Final answer:
Shamans in South America, including the Yanomami, use ayahuasca, a brew made from plants containing DMT, for spiritual rituals. Ayahuasca is believed to aid shamans in communicating with the spirit world and addressing illness, which is sometimes attributed to soul loss.
Step-by-step explanation:
Shamans and indigenous communities have long used various plants with psychoactive properties for spiritual practices. For instance, throughout South America, particularly among the Yanomami and the Amazonian shamans, ayahuasca is a well-known brew used to make contact with the spiritual realm. This drink is made from Amazonian plants containing DMT (Dimethyltryptamine), which has potent hallucinogenic effects, and a vine that contains a natural alkaloid that allows DMT to be effective when ingested.
The Kayapó people, who cultivate a vast variety of plants, utilize them for medicinal purposes to treat various ailments. Additionally, the Shipibo community believes ayahuasca helps the shaman's soul to leave the body to retrieve a lost or stolen soul, which is often a central belief for explaining illnesses. Psychoactive plants have played a significant role across the globe in ritual uses; the peyote cactus, containing mescaline, has been used for religious ceremonies by Native Americans, and other psychoactive substances like jimsonweed and psilocybin have also been noted for their spiritual significance.