Doctor Says Psychedelic Plant has Healing Power as Peru Investigates Death of BC Man

Doctor Says Psychedelic Plant has Healing Power as Peru Investigates Death of BC Man
A man moves a cauldron used for brewing a psychedelic tea known locally as Holy Daime, or Ayahuasca, in Ceu do Mapia, Brazil, on June 22, 2016. The brew is sacred to the Ceu do Mapia. AP Photo/Eraldo Peres
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VANCOUVER—A retired doctor who spent years treating drug addiction says he has seen the healing powers of a psychedelic plant that a Vancouver Island man was studying in Peru before he was killed by a mob that blamed him for a shaman’s death.

Dr. Gabor Maté said ayahuasca grows in the jungle and is brewed with other plants into a thick concoction people drink at ceremonies in countries such as Peru, Costa Rica, and Brazil.