even before the ceremony.

Foods to Avoid Before an Ayahuasca Ceremony

Ayahuasca diet preparation includes avoiding many foods that can interfere with the medicine’s effects. Here are some key foods and substances to cut out:

  • Salt and Spices – These can stimulate the body and interfere with the medicine’s work.
  • Processed Foods – These often contain chemicals and preservatives that are not good for a cleansing experience.
  • Red Meat and Dairy – These take a long time to digest and can weigh you down energetically.
  • Alcohol and Drugs – Any substance that alters your state of mind should be avoided for at least two weeks before the ceremony.
  • Caffeine – This can overstimulate the nervous system and make it harder to relax during the ceremony.

By following these guidelines, you allow your body to be in the best possible state for the medicine to work. This is why Pachamama Sanctuary is considered the best Ayahuasca retreat in the USA. We take diet preparation seriously to ensure every participant has a deep and healing experience.

Dietary Guidelines

The diet, or dieta, is one of the most important practices in both preparing to take ayahuasca, as well as for maximizing the benefits of integration following your journey. The preparatory diet should not be taken lightly. Indeed, you can seriously endanger yourself by failing to honor the dietary precautions, and otherwise guarantee a much more difficult and painful process as Ayahuasca cleans out the toxins and heavier energies accumulated from a poor diet. The following dietary guidelines ensure that you will be as receptive as possible to the miraculous gifts that Ayahuasca can give. IMPORTANT: For your safety, you must tell us if you are currently taking any medications or supplements. Some medications have dangerous contraindications with Ayahuasca. Please review our Medical Guidelines here.

Pre-Retreat Guidelines

At least 2 weeks before ceremony, abstain from:
  • All recreational or synthetic drugs such as cocaine, LSD, MDMA, heroin, amphetamines, etc. (This is essential for your safety)
  • Pork
  • Sex, including masturbation
  • Alcohol
  • Cannabis
  • Psychedelics such as mushrooms
  • Cold or frozen foods such as ice cream, popsicles
  • Carbonated drinks
At least 1 week before ceremony, abstain from:
  • Red meat
  • Refined sugars
  • Junk or processed foods
  • Salt or pepper
  • Garlic
  • Sweets
  • Chocolate
  • Oils
  • Butter and other animal fats
  • Carbonated drinks
  • Dairy products
  • Fermented foods
  • Caffeine and other stimulants

Further Guidelines

  • If you are menstruating during the retreat, please inform us.
  • Pregnant women should not take Ayahuasca
  • Avoid using synthetic, petroleum, or other chemical-based body products such as soaps, perfumes, etc. For the ceremony, please do not wear any products with sharp smells as the sacrament will heighten everyone’s sensitivity.

By following these preparatory guidelines for diet, you set yourself up to maximize the benefits from encountering this sacrament. Entering into a relationship with Ayahuasca is to work with a master teacher. Therefore, the student should be as prepared as possible both as a sign of respect for the teacher as well as to ensure the highest learning. The more commitment you show to Ayahuasca, the more you prove yourself as a worthy student who may be trusted with deeper communion and higher knowledge.

Post-Retreat Guidelines

2 weeks following ceremony abstain from:
  • Spicy foods
  • Alcohol
  • Sexual activity
  • Cold foods (Ice, ice cream, ice drinks)
  • Carbonated drinks
2-4 weeks following ceremony abstain from:
  • ALL recreational drugs (cocaine, MDMA, LSD, etc.)
  • Cannabis and other plant medicines
  • Pork
  • Massage and other energetic work
2-4 weeks following the ceremony, minimize:
  • Refined sugars
  • Red meat
  • Dairy
  • Carbonated drinks
  • Fermented foods
  • Junk or processed foods
  • Salt or pepper
  • Garlic
  • Sweets
  • Chocolate
  • Oils
  • Animal fats
  • Caffeine
  • Stimulants