A British woman has died during a ‘wellness retreat’ in the remote Bolivian rainforest in South America. Mother-of-three Maureen Rainford took ‘Ayahuasca’ – a purported wonder plant-based psychedelic drug, but complained of feeling sick 10 minutes after consuming it. According to a report, Ms Renard soon began having trouble breathing and despite efforts to revive her, she died an hour later. Wirea spokesperson for Ayahuasca and San Pedro Piscatahua Retreat Said the death was “due to a medical emergency” and was not related to ayahuasca.
according to gofundme Page, set up by family, Ms Rainford was looking forward to the retreat as she wanted to ‘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 looking forward to, sharing her enthusiasm with everyone with her usual vibrancy and enthusiasm for life and travel…a time for reflection and personal growth.”
Ms Rainford’s body was brought back to Britain after her daughter Rochelle, 32, contacted the British Consulate. The autopsy confirmed that Ms. Rainford died of a heart attack.
Ms Rochelle said that after her mother’s death, she wanted to spread “awareness of these places” to those who were “tempted into selling dreams by glass brochures”.
“When hallucinogenic drugs are being handed out in a remote area, there should be a trained physician on standby,” he said.
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What is Ayahuasca?
It is traditionally consumed by shamans and healers in the Amazon River basin, which includes countries such as Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia. The main active chemical in ayahuasca is a substance called dimethyltryptamine (DMT) whose structure looks similar to that of serotonin – an important brain chemical that regulates mood, emotions and digestion.
Over the past few years, the use of ayahuasca has gained prominence in popular culture with retreats, such as the one Ms. Rainford attended, attracting hordes of Western tourists seeking to expand their consciousness through the death of the ego. and wanted to heal oneself within.
However, in many cases, consumption of ayahuasca causes vomiting, sweating, and/or diarrhea. The hallucinogenic effects begin 20 to 60 minutes after drinking the tea.
