Master Plant Dietas

Ajo Sacha

Mansoa alliacea

Plant dietas are at the heart of the Shipibo healing tradition, and are an important part of many Amazonian Shamanic traditions. During a dieta, one makes a spiritual bond with a plant for the purpose of healing or receiving teachings from the plant spirit. Usually the plant is taken daily as a drink, and strict restrictions are followed in the diet and lifetyle for the duration of the dieta, including the elimination of all processed foods, salt, sugar, oils and spices, along with sexual abstinance.

The restrictions allow for a clear connection to be made with the spirit of the plant that is being dieted. Through eliminating foods and substances that have a strong effect on the body and mind, space is made to best receive the medicine of the plant. Isolation or near-isolation and sexual abstinance allow for focus and concentration on the dieta and to prevent the messages of the plant from being clouded by external influences. Essentially, during a dieta, an environment is created where, as much as is possible, it is just you and the plant spirit, with no other distractions.

Dieta plants are often reffered to as 'Master Plant Teachers' and although they do not usually induce psychedelic experiences or altered states of consciousness, they have the powerful ability to teach and communicate with us in other ways, often through dreams, spontaneous insights, or through the feeling and received understanding of the plant working inside the body. The process of a plant dieta can be extremely transformative and can bring an understanding of the root of an issue whilst facilitating healing and insight every level.

In the Shipibo tradition, plant dietas are a central part of the training and work of the Curandero. Through dieting with powerful plants and trees, deep relationships are formed with their spirits who are then called into the Ayahuasca ceremonies to bring healing to all of the participants. The healing potenial of the ceremony is not just due to the Ayahuasca but is influenced by the plant spirits that the Curandero works with.

Bobinsana

Calliandra angustifolia

Coca

Erythroxylum coca

Plant dietas are offered as an option in any retreat that includes Ayahuasca ceremonies, for the duration of days that the ceremonies run over - usually five to ten days. We use a variety of Amazonian and Andean plants and your plant will be selected for you to best fit your needs. The dieta is opened in the first Ayahuasca ceremony and closed in the final ceremony. If you have been advised not to drink Ayahuasca but are still attending the retreat, you will still be able and advised do the dieta.

Throughout your dieta, you'll follow a very basic diet consisting of mostly vegetables, rice, quinoa, selected fruits and small amounts of chicken and fish. Salt, oil and spices will be kept to a minimum and you won't be eating any sugar, processed foods or consuming alcohol. The small-group retreat setting means that you won't be in complete isolation but you will be advised to make plenty of time to be by yourself to make space to listen to the messages that the plant is bringing you.

How can a plant dieta help you?

Essentially, your dieta brings another healing influence into your retreat and works alongside Ayahuasca for your wellbeing. A plant dieta can bring a focus to the area of healing that you need, whether that is a physical body part or a spiritual or emotional issue. Often the plant spirit can bring insight, clarity and new perspectives to an issue or a situation and can help you to easily move forwards and leave the past behind you.

Your dieta plant can often be very present in your Ayahuasca ceremonies, having an influence on the type of visions and insights that arise for you, and on your overall process. And alongside the healing benefits, a dieta can help you to strenghten your connection to the spirit world as your relationship with the plant spirit deepens, and it can help you to unlock your creative potential, inspiring new projects, dreams and ideas.

After your dieta, the spirit of the plant will remain with you as you continue forwards in your life. You might find that you can connect with the presence of the plant during meditation, or it may communicate with you in your dreams. It is said in the Shipibo tradition that our dietas help to guide us through our lives, helping us to stay on our best path and guiding us towards making the best decisions for ourselves.