The present work aims to provide a general vision on the ayahuasca, a psychotropic plant of the Amazon, and to bring back the different types of literary testimonies that speak of it, emphasizing the characteristics of the works that mark an innovation in dealing with the subject. The chronological order was followed, starting from the first known quotation to the most recent times: from the books of the Jesuit missionaries to the first scientific writings, to arrive at the books of literature in which the ayahuasca occupies a leading role. Moreover, it was intended to highlight how literature has made a decisive contribution to the spread of knowledge about ayahuasca in the West and, consequently, about the Amazonian indigenous culture.