Research
Research in the Amazon
Dr Ruffell’s work sits at the intersection between traditional medicine such as Shipibo curanderismo and Western concepts of mental health.
He primarily conducts research in the Amazon rainforest in Peru, and is also currently running clinical trials investigating ayahuasca analogues.
To read about the reciprocity initiatives implemented by Dr Ruffell and the Onaya Science team please see the Reciprocity page.
Current Research
Dr Ruffell and the Onaya Science team are currently collaborating with the Heroic Hearts Project to investigate the impact of ayahuasca retreats for military veterans who have experienced trauma.
The team is looking at psychometrics, brainwaves, gut microbiome, and epigenetic change to quantify potential effects.
Publications
On this page is a selection of Dr Ruffell’s published work. You can access all his scientific publications following the link below:
Ayahuasca: A review of historical, pharmacological, and therapeutic aspects (2023)
Here we review the history of ayahuasca and describe recent work on its pharmacology, phenomenological responses, and clinical applications.
Ayahuasca (in Psychedelics as Psychiatric Medications, 2023)
This book chapter from Professor David Nutt’s book explores the research into ayahuasca
Psychotherapeutic and neurobiological processes associated with ayahuasca: A proposed model and implications for therapeutic use (2023)
This article reviews the existing literature and draws on original qualitative data from a large cross-sectional study of ayahuasca drinkers, to propose a model of psychotherapeutic processes associated with the consumption of ayahuasca.
Ceremonial ayahuasca in Amazonian retreats - mental health and epigenetic outcomes from a six-month naturalistic study (2021)
In this prospective naturalistic study, 63 self-selected participants took part in ayahuasca ceremonies at a retreat centre in the Peruvian Amazon, completing mental health measures and providing saliva samples for pre/post epigenetic analysis.
The pharmacological interaction of compounds in ayahuasca: a systematic review (2020)
This is a review of the current understanding about the pharmacological mechanisms that may be interacting in ayahuasca.
Modulatory effects of ayahuasca on personality structure in a traditional framework (2020)
This paper assesses the impact of ayahuasca on personality in a traditional framework catering for ayahuasca tourists.
PhD Thesis
Dr Ruffell’s thesis comprises five studies exploring Amazonian ayahuasca and mental health outcomes. The research is among the first to investigate Shipibo-style ayahuasca retreats in the Peruvian Amazon.
