TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

Honoring Ancestral Knowledge

 

Our practitioners have found in traditional medicines from various cultures, true treasures of spiritual knowledge and holistic well-being. At Kumankaya you can experience different types of natural therapies, which will depend on your intention and length of stay.

 

We combine these ancient practices with our own path, beliefs and experience, and seek to share them with all those who approach them with respect, humility and a profound desire of connecting with their heart and purpose.

OUR PRACTICES

Flower Baths

 

Visitors will be given a medicinal bath when visiting Kumankaya. We combine several medicinal plants and flowers with water and let the energy of the sun nourish the mixture. The purpose of the bath is to eliminate negative energies and bathe the individual with good energies instead.

Ayahuasca

 

Ayahuasca is a decoction that has been used for thousands of years by different cultures of the Amazon rainforest; today, it is considered an entheogen, which means it is a plant that “generates the Divine within.” The actual name of Ayahuasca is Quechua, meaning the “Vine of the Soul” or “Vine of the Dead,” but can be called various others, depending on the tradition: Caapi, Natem, Pinde, or Yaǵe. What is known as Ayahuasca is actually a combination of two plants: Banisteriopsis caapi vine (Ayahuasca) with Psychotria viridis (Chacruna).

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When processed, the Ayahuasca contains beta carbolines and MAO-inhibators, which allows the body to process the dimethyltryptamine (DMT) that comes from the Chacruna leaves. The Vine itself provides the purgative aspect of the medicine. The Vine and Chacruna leaves are cooked together for a number of hours, sometimes days, to produce the sacred brew known as Ayahuasca. Many times, other Master Plants are added to the original brew for an intentional altered effect. Here, however, the Ayahuasca drank will be the traditional recipe of using exclusively the Ayahausca vine and leaves of the Chacruna.

 

Today, Ayahuasca is used in many places throughout the world for therapeutic, psycho-spiritual purposes and for personal growth. Ayahuasca is viewed as a sacred medicine. Please get comfortable with this concept. We use the word medicine as a form of respect. What we see under the effect of the medicine are referred to as visions and that is how the medicine teaches us. This is not a hallucinogenic trip. It is a life-changing visionary experience with ancient roots. During this process as well, healers trained in the Shipibo tradition will help and guide the participant with healing songs, called Icaros. The primary language of the Icaros is Shipibo. Facilitators will also use flower water (Agua Florida) and a sacred tobacco in ceremony. Mapacho is Nicotiana Rustica, a Master Plant used by the healers and dieters to open the Ayahausca visions and to clean the body and space during a ceremony.

Master Plants

 

Many plants are known in the East and West for their physical, emotional and/or psychological medicinal properties. In the ancient traditions of South America, there are a specific group of plants that have extremely strong medicinal properties, and these have been used for thousands of years to heal and teach people. Master Plants and Master Teachers are synonymous. For example, Ayahuasca is considered a both, for its vigorous purgative effect and its ability to induce visions that can teach a person.

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The dieter will bathe with and / or drink the Master Plant, receive a connection ícaro during ceremony, then the participant is invited to develop his/her own personal relationship with the Teacher Plant. Based on an individual's intention, the dieter will be given a Master Plant, in addition to ayahuasca, to facilitate the healing and / or learning process.

 

Master Plants Offered: A person will be given a plant or tree to diet depending on one's healing / learning intentions and the amount of time a person can commit to the diet.

 

Plants require a minimum of a 10-day diet stay, and this is our availability:

  • Marosa
  • Bobinsana
  • Piñón Blanco
  • Chai
  • Ajo Sacha
  • Aire Sacha
  • Rose
  • Coca
  • Ruda
  • Tobacco (Nicotiana Rustica)

 

Trees require a minimum of 3-month diet. In addition, not all trees will be available to all dieters. Other trees, diets and medicines are available on site for more experienced dieters and longer diets. If interested, please contact us for more information.

  • Ayahuma
  • Shiwawako
  • Chuchuhuasi
  • Cholachakicaspi
  • Huairacaspi
  • Estoraki
  • Cumaceba
  • Tawari
  • Tamamuri

 

Dieta Experience

 

During the dieta process, dieters will be encouraged to minimize their interaction with the outside, whether it be people, social media, the Internet, books, movies, etc. The purpose of the dieta is to focus and work on oneself. The less we are distracted by outside activities that stimulate our ego, the more time we have for the dreams, insights, and meditations that may come from the diet. We always think of it like this: the more time, attention and intention one puts toward the healing and learning, the more a person will receive from the process.

 

Moreover, a diet isn't exclusively about minimizing outside stimulation and adhering to a strict food diet; it is also about dieting a higher vibration. The dieter strives to be in the same vibration as the dieted plant. The more one is in vibration with his/her plant, the more one will benefit from its medicine. At times, this can be difficult because, as much as possible, one wants to avoid having negative thoughts, speaking negative words, engaging in arguments; these types of activities are low vibration actions, which can negatively affect one's diet. We also can think about it like this: the dieting process is about purifying one's body, mind, heart and words. That is why it is important to practice forgiveness, compassion, humility and patience with oneself and others during this time, because everyone has their own process. Finally, during the diet, dreams become ever more important, for this is the space in which nature and the divine likes to communicate.

 

Types of Diets Offered:

 

Healing / Learning Diet: We believe all diets are both healing and learning diets; one diets the plant or tree for its medicinal and healing properties but also can acquire the skills and knowledge to navigate the medicinal space with more effectiveness. For this type of traditional diet, isolation is required for the process, a sacred time and space devoted to reflecting, meditating, praying, learning and healing.

 

Social Diet: The social diet adapts the traditional diet to the modern way of life. Many are unable to undergo a dieta in complete isolation yet still want to experience the healing and learning derived from the process. The dieter continues with the same requirements of a successful diet yet does so with minimal social interaction and activity.

 

Apprenticeship Diet: An apprenticeship diet requires more discipline and a longer length of time, a minimum of six months. Traditionally, the initiate diets for several years to learn the healing and knowledge necessary to facilitate a healing ceremony. However, we can also diet for a shorter period of time and still receive the medicine of the plant(s). The main goal of this diet is to learn the medicine and healing songs necessary to work with the medicine directly, and to learn how to work with the energies of the plants we diet in order to enhance our medicinal abilities. To qualify for an apprenticeship diet, one must have accomplished a successful shorter diet beforehand at Kumankaya.

Bufo Alvarius

 

Bufo alvarius is a sacred toad medicine from the Sonoran desert of Mexico and the south western United States. This medicine is only given in specific circumstances, for it is one of the most powerful substances and a natural source of 5-MeO-DMT. Ceremonies are typically an hour long, conducted privately and during the day. Bufo alvarius and ayahuasca cannot be consumed on the same day. A rigorous medical and psychological screening is required in advance; participants must qualify to participate in bufo alvarius ceremonies.

Kambo

 

Kambo is the secretion from an Amazonian tree frog called phyllomedusa bicolor (also known as the giant monkey frog or waxy-monkey treefrog). It is not psychedelic; however it contains several active compounds (such as deltorphin and dermorphin). It acts as a strong purgative and can help to prepare the body for ayahuasca. Participants will be screened prior to being served, as there are several contraindicated medical conditions and medications that can lead to adverse reactions.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Preparing Intentions

 

It is very important to come to Kumankaya with an intention. Facilitators here can help if one is unsure why they are being called to this process. The reason why we ask for one to come with a clear intention is because any spiritual work that is done with an intention is a lot more effective and produces stronger results. The intention can be whatever an individual hopes to get out of their experience: it can be about problems, sadness, traumas, fears, desires, path of life, learn to be a better and happier person, or to learn the medicine and how to work with Master Plant Teachers. A clear intention helps one to understand, process and integrate the experience, and a clear intention will direct the experiences and process. The medicine works by showing the drinker what is obstructing them from that which is sought. The healing icaros then seek to remove those obstructions, so one can have a clearer pathway to their goal or who one wants to be or what one wants to accomplish.

 

Group Discussions

 

During the retreat, drinkers will also participate in group discussions on the day following ceremonies. This is a time to share one's Ayahuasca journey and receive guidance from the facilitators as to how to understand and navigate the medicinal space better. We ask participants to journal their ceremonies to share. If needed, individual discussions are available upon request. Throughout and following the retreat, we will also provide integration counseling. We are here to help drinkers understand, process, and integrate the retreat experiences. Because we have been working with the medicine for more than a decade, we will offer guidance and advice as to how to interpret one's Ayahuasca sessions and daily insights / dreams. We want to help everyone leave Kumankaya in a more joyful and peaceful state.

 

A Necessary Preparation Diet

 

In order to prepare the body and commit the mind to this process, it is necessary to follow a nutritional diet before beginning at least eight days before the start of the retreat experience. The Ayahuasca tea works with the body in strong biochemical and energetic ways. So everything put in, on, or around the body (especially food) must be considered in terms of how it harmonizes or clashes with these natural medicines, and the work they are trying to do inside one's body and one's energy field. Think of it like creating a blank canvas within the system, so the plants have as much space as possible to heal without competition from other sources or interference from lower vibrational energies. Or another way to look at it is that one needs to be as clean as possible for the Ayahuasca tea to work to its greatest capacity. By eliminating certain elements from one's diet, a person is cleaning the body, physically and energetically, so that the plants can work and heal to their fullest; and, most importantly, a person is making a deeper commitment to oneself and the medicine by adhering to a preparatory diet beforehand.

 

It is advisable to phase out certain products from one's diet. Try to keep up with the following recommendations:

 

FORBIDDEN FOOD DURING THE DIET

  • Sugar
  • Salt, pepper and spices in general
  • Oils
  • Coffee
  • Red meat and pork
  • Dairies
  • Alcohol and drugs, including marijuana (AVOID COMPLETELY)

* The payoff of the work with the plant will be closely linked to the commitment and discipline one shows during this preliminary diet.

 

RECOMMENDED

  • Fruits like bananas, pears and apples
  • Vegetable milks (rice, almond, soy, cashew, oat)
  • Cereals (oats, muesli, rice, pasta, buckwheat, quinoa)
  • Bread
  • Olive oil (one tablespoon per day)
  • Vegetables like tomatoes, beets, cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, yuca, plantains, peas and beans
  • Fish or chicken
  • Eggs

 

Further Restrictions

 

Sexual Activity: It is important not to have sex a week before the stay. Sexual abstinence (including masturbation) aims to conserve the integrity of one's vital energy.

Menstruation: It is not ideal for women during menstruation to participate in the ceremonies on the first three days of their cycle. Please must notify us if a menstruation is expected during scheduled workshop dates.

Health: Anyone with a medical history must be reported in advance (heart problems, psychiatric history, treatment-based anxiolytics or antidepressants, surgery, etc.) There are some health conditions that are made worse with the consumption of Ayahuasca.

Prescribed Drugs: Some medications are not compatible with the taking of the plant, all currently processing person must imperatively report. This is an absolute crucial point: We must be notified of any and all medications one is taking, for there are many that are NOT compatible with Ayahuasca and can cause serious, even fatal interactions. In addition, we ask that the participants stop all supplements two weeks prior to ceremony.

 

Please Keep in Mind:

  1. The purpose of these ceremonies is not to consume substances for a psychedelic trip. The medicine wants to heal people and so do we. It must be approached in a respectful manner.
  2. It is one's responsibility to prepare oneself the best way possible, on the one hand, by respecting the specified diet recommendations and, on the other hand, by being fully transparent about one's health, including current drug treatments or recently followed ones.
  3. Applicants will be screened vigorously before participating in traditional medicine ceremonies. These measures apply for participants' personal safety and wellbeing, and that of others.
  4. If there is any doubt about one's condition and the use of the medicine, please contact us beforehand so we can discuss. We are here to assist.

 

Works Cited:

Andean-Amazonian Shamanism: Masters and Master Plants of Power by Yanaanka Tasorinki

Ayahuasca in My Blood: 25 Years of Medicine Dreaming By Peter Gorman

 

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