Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brewery of botanical origin that has traditionally been consumed by various cultures in the Amazon jungle. In recent decades, practices associated with the consumption of this beverage have tended to spread around the world. This process of internationalization has meant that more and more non-indigenous people who use ayahuasca in different contexts are being used. Chile has not remained alien to this phenomenon, with the fact that there is currently an indeterminate number of regular drinking users in our country. In this context, it is noted that Chilean mental health professionals have little knowledge of the scientific and academic literature about ayahuasca. In response to this scenario, we have proposed to carry out a review of existing evidence on drinking, its main forms of use and its effects on user mental health, in order to bring greater understanding of this emerging cultural phenomenon. This work will be presented in a series of articles. In this first delivery we will review the history of ayahuasca consumption, ranging from its origins in the Amazon indigenous cultural sphere to its current internationalization process. At the end of our presentation we offer some reflections on the challenges that this phenomenon poses to our country's mental health professionals.