A British woman has died during a ‘wellness retreat’ in the remote Bolivian rainforest of South America. Maureen Rainford, a mother of three, consumed ‘ayahuasca’ — a supposed wonder plant-based psychedelic drug but complained of feeling ill, 10 minutes after consuming it. Ms Rainord soon started experiencing breathing troubles and despite attempts to resuscitate her, died an hour later, according to a report in The Telegraph. A spokesperson for the Ayahuasca and San Pedro Pisatahua Retreat said the death was “due to a medical emergency” and that it was not related to Ayahuasca.
According to the GoFundMe page, set up by the family, Ms Rainford had been looking forward to the retreat as she wanted ‘detox’ from the noise of London and work for 10 days. “Maureen’s love of travel and her curiosity took her to the Bolivian Amazon to detox from the noise of London and work for 10 days,” the family said.
“It was a trip she was eagerly looking forward to, sharing her excitement with everyone with her usual vibrancy and zest for life and travel…a time for reflection and personal development.”
Ms Rainford’s body was flown back to the UK after her daughter, Rochel, 32, approached the British consulate. An autopsy confirmed that Ms Rainford died due to a heart attack.
Ms Rochel said after her mother’s death, she wanted to raise “awareness about these places” for people who were “tempted by glassy brochures selling a dream”.
“There should be a trained medic on standby when hallucinogenic drugs are being handed out in a remote area,” she said.
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What is ayahuasca?
Traditionally consumed by shamans and healers in the Amazon River basin that includes countries such as Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. The main active chemical in ayahuasca is a substance called dimethyltryptamine (DMT) which has a structure that looks similar to serotonin – an important brain chemical that regulates mood, emotions and digestion.
In the last few years, the use of ayahuasca has gained prominence in popular culture with retreats, similar to one Ms Rainford attended, being thronged by western tourists, looking to expand their consciousness through ego death and heal their inner selves.
However, in many cases, consuming ayahuasca causes bouts of vomiting, sweating and/or diarrhoea. The hallucinogenic effects kick in 20 to 60 minutes after the tea has been consumed.