Matthew Dawson-Clarke dies in Peru taking hallucinogens in Preuvian ritual

Home Top

Banker celebrates creating his own $20billlion company by buying and TEARING DOWN the $43million Hamptons mansion of his former Goldman Sachs boss who refused to promote him
Dog the Bounty Hunter's stepdaughter is arrested for 'robbing a bank' as he reveals his family's heartbreak at her 'life of crime'
Judge rules 'Happy Birthday' IS in the public domain: Music company that has been collecting royalties for years does not own the copyright to lyrics
Revealed: The FBI 'has recovered secret emails deleted from Hillary Clinton's private computer server'
Chinese jet nearly collides with American spy plane gathering intelligence off China's coast in dangerous mid-air interception
Could YOU spot a cheater? Study finds men can tell which women are more likely to have affairs just by looking at their faces
What would Jesus have been driven in? Dwarfed by massive secret service SUVs, Pope Francis is a big man in a little car as he's driven away in a tiny Fiat 500 after arriving in the U.S.
Pope spent awkward minutes waiting at the open door of his plane as Obama crossed the tarmac - but it was all because of protocol, White House say
Huckabee blasts White House's guest list for the Pope as 'politicized cattle call' as ex-nun sacked from Catholic school for her lesbian marriage is latest invitee
Jeb Bush says Pope is reminder of need for 'religious freedom' in coded attack on Obama
First daughters Sasha and Malia Obama skip classes to meet Pope Francis
The Pontiff and the President: Pope Francis arrives in America for the first time ever to a greeting from the entire First Family
I ain't talkin' to you, darling! 'Condescending' Robert De Niro walks out of interview about his latest film The Intern after taking offense at reporter's questions
PIERS MORGAN: If Robert De Niro wants to be treated like the genius he still thinks he is, he should try making his first decent movie for two decades
Dramatic moment Israeli soldier pointed his rifle at veiled Palestinian student... who was shot dead moments later for attempting to stab a checkpoint guard
US General denies there is a policy to ignore the sexual abuse of little boys in Afghanistan after a marine was gunned down by teen 'being kept as a sex slave by the local police chief'
Rapper boyfriend who 'murdered Morgan Freeman's granddaughter in violent rage' pleads not guilty to charges as prosecutors say she was stabbed 25 times
Blackmail selfie? Be my guest: Bed photo of NHL star, 43, who told 18-year-old model 'who tried to extort him' that he couldn't care less becomes an instant meme
Mom says school 'racially profiled' her white daughter who has dreadlocks after she was sent home and told to remove them
Don't sit still! Fidgeting may be good for you: Restless movements found to counter adverse effects of sitting for long periods
Sean Penn sues director Lee Daniels for $10million for likening him to wife-beater Terrence Howard
Transgender woman details ordeal TSA put her through after she went through the female line and the bodyscanner picked up her 'anomaly'
Trump mocked by rapper on the Late Show and forced to duck Obama 'birther' question but Colbert admits The Donald is 'setting the world on fire'
Ben Carson believes the Big Bang is a 'fairy tale' and Darwin's theory of evolution is the work of the devil

Matthew Dawson-Clarke, 24, died on September 3 in a Peruvian ritual
The man from Auckland, New Zealand, consumed ayahuasca
The hallucinogenic drink is made from vines and is said to purge toxins
It is legal in Peru but is not regulated and is popular among tourists
Mr Dawson-Clarke's body was only returned to his family on Monday

By Rachel Eddie For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 20:32 EST, 21 September 2015 | Updated: 23:51 EST, 21 September 2015

View
comments

A young backpacker has died in Peru after taking hallucinogens in an ancient Amazonian 'cleansing ceremony'.

24-year-old Matthew Dawson-Clarke consumed ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic drink made from vines, as part of a seven-day retreat to foster a spiritual awakening.

From Auckland in New Zealand's north, Mr Dawson-Clarke died on September 3 after taking part in the centuries-old ritual, the NZ Herald reports.

Scroll down for video

Matthew Dawson-Clarke, 24, died on September 3 after consuming hallucinogenic drink ayahuasca as part of a purging ritual in Peru

In rituals using ayahuasca, also known as yage, which contains DMT, an experienced shaman guides those partaking through their psychedelic experience which lasts six to 10 hours.

The experience is said to result in inner peace after purging toxins from the body through vomiting, diarrhoea, yawning, crying, shaking and sweating.

Many report that the hallucinatory experience is stronger than LSD, ketamine and magic mushrooms.

The rituals are legal in Peru and some neighbouring countries, where they are native to, though they are not regulated.

However, the retreats have become a major tourist draw for those seeking an authentic South American experience.

Ayahuasca, also known as yage, is consumed as a drink which is followed by vomiting and hallucinations which last six to 10 hours

It is said to be stronger than LSD, ketamine and magic mushrooms and brings about spiritual awakening and inner peace

The Australian government's Smart Traveller website advises on the dangers of ayahuasca use, as some have been assaulted or robbed during the rituals, while others have experienced total amnesia following the consumption of the plant.

Mr Dawson-Clarke's father, Stuart Clarke, said he wanted to raise awareness of the potential dangers involved.

WHAT IS AYAHUASCA?

Ayahuasca, or yage, contains Dimethyltryptamine, known as DMT.

Used in South America, especially in the Amazon basin, Ayahuasca is a drink produced from the stem bark of the vines Banisteriopsis caapi and B. inebrians.

It is said to have healing properties and bring inner peace by purging toxins and can produce reactions including vomiting.

Psychedelic experiences last six to 10 hours and are guided by experienced shamans in the South American countries where ayahuasca is legal and native to

'No family should ever have to endure the loss of a child and particularly in such tragic circumstances when they are so far from home,' he told the NZ Herald.

'To the moon and beyond, I will love you,' his mother Lyndie wrote on Facebook.

Mr Dawson-Clarke had been working on a luxury yacht based in Europe for the past 18 months and had travelled to Peru for a short trip before planning to return to Europe.

Though the 24-year-old had died more than three weeks ago, his body was only returned to the family on Monday, and a coroner is now investigating the 24-year-old's death.

In 2012, 18-year-old Kyle Joseph Nolan from northern California died from exceeding the dosage of ayahuasca in Peru.

British student Henry Miller, died at 19 in the Columbian jungle after drinking the concoction in 2014.