Single-Dose Ayahuasca for Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms Associated With Cancer Diagnosis
Renan Massanobu Maekawa, Lorena T. L. Guerra, Bianca Villanova, Caio Cesar de Paula, Anna Beatriz Vicentini Zacharias, Lucas Silva Rodrigues, José Augusto Silva Reis, Giordano Novak Rossi, José Carlos Bouso, Jaime Eduardo Cecilio Hallak, Rafael Guimarães dos SantosBackground:
Depressive and anxiety symptoms are highly prevalent among patients with cancer and are associated with substantial reductions in quality of life. However, effective therapeutic options remain limited. Ayahuasca, a serotonergic psychedelic traditionally used in Amazonian ritual contexts, has shown rapid antidepressant and anxiolytic effects following a single administration in previous studies.
Methods:
This single-blind study included 6 female participants. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were evaluated at baseline and at 1, 2, 3 weeks and 3 months following the dosing session using the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Beck Anxiety Inventory scales.
Findings:
Results indicated significant reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms lasting up to 3 weeks following administration, with no serious adverse effects reported. Greater improvements in depressive symptoms were associated with more intense affective and subjective psychedelic experiences during the session.
Conclusions:
These preliminary findings suggest that ayahuasca may produce sustained improvements in mood and anxiety symptoms in patients with cancer. However, the small sample size and lack of a control group limit generalization, underscoring the need for larger, placebo-controlled studies.