About Juana Payaguaje

Juana is a wise woman from the Siekopai Nation. She holds the traditional practices of women’s healthcare that were taught to her from the Siekopai grandmothers. She knows the care that women must take into account when drinking Yaje and other plant medicines.

She was born in Wajoya, the origin of the Siekopai people in the sacred territory of present day Peru. She currently lives in the Siekoya Remolino community in Ecuador, province of Sucumbios.

In this interview, she harnesses the guidance that she received from her grandmothers, who were dedicated yajé drinkers, to offer the do’s and don’ts to women who drink yajé.