The Plants
Ayahuasca Brew
Ayahuasca Ceremonies
Master Plant Dietas
Ayahuasca, Vine of the Soul
The Ayahuasca brew served at Nihue Rao is made onsite by our staff. It is made exclusively with fresh Ayahuasca vine and Chacruna leaves as per tradition, which are boiled for several hours throughout the day.
Nihue Rao offers fresh, refined, high-quality medicine. The two plants work in tandem, as the Ayahuasca vine opens up the spiritual world, and the Chacruna leaves bring forth the visions within this world. When a shaman drinks the Ayahuasca brew, they enter a medicinal state where they can call on the spirits to help connect and heal those who come to ceremony.
Ayahuasca Ceremonies
Ceremonies at Nihue Rao take place four times a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday beginning at 8pm. Rest and integration is important and protected by a day off on Wednesday and over the weekend.
Ayahuasca is natural plant medicine that is used to heal. Typical effects may include nausea, vomiting, or going to the bathroom. Each person is given a bucket to use at his or her disposal, and toilets are located approximately 30 feet from the Ceremonial Maloka.
When in ceremony, each participant comes forward individually to drink the medicine before returning to their mat to begin their process. However participants are not required to drink Ayahuasca to receive spiritual treatment and can receive great healing simply by being within the Maloka and receiving an ícaro.
Approximately 1 hour after drinking the medicine, the full effect opens up and the shamans begin to sing to call the good energies into the maloca. Throughout the ceremony, each participant is brought to the shaman to receive a personal medicinal song (ícaro) dedicated to their personal healing and spiritual intentions. The shaman may also smoke mapacho (pure, natural tobacco), or spread perfumes to complete a treatment.
During the ceremony, an experienced Facilitators are available and ready to give any kind of support and help to anyone during and after ceremony.
A ceremony generally finishes around 12am/1am and on closing, participants are free to return to their rooms or to enjoy the space in silence, in gentle chat, or in song/music.
Integration Conversations
Three times a week, on a day following ceremony, participants gather to share ceremony and diet experiences and receive guidance from Maestro Ricardo Amaringo. An English-Spanish translator leads Integration sessions with the Maestro.
Throughout your time at Nihue Rao, participants are supported by an experienced international staff who speak English but often bring other languages. They are available to facilitate your experience, listen, and offer guidance on how to work with the medicine.
Master Plant Medicine
Nihue Rao is a modern plant medicinal healing center that follows the principles and wisdom of traditional shamanic Shipibo knowledge. A journey at Nihue Rao starts with a personal meeting with Maestro Ricardo Amaringo, who prescribes a complete individualized healing process, often with a traditional medicinal plant.
Purgative Plants
The day before the first ceremony, participants drink a preliminary traditional remedy called a purgative. This remedy cleans the stomach and the body, frequently causing vomiting, and is necessary in order to receive the ayahuasca brew properly. It’s a preparation of two traditional Shipibo medicinal plants. These plants are a lily called Azucena, which is combined with sap of a tree called Oje.
Flower Bath
Twice a week, we prepare a flower bath made with a selection of beautifully smelling plants. These plants help to clean the body’s energetic field and attract good energy for ceremony and diet. It is believed the flower bath can attract love and luck in life.
Cataplasm
For local pain or certain health conditions, our shaman may prescribe a topical application of various medicinal plants. This external cataplasm may be prescribed for several days during your journey.
Master Plants
Pasajeros who stay at Nihue Rao for 11-days or more will receive a traditional Shipibo master plant dieta to improve the spiritual and physical healing power of the Ayahuasca.
PIÑON BLANCO
Piñon Blanco master plant dieta is used to straighten the energies of the body, mind, and soul. It connects a dieter to the light. It is often prescribed for a first general and complete cleaning and for opening spiritual connection.
COCA
Coca master plant dieta is the sacred plant of the Incas. It connects a dieter to Incan medicine and to the light. Coca also strengthens the body and clears the mind.
OJE
Oje master plant dieta is a powerful tree that brings a lot of light and strong medicine. Excellent for cleaning the mind and the body from the residual contaminations of all types of drugs and strong addictions.
AJO SACHA
Ajo Sacha master plant dieta opens the heart and improves the quality of relationships in one’s life. It can also be used to clean and heal the blood, the nerves, and any type of addictions and drugs.
AIRE SACHA COSMICA
Aire Sacha Cosmica master plant dieta comes from the cosmos. Aire Sacha Cosmica connects a dieter to cosmic medicine, doctors, and spirits.
CHIRIC SANANGO
Chiric Sanango master plant dieta connects a dieter to the medicine and to the natural world. Chiric Sanango teaches shamanic medicine and helps eliminate body pain.
CHAI PEI
Chai Pei master plant diet is the plant of the spiritual traveler. Chai is ideal for discovering different spiritual worlds and providing protection. It is also good for healing stomach ulcers and migraines.
MAROSA
Marosa master plant dieta connects to love. It is prescribed to connect oneself to one’s own feelings and emotions and to open the heart. Marosa is also good for increasing self-confidence.
PIÑON COLORADO
Piñon Colorado master plant dieta opens the world of dreams. It is also good for healing physical pain of the body, as well as the mind and emotions. Typically participants receive treatment with Pinon colorado through cataplasm and steam bath.
TOE
Toe master plant dieta opens the visions and teaches the medicine. It is a plant only available for extremely motivated or advanced dieters looking for deep shamanic training. Toe is only given as a long-term diet, for 6 months to a year, minimum.
BOBINSANA
Bobinsana master plant dieta provides strong protection. It is considered ideal to strengthen one’s energies. Bobinsana can connect a person to his or her own medicine and heal physical body pain, joints, and cold.
PIRI PIRI
Piri Piri master plant dieta is used to find a love and to find a partner. Typically it is taken as a bath treatments or prepared in perfums.
AYAHUMA
Ayahuma master plant dieta is powerful tree and excellent for cleaning strong negative energies. Ideal in a learning diet for learning the medicine, opening the world of Ayahuasca, enhancing visions, receiving light, and teaching songs, or ícaros. It may also be prescribed as part of a vapor bath. For learning dieters, Ayahuma is only prescribed as a medium or long-term diet, from 3 months to one year. No minimum is necessary for a healing diet.
NIHUE RAO
Nihue Rao is the center’s namesake, and a sacred master plant to our shaman, Maestro Ricardo Amaringo. Nihue Rao master plant dieta connects a dieter deeply to the powerful spirits of the Shipibo medicine and teaches knowledge of the cosmos, divine light, peace, and love. Nihue Rao is available to advanced dieters and shamanic apprentices who wish to study shamanism. It is only given as a long-term diet only, from 6 months to year, minimum.
Botanical Garden
A short walk from the maloka, will lead you to our Botanical Garden, which features a variety of Amazonian Master Plants, such as Pinon Blanco, Chiric Sanango, Chai Pei, Piri Piri, Malva, Achiote, Marusa, Pinon Colorado, and Bobinsana. Each plant has its particular skills and healing abilities.
There are many powerful trees or plants that, even though they’re not currently available on-site, may be prescribed by our Maestro. Some of these plants include Huairacaspi, Catahua, Coca, Shihuhuaco, Ajo Squiro, Chuchuasi, Ishipongo, Tamamuri, Abuta, Uvos, Ecoja, Uña De Gato, and Boahuasca.