17 Best Books on Ayahuasca
Over the last few decades, there have been tons of books written on the subject of ayahuasca. These books cover everything from the plant medicine's healing effects, to its potential risks, to firsthand accounts from shamans and Westerners alike. Below, you’ll find our picks for the 17 best books on ayahuasca to add to your reading list ASAP.
We’re reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission (at no extra cost to you). These are books we’ve heavily researched and stand behind. You can read through our full affiliate disclosure here.
17 best books on ayahuasca (the history, effects, and everything in between)
1. Best book on the history of ayahuasca: When Plants Dream
When Plants Dream, written by Daniel Pinchbeck, takes an in-depth look at why ayahuasca has gained such incredible popularity around the world. This book not only investigates the history of ayahuasca, but it also explores the economic, cultural, political, and environmental impact on society today. So if you’re interested in learning about the historical origins as well as the current influence of ayahuasca, this pick gets up close and personal with both points of view.
Price: starting at $11
2. Best book on demystifying and simplifying Ayahuasca: Alchemical Ayahuasca
Alchemical Ayahuasca: Take the Journey from Depression to the Sweet Spot, is an inspiring memoir written by London-born Alan Francis Waugh, an internationally recognized Healer, Ayahuasca Ceremony Leader, and founder of Sacred Valley Spiritual Retreat Center in California. His remarkable wisdom distilled over guiding more than a thousand clients in safe medicine ceremonies in the U.S. and South America for more than a decade, is shared here with compelling honesty and humility. This is a healing book that demystifies Ayahuasca. It contains unpretentious expert advice about plant medicine, relatable true client stories, and easy exercises for transforming your life.
Price: starting at $15
3. Best book on the healing effects of ayahuasca: The Healing Power Of Ayahuasca
The Healing Power of Ayahuasca tells the stories of 16 people whose lives were forever changed by the power of plant medicine. Throughout this book, you’ll discover firsthand accounts of the mental, emotional, and physical transformations that came from drinking ayahuasca. In addition, author Marc McLean offers his own insight into how “the Amazonian brew saved him at the lowest point of his life.” Trust us, you won’t be able to put this one down.
Price: starting at $14
4. Best book written from a Western perspective: Sacred Vine of Spirits
Ralph Metzner is considered a pioneer in the study of consciousness. In Sacred Vine of Spirits, Metzner (and his fellow contributors) explore the chemical, biological, psychological, and experiential dimensions of ayahuasca plant medicine. This book kicks off with more than 20 firsthand accounts from Westerners who’ve used ayahuasca — and then looks at the history, psychology, and chemistry of ayahuasca as told by leading scholars in psychoactive research.
Price: starting at $22
5. Best book on the psychology of psychedelics: The Antipodes of the Mind
In The Antipodes of the Mind, Benny Shanon presents “the various facets of the special state of mind induced by ayahuasca,” and analyzes everything from the perspective of cognitive psychology. Shanon interviewed tons of people about their experience with the brew — namely shamans and indigenous groups — and then recorded all the details of their “non-ordinary states of consciousness.” While this is a pretty academic read, it’s definitely worth your time.
Price: starting at $77
6. Best book written by a medical doctor: The Fellowship of the River
Joe Tafur, MD is an integrative family physician, native healer, and author of The Fellowship of the River. In this acclaimed book, Tafur investigates the role of spiritual healing within modern healthcare. The stories he shares illuminate the mystical and metaphysical effects of ayahuasca (and plant medicine in general). If you’re curious about how psychoactive plants interact with “the complex network that connects our minds and hearts,” then this one is a must-read.
Price: starting at $17
7. Best book exploring ayahuasca rituals: The Gift of Shamanism
Itzhak Beery’s novel, The Gift of Shamanism, takes you on a journey through his experiences with ayahuasca rituals in the Amazon. This book offers up “messages from power animals and plant spirits, dreams that foretold future events, and even holographic sightings of past lives and spiritual entities.” In many ways, The Gift of Shamanism fills in the gaps of Western knowledge by pulling back the curtain on shamanistic healing, intuitive dreams, and alternate worlds.
Price: starting at $16
8. Best book on deciphering messages from ayahuasca: Inner Paths to Outer Space
Inner Paths to Outer Space, written by Rick Strassman, is a beautiful examination of how we can reach “other dimensions of existence and contact otherworldly beings.” This book is based on over 60 years of research into the function of the brain — specifically how psychoactive substances allow our brains to unlock a multidimensional realm of existence. This is a truly captivating read that’ll have you looking at the world through a whole new lens.
Price: starting at $25
9. Best book on the personal journey of a shaman: Amazon Magic
The full title of this recommendation is: Amazon Magic: The Life Story of Ayahuasquero & Shaman Don Agustin Rivas Vasquez. Told in the author’s own words, Amazon Magic describes the shaman’s early and present-day experiences with plant medicine. There’s also a fascinating account of when he was lost in the remote depths of the jungle, which resulted in him living with a native tribe for a whole year. All in all, this pick is equal parts informative and inspiring.
Price: starting at $14
10. Best book with an indigenous account of shamanism: The Shaman and Ayahuasca
The Shaman and Ayahuasca comes from Don José Campos, an internationally respected Peruvian shaman. In his book, Campos highlights the practices and benefits of ayahuasca with incredible gratitude for the gifts that this medicine has bestowed upon him. Page by page, he takes readers on a journey through his own experience in “the discovery of other worlds, dimensions, alien entities, and plant teachers.” A fantastic read, in our opinion!
Price: starting at $15
11. Best book written by an ayahuasca retreat center founder: 12 Laws of the Jungle
Among his many accolades, Daniel Cleland is the founder of Soltara Healing Center in Costa Rica and the author of 12 Laws of The Jungle: How To Become A Lethal Entrepreneur. In this newly released book, Cleland describes how the Peruvian jungle awakened him by expanding his mind and offering new insights into entrepreneurship. Readers can learn a lot from this deeply personal account, which includes numerous real-life examples and practical advice.
Price: starting at $16
12. Best book on the risks and benefits of ayahuasca: Listening to Ayahuasca
In her book Listening to Ayahuasca, psychologist Rachel Harris shares all about the healing nature of plant medicine. More specifically, she lets readers into her original research — which happens to be the largest study of ayahuasca use in North America. But while this book details ayahuasca’s benefits for depression, anxiety, and addiction, it also highlights potential risks. This way, readers can make informed decisions about whether this medicine is right for them.
Price: starting at $14
13. Best book as a critical investigation into ayahuasca: Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond
Without a doubt, Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond is one of the most thorough investigations into “the origins, emergence, and formations of contemporary ayahuasca practices.” Here, Beatriz Caiuby Labate and Clancy Cavnar examine the details of ayahuasca religions in light of current cultural appropriation. If you want to learn about the relationship between ecotourism and indigenous cultural revival, this book definitely delivers.
Price: starting at $38
14. Best book written by an ethnobotanist: Ayahuasca in My Blood
Ethnobotanists study the relationship between plants and people, particularly how cultures use native plants for food, medicine, and religious rituals. Author Peter Gorman is arguably the most renowned ethnobotanist in the psychedelic world, and his observations about ayahuasca shamanism are largely considered essential reading. His 2010 release, Ayahuasca in My Blood, has been called “a wild mixture of adventure, horror, spirituality, tenderness, and insight.”
Price: starting at $25
15. Best book on the earliest Western encounters with ayahuasca: The Yage Letters Redux
In 1953, William S. Burroughs began an expedition into the jungles of South America in search of yage — a hallucinogenic substance commonly known as ayahuasca. The Yage Letters Redux is a compilation of the letters and notebooks Burroughs kept at that time, which form a compelling narrative of his adventures when bound together in this book. Better yet, The Yage Letters Redux also includes stories from Allen Ginsberg’s travels through South America in 1960.
Price: starting at $18
16. Best book for clear instructions and guidance: The Ayahuasca Test Pilots Handbook
The Ayahuasca Test Pilots Handbook is a practical guide to ayahuasca use. This is a great read for anyone who's new to psychedelics, or who’s looking for more information on making decisions about where to go, who to drink with, and what to expect. Author Christopher Kilham has worked closely with South American healers for over 2 decades and sat in on ayahuasca ceremonies with 20 different shamans — so it’s safe to say he has valuable insights to offer.
Price: starting at $17
17. Best book from the leading ayahuasca scholars: The World Ayahuasca Diaspora
The World Ayahuasca Diaspora is co-edited by Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Clancy Cavnar, and Alex K. Gearin — all of whom are established academics and ayahuasca scholars in their own right. This book expertly explores how the ayahuasca substance impacts “indigenous communities, urban religiosities, ritual healing, and international drug policy.” In short, this is a comprehensive, academic read from 3 of the leading ayahuasca anthropologists in the Western world.
Price: starting at $53