Ayahuasca Religions: A Comprehensive Bibliography & Critical Essays is the result of a year-long virtual collaboration between three researchers — Beatriz Caiuby Labate (São Paulo), Rafael Guimarães dos Santos (Barcelona), and Isabel Santana de Rose (Florianópolis) — who compiled a comprehensive bibliography of references on Santo Daime, Barquinha, UDV, and urban ayahuasqueiros, spanning specialized academic literature as well as esoteric and experiential writings produced by participants of these churches.
The volume includes two critical essays: the first profiles these religious groups, their history and expansion, and the principal characteristics evident in the literature about them. The second summarizes the most important studies of human subjects in the context of Santo Daime, União do Vegetal, and Barquinha, evaluating their results, contributions, and limitations, and offering preliminary anthropological reflections on biomedical research of ayahuasca.
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Why this book matters
- The most comprehensive bibliography available on the ayahuasca religions — Santo Daime, Barquinha, UDV, and urban ayahuasqueiros — an indispensable scholarly reference
- Compiled by three researchers across three countries in a year-long collaboration — spanning academic, esoteric, and experiential literature
- Two critical essays provide essential context: a profile of the religious groups and a rigorous evaluation of biomedical research on ayahuasca
- Bridges anthropology, religious studies, and pharmacology in a way that honors both the science and the lived spiritual reality of these traditions
- Essential reading for researchers, practitioners, and anyone seeking to understand the global expansion of ayahuasca as a religious and healing practice
