Is ayahuasca safe? How we hold ethics, safety and the law
People come to a retreat open, sometimes vulnerable and easily influenced. That is exactly why ethics is not a slogan for us. In every conversation and every ceremony, your safety and your autonomy come first, along with a deep respect for the plants and for the people who journey with them.
Four principles behind every retreat
Most harm in this field is not mysterious. It is predictable: poor screening, rushed intensity, unclear boundaries, and people left alone with what they experienced. We design against exactly that.
Safety over spectacle
The most ethical retreat is often the least dramatic, and the most stable weeks later. We would rather you leave steady than impressed.
Fairness is not sameness
People arrive with different nervous systems, histories and capacities. We adapt pacing, support and medicine to the person. Taking psychedelics is never a test of courage: a lighter path can still be deep work.
Autonomy over authority
Every retreat holds a power imbalance, so we carry more responsibility: clear consent, clean professional boundaries and sober facilitators. We are facilitators, not gurus, and we don’t impose interpretations on you in an open state.
The right tool at the right time
More medicine does not automatically mean more healing; it can also mean more strain. We match the medicine to the person, based on screening and readiness, and we are comfortable recommending less, or none.
What we do before, during and after
Safety does not mean that nothing can happen. It means we reduce the risks that can be prevented, plan for difficult moments, and stay with you through them.
Consultation and screening
Every guest starts with an introductory consultation with Bianca, followed by a written health intake: medical and psychiatric history, current medication, heart health. If a medicine is not right for you, we say so.
Clear preparation
Guidance on medication, diet and how to arrive ready. Some medications, such as many antidepressants, do not combine safely with ayahuasca, so we look at this carefully and early.
Small and sober
Never more than 8 guests, and facilitators who do not take medicine during ceremony. Our facilitators have completed the ICEERS AyaSafety training on screening, crisis response and ethics.
Held in ceremony
If it gets difficult, a facilitator comes to you and stays. You are free to sit up, take off the eye mask or hold a hand. Where needed, we monitor blood pressure, and the whole team follows a clear emergency protocol, so everyone knows what to do if something goes wrong.
What is in the cup
Ayahuasca is traditionally a brew of two plants: the vine and a DMT-containing leaf. Some retreats serve the vine alone, which is much less visionary, without saying so. We use the traditional two-plant brew and tell you exactly what you are drinking.
Integration after
Daily sharing circles during the retreat, an integration call once you are home, and short practices to keep your nervous system steady in everyday life.
Several medicines, one careful plan
Offering more than one medicine is a structure, not a risk we take lightly. We sequence and space ceremonies to avoid interactions and to give your nervous system time to settle between them.
Is ayahuasca legal? The honest picture
We are not lawyers, and laws change. What we can do is tell you the truth: the status of ayahuasca differs greatly from country to country, mostly because DMT, one of its active compounds, is controlled in many of them.
Portugal
Almost all our retreats take place in our house in the Algarve. Portugal decriminalised the possession of drugs for personal use in 2001 and treats it as a health matter rather than a crime.
That does not mean anything goes. DMT is still controlled, and ayahuasca itself is not explicitly regulated, which leaves it in a grey area. We work conservatively: private setting, careful screening and clear agreements.
Spain and the Netherlands
From time to time we also hold a retreat elsewhere.
Spain: ayahuasca is not explicitly banned, and in July 2025 a court in Madrid ruled that ayahuasca under that name is not a controlled substance. Organisers have still been prosecuted, so the situation remains uncertain.
Netherlands: the Dutch Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that ayahuasca falls under the Opium Act. There we work only with psilocybin truffles, which are legal.
UK, DACH, North America, Australia
In the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada and Australia, DMT is controlled and ayahuasca is generally treated as prohibited. In the US it is illegal apart from a few religious exemptions.
We don’t hold retreats there, and we strongly advise against taking any substance across borders.
Why a Western setting rather than the jungle? It removes avoidable variables: sleep, hygiene, food, privacy and access to medical care. For most of our guests it is also a short flight rather than a long-haul journey.
“Predictability is a form of care.”
Is ayahuasca safe? Common questions
Is ayahuasca safe?
For most healthy people who are carefully screened, prepared and well held, the risks can be kept low. It is not safe for everyone: certain medications, heart conditions and some psychiatric histories are serious contraindications. That is why every guest is screened, why the whole team works with a clear emergency protocol, and why we sometimes recommend a different medicine, a later date, or no medicine at all.
Is ayahuasca legal in Portugal?
Its status is a grey area. Portugal decriminalised the possession of drugs for personal use in 2001, but DMT is still controlled, and ayahuasca itself is not explicitly regulated. We work conservatively, in a private setting, with careful screening and clear agreements. We don’t give legal advice.
Do I have to take ayahuasca?
No. Psychedelics are never mandatory. You can choose psilocybin, San Pedro or Bufo instead, or join a ceremony with breathwork and meditation only.
How many people are in a retreat?
Never more than 8 guests, with several facilitators, so nobody goes through a difficult moment unnoticed.
What is “caapi-only”, and do you use it?
Caapi-only means serving the ayahuasca vine without the DMT-containing leaf. It is milder and much less visionary, but still needs screening, because the vine interacts with some medications. We use the traditional two-plant brew and always tell you what you are drinking.
I live in a country where ayahuasca is illegal. Can I still come?
Yes. Guests come from all over the world. We strongly advise against taking any substance across borders or using it at home where it is prohibited.
Do you give medical or legal advice?
No. We give clear information, careful screening and harm-reduction guidance. If you need certainty, please speak to your doctor or a lawyer in your country.
Talk it through with us
Every retreat starts with an introductory consultation: 75 minutes, one to one with Bianca, certified RTT therapist and hypnotherapist. We look at what is happening for you, your health and medication, and whether plant medicine is the right next step. €120, credited against your retreat if you book.
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Message us on WhatsAppSafety, contraindications and diet in depth: our knowledge base.
Vine of the Soul Retreats offers retreats for personal development and wellbeing. We do not provide medical treatment, psychotherapy or diagnosis, and our work does not replace them. If you live with a physical or mental health condition, please speak to a qualified professional before you book. Nothing on this page is legal advice.
We do not sell, ship or supply any substances, and nothing on this page is an invitation to obtain or use them where that is against the law. Taking part in any ceremony is voluntary, after screening, and at your own responsibility.