Dona Otilia
With over 40 years experience, dona Otilia is a maestra vegetalista as well as an ayahuasquera. Born into a family of indigenous healers, she was raised in the science of plant medicine and by the time she was eleven years old, she had begun treating patients with herbal remedies. When she was sixteen, she made the commitment to become a curandera after drinking ayahuasca and realizing that it was her destiny. She uses psychic awareness as an important aid in her practice, which specializes in floral baths, skin and hair treatments, therapeutic massage, and the art of cigarette divination.

Nino
the son of dona Otilia, Nino manages their jungle camp, helping with the construction and maintenance of its buildings, assisting with the cooking of the sacred brew ayahuasca, making of the healing tool called 'chacapa,' and singing along with her mother in healing ceremonies. Currenty thirty-three years old, Nino is following in the footsteps of his mother and will continue the family practice of plant spirit medicine for the next generation. He is an integral part of dona Otilia's camp, yet he is a very humble and shy person.

Nicolas
An old friend of dona Otilia's, Nicolas makes sure the camp runs smoothly be keeping the water and toilet paper restocked in the bathroom, taking out the trash in the rooms, maintaining the trails in the camp, cultivating the medicinal plant gardens and fruit tree orchards, and carrying supplies into and out of the jungle. Nicolas has been cooking ayahuasca for decades and has passed his knowledge of the plants on to Nino as well. Together, Nicolas and Nino prepare the powerful medicine that dona Otilia uses in her healing ceremonies.

don Lucho
With more than 35 years experience, don Lucho is a highly respected curandero within his community. In addition to being the secretary of the Ayahuasca Foundation, don Lucho is also the director his own non-profit organization called Kapitari, dedicated to the study of Amazon biodiversity and the investigation of traditional medicines. Don Lucho is passionate about the conscious reforestation of the jungle, as well as spreading the wisdom of ayahuasca and plant spirit medicine. He specializes in plant diets and has learned directly from the plant spirits themselves.

Wagner
Like dona Otilia's son, don Lucho's son Wagner also manages his remote jungle camp and research center, Kapitari. Wagner, now thirty seven years old, studies alongside his father, learning the science of curanderismo with the intention of opening his own center in the near future. He also cooks the ayahuasca that his father uses in his healing ceremonies and has extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and plant preparations. He helps to lead ayahuasca ceremonies and plays the flute very beautifully. He has integrated many other healing philosophies into his own, calling to Buddha and Shiva in his healing practice.

Lydia
A very important part of don Lucho's camp, senora Lydia prepares all the food for program participants as well as the workers who assist Lucho with construction and cultivation projects that seem to always be in progress somewhere. She is also very knowledgable in plant medicine and often prepares the majority of the plant remedies and plant diets for course participants and patients that visit the camp for healing. She also does the laundry and maintains the cleanliness of the camp and ceremony space.

don Enrique
Student of his father and grandfather in a long lineage of curanderos, don Enrique is a shipibo who moved to Iquitos four years ago from a community near Pucallpa. The shipibo nation is the largest indigenous population in the Amazon Rainforest, and have kept their healing traditions intact. Many shipibos do not speak spanish, only their own language, and their culture has therefore not been westernized. Don Enrique is from a community like this, although he has learned to speak spanish now. He is the Foundation Secretary and leads the Advanced Course twice a year.

Wilma
An amazing artist and knowledgable curandera, Wilma is don Enrique's wife and healing partner. Originally from a community near Pucallpa, Wilma now lives in Iquitos and assists with the advanced course, helping with the preparation of medicines and the proper authentic diet food according to the shipibo tradition. She also sews the sacred ceremony clothing, headress, and adornments that don Enrique wears when drinking ayahuasca. They are a team that work together in healing ceremonies and in the preparation and administration of plant treatments.

Josh
Hailing from California, Josh completed the Fall 2008 Curandero Initiation course and stayed on immediately to continue his studies with don Lucho and dona Otilia. He then led the Spring 2009 Curandero Initiation Course and assisted Carlos for the 2009 Ayahuasca Curandero Seminar on the Fall 2009 Initiation Course. He currently leads two course each year as course instructor for the Ayahuasca Foundation, one initiation course and one advanced course. He also leads his own healing retreat now as well, a twelve day retreat that starts in September.

Carlos
An apprentice to the maestro don Juan for four years, Carlos has also studied with dona Otilia and don Lucho for over two years and has recently begun studying with don Enrique. Has lived in Iquitos for over six years, studying plant medicine, running a healing retreat and now teaching educational programs. As program director of the Ayahuasca Foundation, He put together the texts and organized the curriculum. He is a great friend of the curanderos and actively works to protect and preserve the sacred science of plant spirit medicine. He built and maintains this website and contnues to work as both guide and course instructor.