The Australian Ayahuasca Dietero Networks: Culture, Community, and Practices

Alternative healthcare practices using psychedelic “plant medicines,” such as ayahuasca, challenge current prohibition and mainstream healthcare frameworks. Despite the criminalization of ayahuasca's active component, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), Australian ayahuasca dietero networks have developed sophisticated healthcare systems with systematic assessment processes, safety mechanisms, and integration protocols. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences and healthcare narratives of Australian ayahuasca dieteros in relation to their culture, community, and practices. The narratives of healthcare, culture, and practices of 35 members of this network (median age 42, range 32–67 years, 59% male), from diverse professional backgrounds, were generated through qualitative interviews and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis within a framework of coproduction. Three themes were generated: (1) the dietero way of life, (2) healing technologies and practices, and (3) community ethics and transformation. Dietero practices extend far beyond ceremonial experiences. They form a comprehensive way of life, embodying ongoing transformation through daily practices and relational ethics. These practices foster ecological connection, which many participants could not find in mainstream health treatment settings. Comparing the dieta implementation of healthcare and the mainstream biomedical model demonstrated that the dieta approach is a more holistic and relational practice aimed at gaining and maintaining good health. This research supports drug policy reform by documenting sophisticated community safety mechanisms and community-based healing systems. These systems operate parallel to, rather than in competition with, biomedical care and function within current prohibitions. Through participatory action research, the study advances democratization and decolonization of healthcare knowledge. It contributes to the literature on Indigenous philosophies, healthcare narratives, drug policy, and psychedelic harm reduction.