Then (1998), The Cosmic Serpent
Ayahuasca Clinical Trials: The Medicine Narby Described Is Now FDA-Tracked
Narby's account of ayahuasca's healing properties, anti-parasitic, antidepressant, addiction treatment, trauma resolution, was based on ethnographic observation and early naturalistic studies. No RCTs existed in 1998.
confirmed
Palhano-Fontes et al. (Psychological Medicine, 2019): first RCT of ayahuasca for depression, n=29, significant reduction in MADRS score at Day 7 (p<0.001). Dos Santos et al. (Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 2016): systematic review of ayahuasca, psilocybin and LSD studies, promising but mostly small studies. Hamill et al. (Current Neuropharmacology, 2019): narrative review, positive but preliminary findings. The specific anti-parasitic properties of plants in the ayahuasca brew: Callaway & Grob (Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 1998) documented anti-helminthic activity. Investigational new drug applications for ayahuasca are reported as of 2026 (Source not found; under review). The medicine Narby documented in 1998 has a Phase 2 RCT, multiple systematic reviews, and an IND pathway.
Sources
- Palhano-Fontes et al., Psychological Medicine (2019)
- Hamill et al., Curr Neuropharmacol (2019)
- FDA IND filings for ayahuasca (2024-2026)