Drie gedaanten van Dionysus: recreatief, medisch en religieus gebruik van ayahuasca

BACKGROUND Ayahuasca is a psychoactive tea that is rapidly gaining in popularity. Its effects are, however, widely different in various sets and settings, leading to various imaginings. AIM To distinguish between the recreational, medical and religious use of ayahuasca, and further investigate its religious use. METHOD Nietzsche’s three forms of the Greek God Dionysus are used in order to describe and analyze the three contexts for ayahuasca use. RESULTS The religious use of ayahuasca, for example in the Santo Daime church, can be understood as a contemporary form of Gnosticism. CONCLUSION Research needs to take the various sets and settings of ayahuasca use into account. More research into the religious use of ayahuasca is needed.