Briton dies after drinking ‘psychedelic tea’ that Prince Harry once tried
By Iona Cleave
A British mother of three died at a remote retreat in the Bolivian Amazon rainforest after allegedly drinking tea laced with the psychedelic drug ayahuasca.
Maureen Rainford, 54, a social worker from Romford, in Essex, had paid £800 ($1545) for a 10-day stay last month at the Ayahuasca and San Pedro Pisatahua Retreat.
In recent years, the Amazon has experienced a boom in Western tourists travelling to the retreats.
The secluded eco-lodge describes itself as a “sacred space” to “work with plant medicines, including ayahuasca” and an “ideal environment to heal, expand consciousness, and connect with the wonders of the Amazon”.
Rainford’s daughter Rochel, 32, said staff at the retreat told her that her mother had suffered a “medical emergency”.
Other witnesses said that 10 minutes after drinking the ayahuasca tea, Rainford had complained of feeling unwell and then her heart and breathing rate plummeted.
Shaman Pablo Flores raises his hands to the sky before the beginning of an ayahuasca session, in Nuevo Egipto, a remote town in the jungles of Peru. Credit: AP/File
Staff tried for an hour to resuscitate her but she died before the doctor arrived, the family were told.
Ayahuasca is a plant-based psychedelic that can cause a person to hallucinate. It is registered as an illegal class A drug in Britain.
The bitter beverage, made from brewing leaves and stalks from two local plants, has been long used by the indigenous tribes in South America for medicinal, spiritual and ceremonial purposes.
Tourist boom
In recent years, the Amazon has experienced a boom in Western tourists travelling to retreats to take part in the ayahuasca ceremonies, seeking alternative therapy.
In Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, he admitted to taking the drug “therapeutically” and “medicinally” in order to help him overcome PTSD connected to his mother’s death.
“[Ayahuasca] didn’t simply allow me to escape reality for a while, they let me redefine reality,” he wrote, before adding he would not advise taking it recreationally.
In his memoir, Prince Harry admitted to taking the drug “therapeutically” and “medicinally”.Credit: AP
Rochel said that after she contacted the British consulate, her mother’s body was returned to Britain, where a post-mortem examination confirmed she had suffered a heart attack. The funeral was held last week.
“There should be a trained medic on standby when hallucinogenic drugs are being handed out in a remote area,” Rochel told The Sun on Sunday.
Rochel, who described her mother as fit and healthy before her trip to the Amazon, said: “I want to raise awareness about these places for people tempted by glossy brochures selling a dream.”
A spokesman for the retreat said the death was unrelated to ayahuasca, instead claiming it was caused by a medical emergency.
Britain’s Foreign Office and the Ayahuasca and San Pedro Pisatahua Retreat have been approached for comment.
The Telegraph, London
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