Get to know the Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal (UDV) in the United States. The União do Vegetal (UDV) is a Christian Spiritist religion that originated in Brazil and is now practiced by almost 24,000 people in 11 countries.

Central and essential to the UDV religion is the sincere, sacramental use of Hoasca, a tea made from two plants indigenous to the Brazilian Amazon – the vine Banisteriopsis caapi and a bush botanically related to the coffee plant, Psychotria viridis.

The UDV is a Christian Spiritist religion that originated in Brazil and is now practiced by over 21,000 people in 11 countries. The UDV has received numerous civic awards for its community and environmental service and is recognized as a church under the laws of the United States.

The local UDV community, Núcleo Santa Fe, for more than 5 years had been struggling to overcome a well funded campaign in opposition to the church’s construction, based upon evident prejudice, misunderstanding and fear by some neighborhood residents.

In the UDV we seek to emulate the life example lived by Mestre Gabriel, a man who, despite having little formal education, brought to humanity the most noble virtues of human relations. He is considered a model example of a father, husband and friend to …

In response to the UDV lawsuit, the U.S. government claimed that it had a compelling interest in suppressing the use of controlled substances and that its interest could only be effectively served by a complete ban on their use, including the UDV's religious use of hoasca.

Each local center of the UDV conducts charitable outreach activities that positively impact the greater communities in which they are located. Charitable projects range from food, clothing, book and toy drives, to partnerships with local non-governmental organizations and state agencies, to medical clinics run by volunteer doctors.