Ayahuasca (ayawaska pronounced [ajaˈwaska] in the Quechua language) is any of various psychoactive infusions or decoctions prepared from the Banisteriopsis spp. vine, usually mixed with the leaves of dimethyltryptamine (DMT)-containing species of shrubs from the genus Psychotria. The brew, first described academically in the early 1950s by Harvard ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes, who found it employed for divinatory and healing purposes by the native peoples of Amazonian Colombia, is known by a number of different names (see below). It has been reported that some effects can be had from consuming the caapi vine alone, but that DMT-containing plants (such as Psychotria) remain inactive when drunk as a brew without a source of monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as B. caapi. How indigenous peoples discovered the synergistic properties of the plants used in the ayahuasca brew remains unclear. While many indigenous Amazonian people say they received the instructions directly from plants and plant spirits, researchers have devised a number of alternative theories to explain its discovery.

Adam Oliver (December 11, 1823 – October 9, 1882) was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Oxford South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member from 1867 to 1876.

He was born in Queens County, New Brunswick in 1823, grew up there and went to London in Upper Canada in 1836, where he became a carpenter. He moved to Ingersoll in 1850 and established a construction business there and later a lumber yard. He served on the village council and was reeve from 1859 to 1862. Although he was opposed to Ingersoll becoming a town, he served as its first mayor in 1865 and 1866. He was also a captain in the local militia and a magistrate. He was elected to represent Oxford South in the Ontario legislature in 1867 and 1871.

After fire destroyed his lumber yard in Orillia in 1871, he set up a sawmill and planing mill near Fort William in partnership with a Toronto lumberman and two lawyers from Ingersoll. After Fort William was selected as a major station on the Canadian Pacific Railway, this company profited from land sales to the government and contracts. The residents of nearby Port Arthur protested that this site had been chosen as a result of Oliver's political connections; a federal Liberal government was in power at the time. The Conservative-controlled Senate which conducted an investigation found that there was some substance to these allegations. He had already resigned in 1874 because his company had sold timber to a buyer for the provincial government; members of parliament were not allowed to conduct business with the government. He was reelected in a by-election held later in the same year. He was elected again in 1875 but was unseated after evidence of bribery was found. He died in Ingersoll in 1882.

Joseph James "Joe" Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American martial artist, stand-up comedian, actor, writer and color commentator. He is best known for playing Joe Garrelli on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio, commentating for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, hosting the NBC reality show Fear Factor and The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

Rogan was born in Newark, New Jersey. His paternal grandfather was Irish and the remainder of his ancestry is Italian.

In 1981, at age fourteen, he became a practitioner of Kenpo Karate before transitioning to Taekwondo. He eventually gained a 2nd dan black belt. A four-time state champion in Massachusetts, in 1987 he was the USA Taekwondo U.S. Open Champion. In 1996, he began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Jean Jacques Machado, eventually earning his brown belt. In addition, he holds a brown belt in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu under Eddie Bravo.

He also practiced and competed in kickboxing.

In 1994, he co-starred on the Fox comedy Hardball as Frank Valente, the young, ego-centric star player on a fictional professional baseball team. From 1995 to 1999, he co-starred on the comedy NewsRadio. He portrayed Joe Garrelli, the electrician at WNYX, a news radio station in New York City. In 2002, he appeared on the episode "A Beautiful Mind" of Just Shoot Me as Chris, Maya Gallo's boyfriend. In 2011, Rogan played his first major character in a movie in the Kevin James movie Zookeeper. He is slated to play himself in an upcoming action-comedy starring Kevin James called Here Comes the Boom, set to be released in the summer of 2012.

Claudio Naranjo (November 24, 1932 in Valparaiso, Chile) is a Chilean psychiatrist who is considered a pioneer in integrating psychotherapy and the spiritual traditions. He is one of the three successors named by Fritz Perls (founder of Gestalt Therapy), and a developer of the Enneagram of Personality and founder of the Seekers After Truth Institute. He is also an elder statesman of the U.S. and global Human Potential Movement and the spiritual renaissance of the late 20th century. He is the author of various books.

Naranjo was born in Valparaiso. He grew up in a musical environment and after an early start at the piano he studied musical composition. Shortly after entrance to medical school, he stopped composing as he became more involved in philosophical interests. Important influences from this time were the Chilean visionary poet and sculptor Tótila Albert, the poet David Rosenmann-Taub, and the Polish philosopher Bogumil Jasinowski.

After being graduated as a medical doctor in 1959, he was hired by the University of Chile medical school to form part of a pioneering studies center in medical anthropology (CEAM) founded by Franz Hoffman. At the same time, he served his psychiatry residency at the University Psychiatry Clinic under the direction of Ignacio Matte Blanco.

Dan Hardy (born May 17, 1982) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2004, Hardy fought in various promotions such as Cage Force and Cage Warriors before signing a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2008. He was the final Cage Warriors welterweight and light-welterweight champion. His nickname comes from the screen name he used on the Cage Warrior forum when he was looking for training partners after a disagreement with a coach and his former training partners were forbidden to work with him.

Hardy defeated Akihiro Gono via split decision in his UFC debut at UFC 89. Gono was left swollen and bloody by several of Hardy's left hooks. Gono rocked Hardy on several occasions. In the third round Gono pushed Hardy to the canvas and while there landed an illegal knee to the head of the downed fighter causing the fight to be stopped for a lengthy period and a point deduction for Gono. Hardy recovered and went on to win the split decision. The judges saw the bout 29–28 (twice) for Hardy and 29–28 for Gono.