Some times ago, I read an article describing the experience of consuming peyote, a cactus, with Indians of South Dakota. I could not help being reminded of the ayahuasca drinkers of northeast Peru. I lived for seven years traveling and trading in the Upper Amazon region and often heard stories about the effect of the drug. Once on a long canoe trip down the river my Indian companion had chanted the song of the " Goddess of Ayahuasca." Ayahuasca, a Quechua word meaning vine of death, is the collective name for various climbing tropical lianas, and also designates the tea prepared from the leaves of the vine, either by itself or in combination with other leaves.