Let's Talk About Dosage

Understanding the Magic & Mystery of Ayahuasca

The morning after an ayahuasca ceremony, the hum at the breakfast table is always the same.

“How much did you take?”

“Are you gonna drink more tonight?”

“I wonder if I should drink more…”

“Maybe I’ll play it safe and stick with the same…”

There’s no Goldilocks dose, yet everyone seems to be searching for the magic number.

Leading up to my first retreat, I assumed that more equals more, similar to other substances I’d tried. A little espresso wakes you up, but three large gas-station coffees will make you feel like your heart is beating in your ears. A little weed offers a cozy buzz, but too much and you're staring at the ceiling fan thinking, wait…am I like...dying?

I carried that logic into my first ceremony and quickly learned that ayahuasca doesn’t quite work the same way.

In conversation with Jeanae about what concerns tend to come up before a retreat, she shared:

“Most people don’t even think to ask much about dosing. It only really gets on people’s radar if they’ve drunk weak medicine before and are worried about missing out on the full experience.”

A single batch might feel mild one night and overwhelming the next, depending on who you ask. At my first retreat, almost everyone started with half a cup (about 25–50 ml, roughly half a shot glass). A few experienced sitters confidently began with slightly more.

And yet, there is no standard dose.

No Standard Dose

Different facilitators and shamans take different approaches to the starting dose. As Jeanae explains:

“Some shamans determine the dose intuitively, pouring more or less based on how they feel energetically toward you. Others, like us, start with a baseline dose to test sensitivity and then build up, offering more only if needed. Some centers give just one dose for the first ceremony, or even the first two, and only allow people to go deeper in later ceremonies.”

There’s no universal rule, only experience, caution, and a relationship with the medicine.

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Common Myths About Dosage

To understand why dosage is so misunderstood, it helps to look at a few common myths.

Myth 1: No purge or visions means weak medicine.

Purging and visuals are not universal markers of depth or effectiveness. While purging is common, some people process internally - emotionally, psychologically, or somatically - with little outward drama. Insights and release can unfold subtly, sometimes days, weeks, or even months later.

The absence of spectacle doesn’t mean the medicine “didn’t work.” Some of the most profound insights arrive on mild nights with no purge and no visuals at all. The medicine works quietly when that’s what’s needed.

Myth 2: Bigger body = bigger dose.

This assumption doesn’t hold up in the ceremony. Sensitivity, metabolism, nervous system regulation, and psychological openness matter far more than height or weight.

I’ve sat with grown men (ex-military types) who were perfectly content with half a cup and no more for an entire ceremony. I’ve also sat with petite, inexperienced women who topped up two or three times and had profound yet mild healing journeys.

Myth 3: Shamans/facilitators can calculate DMT in exact milligrams.

Ayahuasca strength varies by vine, cooking, fermentation, and the brewer. Dosage is measured by volume, not milligrams. As Jeanae explains:

“Finding the ‘correct’ dose is about slowly building up to your desired intensity based on individual sensitivity.”

Myth 4: Same dose = same intensity every time.

This one couldn’t be further from the truth.

I’ve met many sitters who could be described as slow metabolizers. I’m one of them. I’ve been in ceremonies where the first - and even second - cups did seemingly nothing. No visions. No purge. Barely a flutter. Then, hours later, long after the ceremony had formally closed, the experience expanded. While everyone else slept, I found myself deep in a very intense, private ceremony that stretched well into the early morning.

In another ceremony, that same half cup put me into a near-catatonic state for three hours. No gradual ascent. No warning. Just a full-body carpet ride into pure bliss and stillness. What I would give to replicate that experience again!

And then there are the contradictions. In a different ceremony, with a different brew and a different shaman, I began with a sensible half cup that felt completely inert. When I later topped up with what I can only describe as a whisper of a second dose, the experience tipped suddenly and dramatically with rolling waves of nausea, overwhelming intensity, and layers of vivid visuals arriving all at once.

The margin between “nothing” and “too much” wasn’t linear. It felt like a trapdoor.

All this to say, dosage isn’t a simple equation. Things like digestive speed, enzyme activity (especially MAO), nervous system sensitivity, trauma history, expectations…all of it can play a role. Or not.

For slow metabolizers, especially, the lesson is humility and patience. Sometimes it’s not more, it's just later.

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What Determines Your Experience

Early effects usually begin around 30-45 minutes: warm waves in the stomach, nausea, bright colors or fractal patterns, or old emotions/memories can start bubbling up. Even with the same brew and the same cup size, sensations are unpredictable. That’s why starting small (roughly half a shot glass) and observing your inner world is recommended.

I'd heard by word of mouth and doing my own research that the medicine is self-regulating. You don’t force an experience by drinking more. Overreaching can overwhelm the nervous system and prevent meaningful inner work. As Jeanae put it:

“The most important thing to know about dosing and ayahuasca is that more is not always better.”

There is a threshold. Cross it, and intensity takes over so completely that inner work becomes impossible.

Trust Over Measurement

Ultimately, dosage is a relationship, not a formula. The “correct” dose is served with care, integrity, and respect. The medicine doesn’t respond to ego, expectation, or comparison.

If you find yourself obsessing over dosage before a retreat, book a call with us to discuss in more detail. We focus instead on preparation and integration - those are what truly shape your experience.