Scoping Review of Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Indigenous People with Addictions

172 sources were screened, resulting in a review of 19 studies on ayahuasca-assisted therapy for Indigenous people with addictions in the Americas. The review maps evidence from 1980 to 2026, identifying gaps and policy implications. The dataset was created by Marion Maar and is available under a CC-BY-4.0 license.

Use Cases

• Mapping the evidence base for ayahuasca-assisted therapy based on the review of 19 included studies.
• Analyzing geographic and methodological trends in research based on the described study locations and designs.
• Identifying gaps in clinical research for addiction treatment based on the noted absence of randomized controlled trials.
• Informing policy discussions on drug scheduling reform based on the review's conclusions regarding ayahuasca's controlled substance status.

Strengths

• The review is based on a systematic search of 172 sources, following Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines.
• Includes a specific temporal coverage from 1980 to 2026.
• Provides geographic breakdown of study locations, including Peru, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada.
• Identifies specific treatment characteristics and research gaps mentioned in the description.

Limitations

• The dataset is a 118.2 KB document, indicating a limited scope focused on review metadata rather than primary data.
• Row count and column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the included studies, with a concentration in Peru.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Scoping review conducted via comprehensive search strategy and qualitative content analysis.

Time Range

1980 to 2026

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-03 09:40:02; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Americas (specific studies in Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Canada)