Translated from our German original by AI. The German text was researched, written, and edited by the Psychedelia Foundation team and remains the authoritative version.
The traditional Amazonian shamanic psychedelic brew ayahuasca could improve certain cognitive abilities in the short term and have a positive influence on social perception. That is the conclusion of a new systematic review that evaluated the studies available so far on the neuropsychological effects of ayahuasca.
For the analysis, the researchers searched several scientific databases and included all human studies published up to 25 March 2025. Sixteen investigations went into the evaluation in total, among them eleven observational and five experimental studies.
The results show a differentiated picture. In the short term, improvements in working memory and cognitive flexibility were observed. The authors attribute these effects to a neurochemical modulation of cortical networks. In the area of social cognition, observational studies reported increased empathy and better emotion recognition.
The findings on possible long-term consequences are also largely positive. Most studies found no neuropsychological deficits in regular ayahuasca users. Individual investigations even reported improvements in memory performance and executive function.
The researchers nevertheless urge caution in interpreting the data. The evidence so far often rests on small samples, differing administration protocols and several observational studies that do not allow clear cause-and-effect conclusions. Practice effects may also have influenced the results.
In the authors’ assessment, further controlled and randomized studies are therefore needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms and to confirm the findings to date.
