Within Shipibo-Conibo tradition, certain plants are understood not simply as medicinal herbs, but as living teachers, each with its own spirit, character and intelligence. A master plant dieta (‘sama’, in Shipibo) is a traditional period of focused relationship with one or more of these plants, and a major part of Shipibo healing, culture and cosmovision.
You live in a private tambo, ingesting your plants, planting an energetic seed and nourishing the connection. Through the restrictions, solitude, ceremony, dreams, visions and icaros, you come to know the spirit and teachings of the plant. Maestra Marisela guides and supports the dieta with the help of ayahuasca and other plant medicines, helping to open your body and mind, allowing the plants to enter and flourish. You will spend days in silence, away from external stimulation, concentrating on your process and connecting with your plants.
It is not simply about consuming a plant, nor is it simply folklore. It has been documented by ethnobotanists as the foundation of healing and apprenticeship across the Ucayali region; a profound period of listening, learning and transformation with intelligent plant teachers. What happens for you mentally, physically and spiritually will depend on the plants dieted, but the true extent of what you gain is beyond words. When this ancient wisdom is approached with respect, discipline, honesty and a desire to change, your life will elevate in ways you could never have believed possible.
The Shipibo are among the most respected ayahuasca and master plant healing lineages of the Amazon. Their curanderismo is carried within families, across generations: knowledge of the plants, dietas, icaros and cosmovision, passed from elder to apprentice over decades. This ancient wisdom, carried across generations, will also be shared with you, allowing you to approach the dieta with safety, trust, respect and discipline.
Each master plant is understood to have its own qualities. Some are associated with the heart and emotional healing, others with the physical healing of ailments, and others with qualities such as love, protection, strength, clarity, good fortune, ancestral knowledge and/or the development of the healer. Depending on your intention and what Marisela sees, the specific plant(s) you work with will be determined together. Below are some of the plants commonly dieted here:
Press “About” on a card to read how each plant is understood here.
Among them piri piri, catahua, uchu sanango, matico, uvus, mucura, ayapana, rosa sisa, copaiba, guayusa, sangre de drago, chuchuhuasi and renaquilla. Some are dieted; others are worked with in healing alongside the dieta.
Marisela knows more than three hundred healing and master plants, and if a rarer dieta is what is needed, it is open to you. Many are not spoken of publicly, out of respect for the lineage, but when you arrive, we can discuss and finalise the plants that will be dieted.
The restrictions quiet the body, mind and the senses so the plant’s essence, medicine and teachings can come through clearly. Each restriction protects and amplifies something: the connection you are building, the strength of the medicine, the safety of the space. They are dietary and energetic and they hold before, during and after. The exact details depend on your plants and the maestra will be specific with you.
None of this is deprivation for its own sake. Each restriction has a specific and important purpose. The cleanliness of mind, body and energy created by the dieta allows the plant to root deeper, grow greater and give more, for the rest of your life. Of course it can be challenging and requires discipline, but that’s what makes the reward all the greater.
The Shipibo understanding of healing reaches beyond the physical and mental. A plant is approached as a teacher, able to reveal and transform the deeper roots of an imbalance, strengthen your energetic and spiritual body and pass on knowledge through dreams, visions and sensations. No two plants or dietas give the exact same thing, but certain benefits come home with people again and again.
A sense of which direction is actually yours, and of what can be set down. People often arrive at a crossroads and leave knowing which way to walk.
A steadier relationship with fear, an increased capacity for courage and the quiet confidence of having stayed through something difficult all the way to the end.
The plants work on the body as much as anything. Within the jungle apothecary, there are master plants which are believed to help with a range of physical ailments, with science now catching up and validating indigenous knowledge around inflammation, digestive issues and more. Beyond specific ailments, guests also often describe leaving physically lighter and clearer than they arrived.
Some plants are dieted for love in all its forms: love for oneself and for others, forgiveness, compassion and empathy, and a deeper love for life and existence itself. The heart opens to give and receive more of it.
Whether it be health, wealth, relationships or anything else, people’s ability to manifest abundance in their desired area often increases dramatically after a dieta.
Trust in oneself and in life, in ‘God’ and the universe, that everything is working for you and always for good.
More frequent moments of spontaneous and lasting joy, even at the smallest things.
Profound, lasting senses of peace, calm and clarity that hold steady through any situation.
Strong, radiant feelings of thankfulness, gratitude and appreciation for oneself, others, all situations and life itself.
Dietas are in large part how shamans learn their abilities. They open their senses, enhance their vision and refine their ability to diagnose and treat illnesses, though it takes many years of training to reach mastery.
People come back from a dieta different, yet more themselves, than when they left.