Plants of the Gods: S8E3 Can Psychedelics Treat “Incurable” Trauma? (Dr. Pamela Kryskow, Part 1)
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
Release Date: 03/23/2026
Plants of the Gods: S8E7 Rosa Vásquez Espinoza: Between Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
How do Indigenous knowledge and Western science come together in the study of nature and plant medicine? Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, a chemical biologist and author of The Spirit of the Rainforest, joins Dr. Mark Plotkin to explore ethnobotany, animal self-medication, and the idea that plants and ecosystems may hold forms of intelligence that science is only beginning to understand. In this episode, Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza shares stories about learning from her grandmother, navigating life between two worlds, and why...
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Plants of the Gods: S8E6 Richard Evans Schultes' Legacy — Where Science Meets the Sacred
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
Wade Davis, celebrated author and anthropologist, joins Mark Plotkin for a personal reflection on the life and legacy of legendary ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes. Davis traces Schultes' journey from his transformative encounter with peyote to his decades-long odyssey through the Amazon, where he documented Indigenous sacred plant traditions. Together, they explore how Schultes's discoveries — including his collaborations with mycologist Gordon Wasson and chemist Albert Hoffman — helped ignite the psychedelic era, and how his mentorship of Davis inspired the acclaimed book One River....
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Plants of the Gods S8E5: The Ethnobotany of Coca with Dr. Wade Davis
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
Mark Plotkin sits down with Wade Davis — author of One River, Lost Amazon, and dozens more — for a deep dive into one of South America's most misunderstood and miraculous plants. Drawing on their shared history working alongside the legendary Richard Evans Schultes, the two ethnobotanists trace coca from its origins as a sacred, nutritionally rich plant used across Andean and Amazonian cultures to its unjust criminalization driven more by ideology and racism rather than science. Davis also breaks down the differences between the coca leaf, cocaine,...
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Plants of the Gods: S8E4 The research behind microdosing and medicine (Dr. Pamela Kryskow, Part 2)
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
In this episode, we’re bringing you the second half of our conversation with Dr. Pamela Kryskow. A co-leader of the largest study on microdosing, she shares what researchers are beginning to understand about how psychedelic plants could treat conditions ranging from Parkinson’s disease and chronic pain to existential distress. But, with so much potential for these plant medicines, there’s also the potential for misuse and misinformation. We delve into some of the ways psychedelics could be ethically integrated into patient care, and, what the hospital of the...
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Plants of the Gods: S8E3 Can Psychedelics Treat “Incurable” Trauma? (Dr. Pamela Kryskow, Part 1)
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
How can psylocibin be used to help patients work through traumas that once seemed untreatable? Dr. Pamela Kryskow, a self-described “fungi person” and a scientist, is helping to answer this question and others about the health potential of plant medicines. Dr. Kryskow is a founding board member of the Psychedelic Association of Canada and the medical chair of the Vancouver Island University Post Graduate Certificate in Psychedelic Medicine assisted Therapy. She is also the medical lead for the Roots To Thrive Program. In this episode, Dr. Kryskow discusses...
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Plants of the Gods: S8E2 Dennis McKenna on new discoveries and emerging psychedelic science (part 2)
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
This is a special joint episode of Plants of the Gods and Brainforest Café. Host Dr. Mark Plotkin continues his conversation with ethnopharmacologist Dr. Dennis McKenna. They reflect on the origins and impact of the ESPD conferences, launched in 1967, and how these landmark gatherings helped shape the field of ethnopharmacology. The discussion also explores the enduring legacy of Richard Evans Schultes and his profound influence on ethnobotany. Dennis emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary research and the respectful...
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Plants of the Gods: S8E1 Dennis McKenna on the remarkable Amazonian plants that shape human consciousness (part 1)
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
This is a special joint episode of Plants of the Gods and Brainforest Café. Plants are virtuoso chemists. Some create molecules that closely resemble the neurotransmitters shaping human consciousness — a mystery that fascinates ethnopharmacologist Dennis McKenna, PhD. In Part One of this episode, Dennis explains why psychoactive plants are powerful tools for understanding the relationship between the brain and the mind, and reflects on the legacy of his late brother, Terence McKenna, whose work pushed the boundaries of psychedelic thought. The...
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Coming Soon: Plants of the Gods Season 8
The Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation
Season 8 kicks off February 23 with an interview featuring Dennis McKenna, PhD — a renowned ethnopharmacologist who has spent more than 40 years researching the therapeutic potential of Amazonian plant medicines. Stay tuned for the full interview!
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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.
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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.
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