In recent years, scientific interest in traditionally used Amazonian medicinal plants has grown significantly, particularly in the fields of mental health and addiction recovery.

A recent study conducted at the Takiwasi Center, a therapeutic community located in the Peruvian Amazon, explores the therapeutic potential of Chiric Sanango, a master plant traditionally used by healers in the region. Below, we present an accessible summary of the most relevant findings of this research.

A Global Challenge: Addiction

Substance use disorders are among the leading mental health challenges worldwide. According to the World Drug Report 2025, the number of people who used a drug (excluding alcohol and tobacco) rose to 316 million in 2023. Cannabis remains the most widely used drug, with 244 million users, followed by opioids (61 million), amphetamines (30.7 million), cocaine (25 million), and ecstasy (21 million). These figures do not include other addictive consumptions that are not formally recognized, such as sugar or medications, nor behavioral addictions such as gambling, sex, social media, and others.

Although pharmacological treatments exist, they often focus on alleviating symptoms without addressing the underlying psychological and existential dimensions of addiction. Many patients report side effects or difficulties maintaining adherence to treatment and show high relapse rates. In addition, access to treatment remains very limited: of the estimated 64 million people worldwide with drug use disorders, only one in twelve received some form of specialized care.

In this context, researchers and clinicians continue to explore alternative integrative approaches that combine psychotherapy, natural medicine, and traditional knowledge. Within this framework, Amazonian medicine offers a promising field of study, and the Takiwasi Center has positioned itself as a pioneering institution and a global reference in this area.

An Interdisciplinary and Rigorous Study

This study involved specialists from several academic institutions, including anthropologists, pharmaceutical chemists, and botanists from the Universities of Bologna and Pisa in Italy, and from the Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva in Tingo María, Peru, who joined the Takiwasi research team.

Before the study could begin, it was necessary to obtain government authorizations under the framework of the Nagoya Protocol, a requirement for research involving traditionally knowledge around medicinal plants. This administrative process significantly delayed the start of the study, highlighting one of the main challenges in ethnobotanical and intercultural research: bureaucracy.

The research, conducted as part of one of the authors’ Master’s thesis in Cultural Anthropology, included 17 semi-structured interviews with therapists, staff members, and healers involved in the therapeutic process of Takiwasi patients undergoing treatment for substance addiction. In total, 25 hours of audio recordings were collected and later analyzed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method.

In addition, the study included the analysis of a set of written questions compiled into a protocol administered to Takiwasi patients, of whom 70 were selected for having participated in Chiric Sanango dietas between January 2018 and December 2023. Each patient provided written responses in their own words. This source represents a form of self-narration that offers valuable reflective and discursive material.

What is Chiric Sanango?

Chiric Sanango (Brunfelsia grandiflora) is a medicinal plant that has been used for generations by Indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon. Traditionally, it is employed to treat physical ailments such as rheumatism, inflammation, musculoskeletal disorders, colds, fever, leishmaniasis, and gastrointestinal problems. It is also attributed with psychological and emotional effects.

"Sanango" is an adjective used for a whole family of “healing” plants, while the term "chiric" comes from Quechua and means “cold,” referring to the bodily sensations this plant can provoke after ingestion, such as tingling, chills, or numbness. Within the traditional framework, these effects are not considered negative; rather, they are interpreted as signs that the plant is acting therapeutically.

Chiric Sanango is a shrub commonly cultivated in plots and gardens, and it is also used as an ornamental plant because of its beautiful flowers. For medicinal purposes, the roots are used. They are crushed in a small amount of fresh water at room temperature to obtain a concentrated aqueous extract.

Phytochemical Composition

Botanically, Brunfelsia grandiflora belongs to the Solanaceae family, which is known for containing species with potent alkaloids. Previous phytochemical research has identified up to 79 polyphenols in Chiric Sanango with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, as well as psychoactive alkaloids such as scopolamine. This remarkable phytochemical diversity suggests that the pharmacological activity of this plant cannot be attributed to a single class of compounds, but rather to a synergistic interaction between antioxidant polyphenols, neuroactive alkaloids, and anti-inflammatory saponins.

It is also important to clarify the difference between psychoactive and psychedelic substances. On the one hand, a psychoactive substance is defined as any chemical compound that acts on the central nervous system, altering mood, perception, or consciousness (e.g., caffeine, alcohol, nicotine). On the other hand, psychedelics are a class of psychoactive substances that profoundly alter perception, thought, and consciousness, often producing visions, synesthesia, and mystical states, as in the case of the ayahuasca brew.

Although Chiric Sanango is not a psychedelic plant, it does possess psychoactive properties. In the study conducted, notable effects were particularly reported in relation to dreams: participants described much more vivid dreams, along with changes in emotional perception. These effects confirm its psychoactive properties and at the same time justify that its ingestion requires expert supervision, ruling out recreational or unsupervised use without appropriate guidance or support.

The “Dieta”: A Structured Therapeutic Context

In the Amazonian worldview, plants are not simply substances. They are teachers that guide, reveal, correct, and show. But to listen to them, it is not enough to ingest them; one must enter into a relationship with them.

The use of Chiric Sanango was introduced at the Takiwasi Center about 30 years ago by Don Solón Tello Lozano, a respected mestizo healer from the city of Iquitos. Since then, this master plant has been administered within a strict therapeutic protocol known as the retreat-diet, which includes prior preparation with the ingestion of a purgative plant, an ayahuasca ceremony, and an eight-day retreat in isolation in the forest with important dietary and social restrictions, as well as psychotherapeutic support throughout the entire process. It is during this period of isolation that the healer administers Chiric Sanango to the patient, usually twice a day, in the morning and at midday.

Chiric Sanango is considered a plant that requires particular care and precautions, more so than other master plants used in dietas. The strict therapeutic framework and established rules aim to ensure conditions conducive to deep introspection and to foster processes of emotional healing, while avoiding any interference or disturbance that could generate adverse effects on the physical, psychological, or energetic levels.

In addition to the dieta itself, the post-diet phase must also be carefully managed. Even after returning to social environments, participants must continue to observe restrictions regarding sexual activity, the consumption of alcohol and other psychoactive substances, certain foods, and exposure to strong odors (such as perfumes, varnish, paints, and similar substances).

What Patients Experience

The study analyzed testimonies from 70 participants who underwent diets with Chiric Sanango. Those who ingest this plant often first experience intense physical sensations: tingling in the extremities (reported by 69% of participants), dizziness, deep cold, and localized pain. Therapists explain that the plant “shows where the blockage is,” as if illuminating areas of the body and memory that had remained hidden. Although intense, these manifestations were transient, and no serious adverse events were recorded.

On the psychological level, participants described experiences of deep introspection (39%), the resolution of conflicts, emotional memories, existential reflections, and a review of their personal history. Difficult emotions such as fear or sadness often gave way to states of clarity, acceptance, hope, and motivation for change.

From Discomfort to Clarity

The testimonies collected reveal a recurring pattern: the process often begins with physical and emotional discomfort, but gradually something different begins to emerge. Participants describe moments of deep introspection during which forgotten memories, suppressed emotions, and existential questions arise.

Many recount moving from fear to calm, from confusion to understanding. Some speak of inner reconciliations, others of life decisions that had long been postponed. Several participants share something that may seem surprising: they feel that the plant “taught” them something.

From a scientific perspective, these effects may be related to the complex chemistry of Chiric Sanango, which is rich in alkaloids, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds capable of influencing the nervous system. However, reducing the experience to molecules alone would be insufficient. The ritual, psychological, and cultural context is an inseparable part of the therapeutic process of the diet.

The Cold That Melts Fear

Amazonian healers describe the main effect of this plant through a powerful metaphor: Chiric Sanango expels the inner cold. This cold is not only physical. It is the cold of fear, inhibition, shyness, and the inability to open oneself to others or to oneself.

According to therapists, many people arrive with what they call a “cold heart”: emotional withdrawal, distrust, and inner rigidity. After a Chiric Sanango diet, many report feeling more open, more courageous, and more capable of relating to others and expressing affection.

Interestingly, this idea has parallels in other medical traditions around the world, where certain organs—such as the kidneys in Eastern medicine—are symbolically associated with fear. Such cultural resonances suggest that different civilizations have observed similar patterns linking emotions and the body.

It is important to emphasize that this plant is not harmless and should not be used without expert guidance. Its effects are powerful and require knowledge, experience, and an appropriate context. In inexperienced hands, or when the rules associated with its ingestion are not respected, it may produce intense adverse effects that are difficult to manage, such as the so-called "cruzaderas" », which can resemble what conventional psychiatry describes as psychotic episodes. In these cases, healers may manage acute distress through traditional interventions such as the application of tobacco smoke (mapacho) blowings and Amazonian cinnamon bark, rapidly calming the patient and reducing the intensity of symptoms.

A Bridge Between Science and Ancestral Knowledge

Beyond the promising results observed, further pharmacological and clinical studies are needed to fully understand the mechanisms of action of this species, as well as other little-studied Amazonian master plants such as Uchu Sanango, Ushpawasha Sanango, and Bobinzana, among others. The objective is not only to validate their traditional use, but also to identify potential modern therapeutic applications.

One of the most important contributions of this study is precisely to demonstrate how Indigenous knowledge and scientific research can enter into dialogue. This type of research does not aim to replace conventional medicine, but rather to explore how traditional practices can be integrated within safe and ethically regulated clinical frameworks.

Chiric Sanango represents an example of how Amazonian traditional medicine may offer new perspectives for addressing complex problems such as addictions and emotional disorders. Its study opens the door to integrative therapeutic approaches in which body, mind, spirit, and nature are all part of the same healing process.