“Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation” is a new and unique podcast focusing on the hallucinogenic plants and fungi whose impact on world culture and religion – and healing potential - is only now beginning to be appreciated as never before. Unlike other podcasts relating to these issues, “Plants of the Gods” is hosted by renowned ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin, a Harvard and Yale-trained scientist who has been studying the healing plants and shamans of the Ama ...
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Plants of the Gods: S5E10. The Mushroom Moment
19:42
19:42
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19:42
In this season finale of Plants of the Gods, join host Dr. Mark Plotkin as we learn about everything mushrooms, which are truly having a moment! Drawing from an article he published in HerbalGram, Dr. Plotkin provides an overview of how our daily lives are transformed by fungi, in the past, present and the future. From Pink Floyd to hit TV show “Th…
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Plants of the Gods: S5E9. The Ethnobotany of Amazonian Lianas: A Conversation with ethnobotanist Bruce Hoffman
46:52
46:52
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46:52
In this episode of Plants of the Gods, join host Dr. Mark Plotkin in conversation with colleague Dr. Bruce Hoffman, Senior Manager of Scientific Research at ACT, as we learn about the ethnobotany of Amazonian lianas. Dr. Hoffman is a conservation biologist focusing on flora of the Guianas, with 20 years of experience in conducting biodiversity inve…
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Plants of the Gods: S5E8. Part 2 — Mescal, Tequila and Magic Toads: A Conversation with ethnobotanist Gary Nabhan
24:52
24:52
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24:52
In this episode of Plants of the Gods, join ethnobotanists Dr. Mark Plotkin and Dr. Gary Nabhan in conversation as we learn about the power of the desert and its plants and animals, from mescal to tequila to magic toads. Dr. Nabhan is a McArthur Genius award-winning ethnobotanist and desert conservation biologist with 50 years of botanical, cultura…
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Plants of the Gods: S5E7. Part 1 — Mescal, Tequila and Magic Toads: A Conversation with ethnobotanist Gary Nabhan
36:26
36:26
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36:26
In this episode of Plants of the Gods, join ethnobotanists Dr. Mark Plotkin and Dr. Gary Nabhan in conversation as we learn about the power of the desert and its plants and animals, from mescal to tequila to magic toads. Dr. Nabhan is a McArthur Genius award-winning ethnobotanist and desert conservation biologist with 50 years of botanical, cultura…
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Plants of the Gods: S5E6. Plants of the Gods in Ancient Persia: A Conversation with Dr. Shauheen Etminan
36:34
36:34
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36:34
Shauheen Etminan, PhD, is the co-founder of VCENNA, a CNS drug discovery biotech company inspired by the ethnobotany and wisdom of ancestral medicinal practices for mental wellness treatment. Born and raised in Iran, Shauheen’s heritage and background in chemical engineering fueled his interest in studying the intersection of plants, chemicals, rel…
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Plants of the Gods: S5E5. Part 2 — Coffee, the World’s Favorite Stimulant — Chemistry, History, and More
37:52
37:52
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Coffee is the most widely consumed mind-altering plant product in the world. The human species arose in or near the Rift Valley in East Africa, the northern edge of which abuts the forests of Ethiopia in which the coffee plants originated. The drunk monkey hypothesis proposes that human consciousness was born when our ancestors ingested fermented g…
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Plants of the Gods: S5E4. Part 1 — Coffee, the World’s Favorite Stimulant — Chemistry, History, and More
32:45
32:45
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32:45
Coffee is the most widely consumed mind-altering plant product in the world. The human species arose in or near the Rift Valley in East Africa, the northern edge of which abuts the forests of Ethiopia in which the coffee plants originated. The drunk monkey hypothesis proposes that human consciousness was born when our ancestors ingested fermented g…
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Plants of the Gods: S5E3. How to Save the Rainforest with Mongabay’s Rhett Butler
38:50
38:50
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38:50
In this episode of Plants of the Gods, we hear from Rhett Butler, editor-in-chief and CEO of Mongabay. Mongabay is a nonprofit environmental science and conservation news platform that produces original reporting by leveraging over 800 correspondents in 70 different countries. With a main focus on forests, wildlife, oceans, and the conservation sec…
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Plants of the Gods: S5E2. Part 2 — Antibiotic Ales and Lush Lagers: The Ethnobotany of Beer
23:47
23:47
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23:47
Welcome to part two of The Ethnobotany of Beer! This week, we continue to explore the question on everyone's mind these days: did civilization invent beer, or did beer invent civilization? And then we help solve a cold case: did ancient Africans know and use antibiotics? And why are we asking this in a discussion of beer? And is there really a 10 C…
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Plants of the Gods: S5E1. Part 1 — Antibiotic Ales and Lush Lagers: The Ethnobotany of Beer
32:09
32:09
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32:09
This two-part special edition kicks off Season Five of "Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation." We start by asking the question that is on everyone's mind these days: did civilization invent beer, or did beer invent civilization? And then we help solve a cold case: did ancient Africans know and use antibiotics? And wh…
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Plants of the Gods: S4E10. Cannabis: Seeing Through the Smoke
51:23
51:23
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51:23
Season 4 of Plants of the Gods wraps up today with an episode featuring Peter Grinspoon, MD, cannabis specialist at Harvard Medical School. During this conversation, Dr. Plotkin and Dr. Grinspoon discuss everything from the pain-relieving and uplifting qualities of cannabis sought by people with chronic illnesses to marijuana in popular culture (ca…
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Plants of the Gods: S4E9. Part 2 — Mushroom Magic with Giuliana Furci
25:38
25:38
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25:38
Today's episode features world-renowned mycologist Giuliana Furci. Giuliana is the founder of the Fungi Foundation, the first NGO in the world solely dedicated to Fungi. This two-part discussion between Giuliana and Dr. Plotkin covers everything from her experiences in the field of mycology, influential mycologists and their work, and even a new sp…
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Plants of the Gods: S4E8. Part 1 — Mushroom Magic with Giuliana Furci
33:32
33:32
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33:32
Today's episode features world-renowned mycologist Giuliana Furci. Giuliana is the founder of the Fungi Foundation, the first NGO in the world solely dedicated to Fungi. This two-part discussion between Giuliana and Dr. Plotkin covers everything from her experiences in the field of mycology, influential mycologists and their work, and even a new sp…
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Plants of the Gods: S4E7. Part 2 — Ayahuasca and Tobacco Shamanism: an Interview with Ethnobotanist Dr. Glenn Shepard
34:17
34:17
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34:17
Today's episode features ethnobotanist and anthropologist, Dr. Glenn Shepard. This two-part discussion between Dr. Shepard and Dr. Plotkin covers an array of fascinating topics, including the role language plays in ethnobotany, shamanism in a changing world, and personal encounters and experiences with tobacco in indigenous Amazonian communities (r…
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Plants of the Gods: S4E6. Part 1 — Ayahuasca and Tobacco Shamanism: an Interview with Ethnobotanist Dr. Glenn Shepard
56:45
56:45
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56:45
Today's episode features ethnobotanist and anthropologist, Dr. Glenn Shepard. This two-part discussion between Dr. Shepard and Dr. Plotkin covers an array of fascinating topics including the role language plays in ethnobotany, shamanism in a changing world, and personal encounters and experiences with tobacco in indigenous Amazonian communities (re…
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Plants of the Gods: S4E5. Part 2 — Tobacco: The Sacred Shamanic Plant of Freedom and Enslavement
15:53
15:53
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15:53
In today’s episode, we continue learning about tobacco, one of the most widely used mind altering substances. During this two-part discussion, Dr. Plotkin addresses the duality of this well-known plant of the gods. Between its spiritual significance and its ties to addiction, disease and enslavement, the story of tobacco is complicated yet fascinat…
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Plants of the Gods: S4E4. Part 1 — Tobacco: The Sacred Shamanic Plant of Freedom and Enslavement
17:23
17:23
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17:23
In today’s episode, we embark on a journey learning about one of the most widely used mind-altering substances: tobacco. During this two-part discussion, Dr. Plotkin addresses the duality of this well-known Plant of the Gods. Between its spiritual significance and its ties to addiction, disease and enslavement, the story of tobacco is complicated b…
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Plants of the Gods: S4E3. Part 2 — Brian C. Muraresku: The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis and the Hallucinogenic Origins of Religion
26:11
26:11
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26:11
In today's episode, we continue our discussion with Brian Muraresku, author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Immortality Key, and Dr. Mark Plotkin, the President of the Amazon Conservation Team. This two-part discussion between Muraresku and Plotkin examines the role psychedelics have played in Western civilization. In the second half, w…
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Plants of the Gods: S4E2. Part 1 — Brian C. Muraresku: The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis and the Hallucinogenic Origins of Religion
29:24
29:24
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29:24
Today's episode features Brian Muraresku, author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Immortality Key. This two-part discussion between Muraresku and Dr. Plotkin examines the role psychedelics have played in the development of Western civilization. In the first half, we'll cover topics ranging from the Eleusinian Mysteries, early Christianit…
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Plants of the Gods: S4E1. Richard Evans Schultes and the Search for Ayahuasca
34:19
34:19
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34:19
In today’s episode, we launch Season 4 of Plants of the Gods by delving more deeply into our most popular topic to date: ayahuasca. Also known as “the vine of the soul”, ayahuasca is native to the northwest Amazon and is employed by indigenous shamans for therapeutic and other purposes. This sacred potion has played a fundamental role in the ongoin…
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Plants of the Gods: S3E10. Part 2 — 21st Century Healing Magic with both Fungi and Herbs: A Conversation with the Remarkable Dr. Christopher Hobbs
24:01
24:01
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24:01
Dr. Christopher Hobbs is a world-renowned author, clinician, botanist, mycologist, and research scientist, with over 35 years of experience with herbal medicine. He is the author of the classic, "Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide." In this second half of a two-part episode, Dr. Hobbs and Dr. Plotkin look at the history of medicinal herbs and…
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Plants of the Gods: S3E9. 21st Century Healing Magic with both Fungi and Herbs: A Conversation with the Remarkable Dr. Christopher Hobbs
28:34
28:34
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28:34
Dr. Christopher Hobbs is a world-renowned author, clinician, botanist, mycologist, and research scientist, with over 35 years of experience with herbal medicine. He is the author of the classic, "Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide." In this first half of a two-part episode, Dr. Hobbs and Dr. Plotkin look at the history of medicinal herbs and …
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Plants of the Gods: S3E8. Part 2 — Magic Frogs, Iboga and the Magic of Hallucinogens: a Conversation with Hamilton Morris
41:50
41:50
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41:50
Hamilton Morris is an American journalist, filmmaker and scientific researcher. Previously a writer for Vice magazine with a monthly column “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia”, Morris currently conducts pharmacological research at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Interested in psychoactive substances and hallucinogens, Morris’ interests overlap with …
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Plants of the Gods: S3E7. Magic Frogs, Iboga and the Magic of Hallucinogens: a Conversation with Hamilton Morris
22:38
22:38
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22:38
Hamilton Morris is an American journalist, filmmaker and scientific researcher. Previously a writer for Vice magazine with a monthly column “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia”, Morris currently conducts pharmacological research at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Interested in psychoactive substances and hallucinogens, Morris’ interests overlap with …
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Plants of the Gods: S3E6. Part 2 — Mushrooms, Magic, Medicine and Mortality: Paul Stamets in Conversation with Dr. Mark Plotkin
31:12
31:12
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31:12
Paul Stamets is a leading American mycologist, author of many books and best known for his role in the award-winning documentary and accompanying book "Fantastic Fungi". An advocate of medicinal fungi, Stamets' interests overlap with those of ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin. In this episode, Stamets and Dr. Plotkin continue their discussion ponderin…
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Plants of the Gods: S3E5. Mushrooms, Magic, Medicine and Mortality: Paul Stamets in Conversation with Dr. Mark Plotkin
35:23
35:23
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35:23
Paul Stamets is a leading American mycologist, author of many books, and best known for his role in the award-winning documentary and accompanying book, Fantastic Fungi. An advocate of medicinal fungi, Stamets' interests overlap with those of ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin. In this episode, Stamets and Dr. Plotkin ponder mushrooms, magic, and morta…
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Plants of the Gods: S3E4. Absinthe, New Orleans, and the Birth of Rock and Roll
21:21
21:21
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21:21
In the previous episode, we learned how and why Absinthe was considered the ultimate creative elixir in 19th century Belle Epoque France. However, absinthe also served as an inspiration for artists in New Orleans, long regarded as the most European city in the US. As we heard in previous episodes on opium (S1E6) and cannabis (S2E7), New Orleans has…
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Plants of the Gods: S3E3. Absinthe as Ideogen in Art and Literature
20:08
20:08
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20:08
Wormwood - the basis of absinthe - has been valued medicinally since ancient times. However, the development of absinthe several hundred years ago created a drink which turbocharged the creativity of geniuses as diverse as Toulouse Lautrec, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso. This episode details that story. Sources: Adams, Jennifer, e…
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Plants of the Gods: S3E2. Peyote: Richard Schultes and the Peyote Road
16:59
16:59
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16:59
Today, we'll follow Dr. Mark Plotkin as he shares the story of Richard Evans Schultes, who, as a busy work-study undergraduate student at Harvard, chose the shortest book he could find to serve as the subject of his term paper for his Plants & Human Affairs class. As fate would have it, this short book – which happened to be about peyote – would la…
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Plants of the Gods: S3E1. Peyote: The Sacred Cactus
27:59
27:59
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27:59
Peyote is a tiny cactus that has had a giant impact on history and culture. It is one of the most ancient hallucinogens - finds near the Texas-Mexico border indicate that humans have been consuming this Plant of the Gods for over 6000 years. Many credit Aldous Huxley's 1954's book "The Doors of Perception" - based on his experiences with mescaline,…
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Plants of the Gods: S2E11. Hallucinogens and Poisons of the Uncontacted Tribes of the Amazon Rainforest
18:19
18:19
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18:19
In this bonus episode, Dr. Mark Plotkin shares insights and personal experiences regarding the hallucinogens and arrow poisons of the uncontacted tribes of the Amazon rainforest. Join us for tales and observations regarding these extraordinary peoples who provide an unexpected and vivid link to a deep past, as well as a unique window onto the prese…
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Plants of the Gods: S2E10. The Plants of the Apes: How Animals Use Medicinal Plants. Part 2
29:55
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29:55
Dr. Plotkin continues the discussion of zoopharmacognosy with part two of “Plants of the Apes: How Animals Use Medicinal Plants." From the carefully selected flora used in certain birds’ nests as insect repellents, to the tropical daisy species eaten by chimpanzees as an antibiotic, we’ll learn how some creatures have a sophisticated knowledge of t…
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Plants of the Gods: S2E9. The Plants of the Apes: How Animals Use Medicinal Plants. Part 1
20:29
20:29
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20:29
We have all seen dogs eat grass to alleviate illnesses; why would we not think that other animals do not consume other plants for therapeutic purposes? In fact, it was the great Jane Goodall and other colleagues in East Africa who recorded chimps and even elephants eating medicinal plants. This episode ranges from Tanzania to eastern Brazil to Wisc…
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Plants of the Gods: S2E8. Magic Frogs: Hopping Hallucinogenic Healers of the Rainforest and Desert
27:14
27:14
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27:14
In today’s episode, Dr. Plotkin will discuss the history and biology of magic frogs. From poison dart frogs to the hallucinogenic green monkey frog, we’ll learn how these amphibians have been used in traditional societies for a multitude of purposes, and their unexpected yet promising potential for therapeutic uses in western medicine.…
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Plants of the Gods: S2E7. Jews, Jazz and Joints: Marijuana and the Birth of Jazz in New Orleans and Chicago
24:01
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24:01
From New Orleans bordellos to The Beatles, marijuana played a seminal - but often-overlooked - role in inspiring the greatest music of the 20th century. This episode - the third and final installment of the Marijuana Trilogy - delves into this history and tells the story of two remarkable African American Jewish men: Louis Armstrong and Mezz Mezzro…
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Plants of the Gods: S2E6. Albert Hofmann, Richard Schultes and Gordon Wasson: The Holy Trinity of Ethnomycology, plus the two women who must be added to the Pantheon!
35:24
35:24
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35:24
The birth of the Psychedelic Renaissance is often attributed to Richard Schultes' research on peyote and magic mushrooms in the 1930's. Nonetheless, it was his collaboration with both Gordon Wasson and Albert Hofmann that brought this indigenous wisdom and chemistry to a wider world. At the same time, the equally extraordinary contributions of Vale…
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Plants of the Gods: S2E5. Rum, Rebellion, Pirates, & Tiki
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23:59
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23:59
"Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum!” This immortal chant from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island” encapsulates much of the history of sugar and rum and the role they played not only in piracy, but also the rise of capitalism and slavery. This episode covers those issues as well as the underappreciated role these plant products played in t…
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Plants of the Gods: S2E4. Magic Mushrooms and the Roots (actually, the Mycelia) of the Psychedelic Renaissance
39:44
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39:44
The much-heralded Psychedelic Renaissance began in 1938 when Harvard graduate student Richard Schultes traveled to southern Mexico to investigate reports that the Mazatec peoples were ingesting mind-altering mushrooms for healing and divinatory purposes. His findings led to further research in both the field and the lab by folks like Gordon Wasson …
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Plants of the Gods: S2E3. Palms: The Sacred Princes of the Plant Kingdom
24:05
24:05
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24:05
Palms- The Sacred Princes of the Plant Kingdom - In the words of the late ethnobotanist Richard Schultes, “A panorama does not seem tropical unless palms occupy a distinct and conspicuously visible part of the flora.” Although primarily associated with lowland rainforests, palms range as far north as Scotland and as high as 10,000 feet in the Andes…
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Plants of the Gods: S2E2. Hemp: The Fiber That Binds America
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28:53
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28:53
Hemp—a fiber of the Cannabis plant—has played an outsized role in world history. It was not only one of the first crops cultivated by our species, but also one of the crops planted by the first Europeans who landed in the eastern US. The Pilgrims grew it, as did George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The foundational documents of American democrac…
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Plants of the Gods: S2E1. Marijuana: Why Cannabis is as American as Apple Pie
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34:16
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34:16
Marijuana – What do the ancient Chinese, George Bush and The Beatles have in common? Knowingly or not, all benefited from one of the most well-known plants of the gods: marijuana. Between the highly practical uses of hemp fiber and its popular mind-altering properties, marijuana has been part of the human experience for thousands of years. Even so,…
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Plants of the Gods: S1E10. The Life and Times of Richard Evans Schultes
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34:51
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34:51
The Life and Times of Richard Evans Schultes – Schultes was a scholarship student at Harvard College when entered as a Freshman in 1933. An undergraduate term paper on peyote resulted in an opportunity to partake in a traditional ceremony with the Kiowa in Oklahoma, which then led to research in southern Mexico where he produced the first detailed,…
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Plants of the Gods: S1E9. Ergot, LSD and the Birth of Western Religions
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30:41
Ergot, LSD and the Birth of Western Religions – Ergot is a fungus that parasitizes rye where - in the Middle Ages - it was sometimes milled into the flour used to make bread. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting folks who ate the bread, ergot is rich in powerful alkaloids that can cause a range of symptoms, from visions to gangrene to death. Some his…
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Plants of the Gods: S1E8. Hexing Herbs and the Witches of Medieval Europe
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37:55
Hexing Herbs and the Witches of Medieval Europe – The archetypal image of the witch as an old woman riding a broomstick was not a Hollywood creation. In the Middle Ages, “witches” were often skilled herbalists. Some used powerful plants of the Solanaceae family - plants like henbane and mandrake - that are rich in hallucinogenic compounds known as …
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Plants of the Gods: S1E7. The Ethnobotany of Warfare
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33:06
The Ethnobotany of Warfare – Plants have played a fundamental role in warfare, not just as poisons and medicines but as ships, chariots, weapons and wound bandages. This episode traces this history from the time of primate clobbering each other with sticks to potential new battlefield medicines from plants. Sources: Hughes, J.D. Pan’s Travail. John…
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Plants of the Gods: S1E6. Opium
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40:28
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40:28
Opium – Perhaps the most ancient of the “Plants of the Gods,” plant remains in Europe clearly indicate that opium was being used by people more than 10,000 years ago. And not only was opium the first effective painkiller, it was also employed as an inspiration by composers and poets. Only in the 19th century did it become widely realized as a highl…
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Plants of the Gods: S1E5. Curare Arrow Poison: Silent Killer of the Amazon Rainforest
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42:51
Curare – Once known as the “flying death of the Amazon,” curare is a mixture of rainforest plants that indigenous peoples smear on the tips of their arrows or blowdarts to give them a deadly effectiveness. In the hands of western physicians, however, curare has been converted into a life-sustaining medication, a muscle relaxant in abdominal surgery…
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Plants of the Gods: S1E4. Wine
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57:30
Wine – Wine grapes and wine are unquestionably the world’s most valuable medicinal plants: the global annual value of wine is over 300 billion dollars. And the history of wine predates the origin of the human species: primates are known to consume fermented fruit to enter an altered state. This episode traces the use of wine as medicine, from ancie…
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Plants of the Gods: S1E3. Coca and Cocaine
24:00
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24:00
Coca – not to be confused with coconuts or with cacao, the source of chocolate - is a large bush or small tree native to northwestern South America. Cocaine extracted from the leaves found favor among personages as diverse as Sigmund Freud and Ulysses S. Grant as it was once used as a component of various tonics, patent medicines and even a popular…
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Plants of the Gods: S1E2. Hallucinogenic Snuffs
36:15
36:15
Toista myöhemmin
Toista myöhemmin
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Tykkää
Tykätty
36:15
Hallucinogenic snuffs – though most hallucinogens like magic mushrooms or ayahuasca are taken orally, the indigenous peoples of Amazonia have created two different and highly potent snuffs from Amazonian trees which they consume for a variety of healing and divinatory purposes. As with ayahuasca, the author draws on his personal insights and experi…
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