Title
Use of tobacco purge in a therapeutic community for the treatment of substance use disorders
Date Issued
01 January 2022
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
John Wiley and Sons Inc.
Abstract
In the Peruvian Amazon, tobacco (Nicotiana rustica) is considered a master plant and is the main curing tool of local healers. Among its several medicinal uses, we find drinking tobacco juice with the purpose of purging in order to heal on a physical, mental, and spiritual level. This specific practice is part of the addiction treatment protocol developed at Takiwasi Center. The goal of this investigation was to focus on the effects of the tobacco purge as reported by therapists at Takiwasi and to elaborate its relevance within the context of addiction treatment. In order to obtain information on this topic, we performed research fieldwork based on a participant-observation approach, and retrospective data analysis on information from interviews conducted by psychotherapists with patients. As alleged effects of the tobacco purge, therapists reported that patients experienced feelings of mental clarity with the greatest frequency (n = 80), followed by noteworthy physical effects including discomfort and intoxication (n = 63). An effect on sleep and dreams was also common (n = 36) and many found the experience directly related to addiction treatment and the desire to consume substances (n = 20).
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Toxicología Medicina integral, Medicina complementaria Farmacología, Farmacia Etnología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85138701714
Source
Anthropology of Consciousness
ISSN of the container
10534202
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus