Plants of the Gods: S7E10. When Plants Speak: Exploring Ayahuasca with Rebekah Senanayake
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
Release Date: 10/08/2025
Plants of the Gods: S7E10. When Plants Speak: Exploring Ayahuasca with Rebekah Senanayake
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
Join Plants of the Gods as we explore the mysteries of ayahuasca with ethnobotanist Rebekah Senanayake. Through years of fieldwork with traditional indigenous masters in the northwest Amazon, Rebekah has learned how people connect with plants in profound and transformative ways. In this episode, she shares insights on ayahuasca healing, visions, and the subtle language of plants.
info_outline
Plants of the Gods: S7E9. Spice - A New Book by Roger Crowley
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
In this episode of Plants of the Gods, ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin takes us on a sweeping journey through the epic history of the spice trade—one of the most transformative chapters in global history. From ancient trade routes and religious rituals to colonial conquests and modern capitalism, spices like cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, and cloves have shaped agriculture, medicine, navigation, and even warfare. Dr. Plotkin also reviews Roger Crowley’s gripping new book, Spice: The 16th-Century Contest That Shaped the Modern World.
info_outline
Plants of the Gods: S7E8. Psychonauts: A New Book by Mike Jay
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
The Plants of the Gods podcast has pioneered the concept of mind-altering substances not being merely hallucinogens but also "ideogens," substances that generate new ideas and creative concepts. Nowhere was this more evident than among artists and the scientists in 19th-century Europe, from Sigmund Freud to Samuel Taylor Coleridge to William James. This episode details this much-overlooked chapter in modern history and discusses a recent book by cultural historian Mike Jay on this topic.
info_outline
Plants of the Gods: S7E7. The Ethnobotany of Brugmansia, the Tree of the Evil Eagle.
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
Ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin discusses Brugmansia, some of the most beautiful hallucinogenic plants in the botanical world. Their bright flowers hang like sacred trumpets and have long been used by traditional healers of the Andes-Amazon region as an important component of their medicine chest. Closely related to the ‘hexing herbs’ of European witches of the Middle Ages (as detailed in an earlier episode), these fascinating plants can heal - or harm.
info_outline
Plants of the Gods: S7E6. The Ethnobotany of the Spice Trade: How it Built the Modern World
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
The spice trade was one of the most influential economic and cultural forces that shaped the modern world. It profoundly impacted cultural exchange, cartographic knowledge and technology, cuisine, spycraft, and medicine. The spice trade strengthened mercantile capitalism and spread both Islam and Christianity while destroying indigenous cultures and tropical rainforests. This episode examines the spice trade from an ethnobotanical perspective. Hobhouse, Henry. Seeds of Wealth: Four Plants That Made Men Rich. 1st Shoemaker & Hoard ed., Shoemaker & Hoard, 2004. Levetin, Estelle,...
info_outline
Plants of the Gods: S7E5. Use of Mushrooms and Cannabis in Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Rob Silver
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
If herbal remedies can help humans, why not our pets? In this fascinating episode of Plants of the Gods, ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin sits down with veterinarian Dr. Rob Silver, who has spent decades using cannabis, mushrooms, and other botanical medicines to treat animals. From clinical breakthroughs to the surprising science behind plant-based pet care, Dr. Silver shares stories from the front lines of integrative veterinary medicine—and introduces his new book, There’s a Mushroom for That!. Whether you’re a pet lover or a mycology fan, this conversation will change the...
info_outline
Plants of the Gods: S7E4. Dr. Joe Watkins: Indigenous Perspectives on the Psychedelic Renaissance
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
“Plants of the Gods” has featured dozens of episodes detailing the power, potential, and pitfalls of using hallucinogenic plants and fungi – and even frogs – for healing purposes. The Psychedelic Renaissance is in full swing — but what does it look like to the indigenous peoples themselves? Anthropologist Dr. Joe Watkins of the Choctaw Nation offers his thoughtful perspective on these fascinating issues.
info_outline
Plants of the Gods: S7E3. Part Two —The Ethnobotany of Salvia with Dr. Chris McCurdy
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
A mind-blowing mint? Salvia divinorum, a perennial herb in the mint family, has been used by traditional healers in Oaxaca, Mexico, to understand more about what ails a patient. Known for its potent psychoactive effects, Salvia can induce dysphoria and dissociation. But new scientific research is shedding light on the plant's unique effect on the brain, and its potential in treating psychiatric disorders. We continue our conversation with Dr. Chris McCurdy, a medicinal chemist and behavioral pharmacologist at the University of Florida, who is one of the foremost experts on this plant of the...
info_outline
Plants of the Gods: S7E2. The Ethnobotany of Kratom with Dr. Chris McCurdy
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
The tropical Asian tree kratom – a member of the same botanical family that has given us both coffee and quinine – is showing great potential for successfully treating a variety of serious afflictions, from stress to opioid withdrawal. Ironically – depending on dosage – it can act either as a stimulant or a sedative. The episode features an insightful interview with Dr. Christopher McCurdy, the leading authority on this extraordinary plant of the gods. Show notes: “About Christopher R McCurdy.” University of Florida College of Pharmacy, . Accessed 17 June 2025....
info_outline
Plants of the Gods: S7E1. Lost Cities, Shamans, Hallucinogens and… King Kong!
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
The lure of lost cities is a deep and enduring fascination that combines equal parts mystery, adventure, treasure, and the promise of forgotten knowledge. The existence and discovery of these ruins – whether it was King Tut's tomb or Machu Picchu – demonstrates the brilliance of ancient civilizations and their impermanence and mortality. In this episode, host Mark Plotkin recounts his experience as part of an expedition in search of the so-called "Lost City of the Monkey God," as well as the role that hallucinogens and shamanism played in helping us understand some of the artwork and...
info_outlineJoin Plants of the Gods as we explore the mysteries of ayahuasca with ethnobotanist Rebekah Senanayake. Through years of fieldwork with traditional indigenous masters in the northwest Amazon, Rebekah has learned how people connect with plants in profound and transformative ways. In this episode, she shares insights on ayahuasca healing, visions, and the subtle language of plants.