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Founded in 2018 by the renowned curandero Don Gardel and visionary biomedical researcher Fabrizio Beverina, Paojilhuasca Amazonian Medicine Centre offers a unique gateway to the ancient healing powers of the Amazon. We specialize in authentic kambo and ayahuasca ceremonies, bringing these transformative medicines out of tradition and into the hands of everyone seeking profound healing and personal growth.
Our retreat is thoughtfully designed to nurture your journey—blending simplicity with purpose. Surrounded by the breathtaking Amazonian wilderness, our space creates the perfect harmony between peaceful solitude and supportive community living. Here, you are fully immersed in nature’s embrace, allowing deep restoration on every level.
At Paojilhuasca, accessibility is more than a promise—it’s a mission. We keep our prices affordable so that everyone, regardless of background, can experience the life-changing benefits of these sacred medicines. Healing should never be out of reach.
What truly sets us apart is our commitment to research, education, and empowerment. We believe in learning by doing. That’s why every participant takes part in the preparation of the medicines, cultivating a deeper connection and independence on their healing path. Our approach honors tradition while fostering a modern understanding, helping you integrate ancient wisdom with your own experience.
Step into a space where ancestral knowledge meets scientific curiosity—and where your healing story begins. Join Paojilhuasca today and unlock the powerful medicine of the Amazon, with guides who walk alongside you every step of the way.
Did you know that nearly 70% of Western pharmaceutical medicines trace their origins back to Amazonian plants? For centuries, indigenous healers—known as curanderos—have carefully preserved and passed down the wisdom of these living medicines. Unlike Western science, which often isolates single compounds, Amazonian healing works with plants in their whole form, respecting their natural timing, balance, and synergy.
At Paojilhuasca, we honor this tradition by offering Kambo, Ayahuasca, and Sananga exactly as they have been used for generations, within the sacred environment of the Amazon itself. Here, guests experience authentic ceremonies led by experienced curanderos, supported by research-based protocols that ensure safe and meaningful integration. Nutritious meals are thoughtfully prepared to nourish and sustain the body throughout the healing process.
What makes this approach unique is that it goes far beyond the quick fixes of Western medicine. Healing at Paojilhuasca is a holistic, long-lasting journey that embraces the body, mind, and soul as one. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Amazon and guided with care, participants are able to access deep transformation that restores balance, clarity, and inner peace.
At Paojilhuasca, transformation extends beyond our guests it embraces the local community as well. Every week we source fresh fruit, fish, and other essentials directly from more than fifteen local families, ensuring that the village economy thrives through sustainable and meaningful support. In this way, the nourishment provided to our visitors also uplifts the families who call the Amazon home.
Our mission also includes creating opportunities for education and growth. We provide free internet access to local children, opening doors to learning, knowledge, and the chance to study English. Through dignified employment, both women and men find meaningful work at Paojilhuasca, with at least eight local team members supported daily and even more during construction and development projects.
Beyond economics, our commitment extends to the environment and cultural preservation. We actively collaborate with the village school to nurture environmental awareness and teach children the importance of protecting the jungle that sustains us all. In this way, Paojilhuasca becomes more than a retreat it is a living bridge between cultures, people, and nature, creating ripples of healing and hope that flow far beyond our center.
We welcome all volunteers. We always have ongoing projects to work on and welcome those with initiatives of their own to bring their ideas and skills into the project.
Curandero, ayahuasquero, kambocero, nurse, co-founder
Born to the forest and its medicine. Don Gardel leads Ayahuasca and Kambo ceremonies in the lineage he grew up in. And as a trained nurse, he’s also the calm clinical presence in the room. Ancestral knowledge and a steady medical hand, same person.
Ayahuasquera, Vegetalista
Maestra Alicia carries the feminine lineage of the medicine. She holds ceremony alongside Don Gardel so both masculine and feminine presences are woven through the maloca. She closes each week with a ritual that holds what you’ve learned and prepares you to carry it home.
Co-founder & director, biomedical researcher, kambo & bufo practitioner
Fabrizio Beverina Left a research lab in Italy for the Amazon—without leaving the rigor behind. Biomedical engineer from Politecnico di Milano who built the protocols that keep everyone safe. He facilitates Kambo and Bufo ceremonies and leads research collaborations with Universities of Pisa and Chieti measuring what actually happens to people six months later.
Physician, breathwork guide
The center’s doctor. Reads every guest’s medical history before ceremony. She guides breathwork and integration, holding space for what you’ve learned to settle into your body and your life.
Facilitator, Integration Coach, Kambo practitioner
Kate draws on her own journey as a former participant to offer grounded and empathetic support for guests. With a background in biology and personal experience navigating a challenging integration phase, she uniquely bridges the gap between science and spirituality. She now strives to help others integrate extraordinary experiences by facilitating our virtual biweekly integration circles for past guests.
Facilitator, Kambo Practitioner, Tarot Reader, & Yin Yoga
Facilitator, Kambo practitioner, and co-author of the center’s book on plant medicine. Holds the day-to-day presence that turns a single ceremony into an integrated week.
Your donations allow the children in the village to have access to school, help to improve Health Care for people living in isolated areas around Paojilhuasca, and to fight alcohol addiction, creating safer homes for the local women and children.
