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Imagine stripping away the hustle and bustle of modern life and spending a month by yourself in the Amazon. Sounds like a dream, right? But why talk in hypotheticals… Isolating in the Amazon is a part of many Indigenous cultures which is commonly known as a master plant dieta.
This tradition has been carried on for millennia by communities of the Amazon and is now much more widely available due to the rapid commercialization of the shamanic healing space.
With that said, these processes are so much more than just immersing yourself in nature for a nice vacation. Doing a master plant dieta involves abiding to aย strict dietary regime, cutting of social contact, working closely with a master plant, and participating in ceremonies.
Needless to say, it’s not a walk in the park, but it’s an integral process for medicine people studying in Amazonian traditions who are seeking clarity, direction, and to deepen their relationship with a particular master plant.
And that’s really the point.
Master plant dietas open a doorway into ourselves via a strict process of purifying the mind, body, and soul – while working closely with a particular plant spirit and soaking up the wisdom it provides. In this article, I’ll tell you what to expect during a master plant dieta, and a little bit about my own experience doing one in the Peruvian Amazon.
What is a master plant dieta?
A master plant dieta can be seen as a type of shamanic initiation, unique to traditions in the Amazon. Typically, it’s understood as a process of purification where the student isolates in the jungle under a rigorous dietary regime, intending to develop a deeper connection with the master plant they are working with.
With that said, a master plant refers to any plant that is central to shamanic healing and spiritual practice. These are plants that provide information, protection, or medicinal properties. Plants such as Ayahuasca and Wachuma are well-known examples of master plants in the shamanic healing sphere. However, master plants that people commonly work with during dietas aren’t entheogenic, including:
- Bobinsana: A feminine plant known for its heart-opening properties, emotional healing, and ability to help the user channel icaros.
- Coca:ย A sacred plant to the Incas commonly used in the Andes and used to connect with the ancestors.
- Oje: Commonly used to treat digestive issues, purify the blood, and strengthen the memory.
- Chirik Sanango: Renowned as a challenging plant due to its powerful effects, it’s known to make you stronger both physically and mentally.
- Uchu Sanango: Taken for strength, power, protection, and enhancing spiritual energy.
- Ushpawasha Sanango: A feminine plant known for promoting emotional balance, lucid dreams, and neural activity while awakening buried emotions and memories of the heart.
- Shiwawaco: Taken for emotional stability, mental clarity, and clearing negative energy.
- Chuchuwasi: Commonly known to help with sexual and reproductive issues and the healing of intergenerational themes.
- Huambisa: Used for purification, emotional healing, and grounding.
- Sangre de grado: Understood to heal wounds of the spirit.
- Chanca Piedra: Used for detoxification, purification, and physical healing, particularly for liver and kidney health.
- Mucรบra: Calms the nervous system and relieves anxiety or stress. Is also used spiritually to bring energetic awareness and protect from witchery.
- Ayahuma: Used for spiritual initiation, communication with spirits, and metaphysical healing, however, it is also associated with witchcraft.
This process of dieting with a master plant provides cleansing on all levels and allows you to reemerge with newfound wisdom, knowledge, and guidance from the plant. People often work with plants that have medicinal or spiritual properties, and a master plant dieta can be seen as a sort of apprenticeship with a plant – to connect more deeply with its energy.
Traditionally, this is how master plant dietas were done. They are integral to many Amazonian cultural practices, but they have been especially popularized by the Shapibo in recent years.
Now the name of the game has changed with tourism and commercialization. Pay a few thousand dollars, spend a week or two in the Jungle, and viola – You’re a shaman Harry!
But a master plant dieta is much more than simply isolating yourself and consuming a plant during a strict dieta. It’s about going inwards to receive information from the plant – as all plants have spirits, and can transmit knowledge and information.
Therefore, a master plant dieta serves the purpose of:
- Acting as a shamanic apprenticeship in some traditions, where medicine people often spend many months in dieta
- Teaching the student through visions, dreams, and experiences that offer personal growth, healing, and guidance
- Allowing the student to develop a relationship with the plant, creating a long-term spiritual connection that may enhance the individualโs healing practice or personal life
- Helping the student cultivate a deeper connection to the spiritual realm and aiding them in developing spiritual gifts
- Facilitating the passage of information, knowledge, and guidance from the plant
- Acting as a purification process of the body, mind, and soul, cleansing the student of negative energies, thought patterns, and beliefs
Why people do master plant dietas
Many plants, whether they’re entheogenic or not, have certain properties that once ingested can help us in some way. As I’ve been told, we absorb the properties of the plant we consume, so when we do a master plant dieta, we’re absorbing a lot of the plant’s energy.
Some plants teach us things or can help cure certain physical, emotional, or psychological illnesses. Likewise, certain plants are good for certain things. For example, people who have sexual or reproductive issues such as PCOS or infertility issues may work with Chuchuwasi to heal these issues. Someone who wants to heal their heart or underlying emotional issues may work with Bobinsana – as the plant is known to help with these particular issues.
Each plant has different properties and can help us in different ways.
Master plants are wise teachers. Traditionally the indigenous, especially medicine people would do dietas in isolation as a way to connect more deeply with the plant, as it acts as part of their training.
Depending on the plant that people work with, a master plant dieta can be a way to:
- Develop a deeper communication with the plant
- Receive divine guidance and higher spiritual awareness from the plant
- Take on properties of the plant
- Attain insights, knowledge, and wisdom from the plant
- Develop stronger focus and discipline
- Reflect and encourage meaning and direction
- Heal physical, mental, or emotional illness
- Restore health and equilibrium
- Purify oneself physically, mentally, and spiritually.
- Increase resilience, stamina, and endurance
- Ward off negative energies and spirits
Master plant dieta guidelines
In July 2024 I did a 1-week master plant dieta with Uchu Sanango – A powerful non entheogenic plant that helps people develop inner strength and deeper clarity. It is also said to help open the third eye and enhance spiritual foresight, often inducing dizziness, nausea, vivid dreams, and recycling old memories to be discarded.
My dieta began by helping the healer harvest the Uchu Sanango after a brief meeting to discuss the plants and determine what to work with. He gave me the green flag to work with Uchu Sanango – one of the more potent plants they do dietas with, and away I went.
The healer and his son prepared the plant into a liquid which was then put in a bottle and given to me to take a shot of twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening. During the master plant dieta, I could only eat the food they prepared for me and brought to my cabin once a day, consisting of mostly white rice, green plantains, and grains.
Needless to say, I didn’t get out of bed for the food. It was tasteless without condiments or seasoning, however, each day I was given a big meal with tea.
During this week I stayed in a small rustic cabin, somewhat isolated from the Main cabins, social area, and ceremony space, however, it was just a small walk. Although I was free to do what I wanted, during my master plant dieta I was suggested to:
- Isolate as much as possible and avoid social contact
- Only eat the food that was prepared and brought to me
- Avoid unnatural chemicals (soap, shampoo, deodorant, etc.)
- Take care of my energy (rest lots, reflect, write, etc.)
I also participated in an Ayahuasca ceremony, both to commence and to end it. At the center, people mentioned that the closing Ayahuasca ceremony is when you meet the spirit of the plant you’re working with, as it tends to manifest into the journey.
The week went quickly and I didn’t feel any heavy effects from the Uchu Sanango, as many people describe. I do believe the medicine helped me discard old memories that no longer served a purpose, and every night I seemed to dream about my deepest fears, eventually realizing that it wasn’t so bad.
Therefore, the dieta I believe helped with some emotional and mental healing, and acted as a powerful detox and uniquely riching experience, however, I can’t say I gained any profound insights or visions from it as some people mention.
What does a master plant dieta include?
Often, people participate in Master plant dietas at well-established shamanic healing centers, for anywhere between a week to 6 months. Generally, this includes:
- Accommodation: Often rustic bamboo-styled huts without electricity or water
- Food: Generally, you’re given 1 or 2 meals a day of plain rice, grains, and plantains
- Consultation: Often you will consult with the center or shaman about what medicine to work with
- Medicine: You’re given the medicine to take daily, or multiple times a day
- Ceremonies: Most medicine centers include weekly or biweekly Ayahuasca ceremonies
- Extras: Some places also include workshops, flower baths, cleansings, and other miscellaneous activities
Of course, each place you do a master plant dieta in is run a little differently, but these are the core ingredients.
Generally speaking, it’s quite expensive to participate in a master plant dieta, often costing upwards of $1000 per week, all included. These days, it seems that master plant dietas have become a luxury – I guess ever since the demand rose and due to the rapidly growing tourism industry regarding shamanic medicine.
But is it worth spending thousands of dollars to isolate in the Amazon under the guidance of a healer?
It depends.
If you want to do one just for the experience, paying so much for a master plant dieta probably isn’t worth it. If you’re committed to the shamanic path and genuinely seek a deeper connection with the plant you’re working with, then master plant dietas can be worth the money.
Of course, this is a rule of thumb.
Some communities still offer master plant dietas at a low price, or as an exchange. However, most of these places are tricky to find and come with logisitical challenges as they are often small, nontouristic Indigenous communities nestled deep in the Amazon. They are likely very rustic without internet or a website, and I very much doubt the communities would speak any English. In these cases, it’s mostly word of mouth – knowing someone who knows someone, etc.
Most foreigners seeking a master plant dieta go to larger, more well-known retreat centers that charge a steeper price, but cater to English-speaking foreigners. Generally, the more well-established centers are still just as authentic, albeit more business-oriented.
With that said, it’s always best to steer on the side of caution.
There are plenty of centers out there that aren’t integral to the practices and training and do it more as a money-making scheme. Similar to seeking out Ayahuasca ceremonies, it’s best to do your research and find a reputable place where you work with healers who have deep roots with these traditions.
Where to do a master plant dieta
Master plant dietas are most commonly done in Peru. There is a big culture for them, especially in the Amazon – around Puculpa, Iquitos, and Tarapoto.
Regarding how to do them, generally, it’s pretty straightforward. Many centers offering master plant dietas have websites where you can easily book one in. Just doing a quick Google search for “master plant dietas in Peru” will give you a list of different centers that are generally quite reputable, although I can’t vouch for them as I have only been to one center.
I went to Magia del Duende in Chazuta, about an hour from Tarapoto. This center is by far the cheapest I have seen, but it was a very authentic experience will very knowledgeable healers. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to do a master plant dieta without breaking their bank account.
Otherwise, there are some other places I’ve heard good things about, including Jochipapanete, and Temple of the Way of Light, however, these places will cost you a premium.
Needless to say, there are many great centers out there, just be diligent, check out the reviews and testimonials, and do it somewhere reputable. Enjoy your journey into self!