Deaths associated with ayahuasca are rare but documented. They most commonly occur when ayahuasca is combined with contraindicated medications, particularly SSRIs or other serotonergic drugs, or when participants with undisclosed cardiovascular or psychiatric conditions attend inadequately screened ceremonies (Callahan et al., 2018). Deaths from psilocybin’s pharmacological toxicity alone are exceedingly rare; most documented mushroom-related harms involve accidents or behavioral risk during the experience.
