finding what they need back home. here, stan hopes to find solace. and he s seeking it from this man. ron wheelock. aka the gringo shaman. he s a former mechanic and pot dealer from kansas who spent two decades in peru cooking up psychedelic teas in his role as shaman, or traditional healer. i meet up with stan and ron at el pugero as the gringo shaman breaks down the plant mix used in his ayahuasca brew, acclaimed as the most powerful in the region. these are the leaves of the huambisa, the chalipanga that contain five emdnt. this is chacruna. this contains mdent. and these are from the chirifanango. for millennia, native shamans in the amazon have tapped this jungle pharmacy for all types of
town of iquitos located deep in the amazon. this outpost has become the epicenter of a growing industry of ayahuasca tourism. i m on my way to a jungle retreat, one of many run by ex-pat americans. these forests produce many of our modern medicines. and i want to find out if ayahuasca could someday become one of them. this is el pugero, or the purger, a collection of simple huts tucked away in the forest. it s amazing to me that there are over 100 of these ayahuasca centers in this part of peru. almost all of them are run by foreigners, and most of them don t have electricity or even running water, but yet people are coming. they re coming and staying in little huts like this one because they say they re not
cures. but in the past decade thousands of american tourists have flocked here seeking help from local medicine men including a new wave of gringo healers like ron. a ten-day retreat at el pugero costs about $1,000 and attracts a wide range of seekers from across the globe. a father and daughter from canada, an online entrepreneur, the son of a successful ceo and a professor from belgium. like stan, these travelers are serious. they want healing for mind, body and soul. so what s the strongest part in the ayahuasca? is it toward the bark or the whole thing? actually, when you harvest the whole plant, best you take the root. the root is the strongest part. each one of you tear it open and put one in.
and these are from the chirifanango. for millennia, native shamans in the amazon have tapped this jungle pharmacy for all types of cures. but in the past decade thousands of american tourists have flocked here seeking help from local medicine men including a new wave of gringo healers like ron. a ten-day retreat at el pugero costs about $1,000 and attracts a wide range of seekers from across the globe. a father and daughter from canada, an online entrepreneur, the son of a successful ceo and a professor from belgium. like stan, these travelers are serious. they want healing for mind, body and soul. so what s the strongest part in the ayahuasca? is it toward the bark or the whole thing?
foreigners, and most of them don t have electricity or even running water, but yet people are coming. they re coming and staying in little huts like this one because they say they re not finding what they need back home. here, stan hopes to find solace. and he s seeking it from this man. ron wheelock. aka the gringo shaman. he s a former mechanic and pot dealer from kansas who spent two decades in peru cooking up psychedelic teas in his role as shaman, or traditional healer. i meet up with stan and ron at el pugero as the gringo shaman breaks down the plant mix used in his ayahuasca brew, acclaimed as the most powerful in the region. these are the leaves of the huambisa, the chalipanga that contain five emdnt. this is chacruna. this contains mdent.