VOMITING

Vomiting: translation

Shamans in many cultures seek the aid of powerful plants (sometimes understood to beother-than-human personsand even shamans in their own right). While many of these plants are labeled by Westerners (whether academics or enthusiasts) as hallucinogenic, psychotropic,entheogenic, orvisioninspiring, it is aspurgatives— vomit inducers—that they are valued by many indigenous shamans.Gordon Wassonand others interested inCentral American mushroomswere apologetic and embarrassed about having to vomit under the influence of mushrooms, but thecurandera(doctor),MariaSabina, was insistent that vomiting is not only part of thehealingprocess but in factthemost importanthelpoffered by the mushrooms. She said, “If thepatientfails to vomit, I have to vomit for them.” AsAndy Letcherdemonstrates in relation topsilocybin, the positive value now attached by Westerners to the visions resulting from ingestion of such plants is of recent origin. Previously both the nausea and the “hallucinations” (false dreams) were considered signs of poisoning. With the global spread of movements like theayahuasca-centeredSanto Daimeand increasing knowledge of thepeyote-centeredNative American Church, perhaps purgativepurificationwill be revalued, too. Until then, vomiting should be added toCarlosFausto’s list of signs that distinguish indigenous shamanisms fromneo-shamanism.