Plants of the Gods S8E5: The Ethnobotany of Coca with Dr. Wade Davis

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, and mambe, reflects on lessons from cannabis legalization, and makes a compelling case for why the world should finally embrace coca's extraordinary potential.   Show notes:  "The Secret History of Coca" by Wade Davis for Rolling Stone Magazine: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/coca-leaves-war-on-drugs-cocaine-1235310539/    Books by Wade Davis: https://daviswade.com/books 

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 future might look like.    Recommended reading:  The world's largest microdosing study with results published in Nature Scientific Reports and Psychopharmacology | Microdose.me    Psilocybin Mushrooms in Their Natural Habitats A Guide to the History, Identification, and Use of Psychoactive Fungi by Paul Stamets    Fantastic Fungi film by Louie Schwartzberg    Have a Good Trip by Eugenia Bone 

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 her research on psychedelics and PTSD, differing patient experiences in synthetic versus whole mushrooms, and medical and therapeutic uses of ketamine.    Show notes:  Roots to Thrive is Canada's first multidisciplinary, non-profit healthcare practice offering evidence-informed, multi-week group therapy programs, including psychedelic-assisted therapy (if prescribed by licensed medical professional) https://rootstothrive.com/   

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 integration of Indigenous knowledge into modern medicine—an approach that remains vital to the future of psychedelic science.   Show notes:   McKenna Academy https://mckenna.academy/mka-podcast/   ESPD Books: https://mckenna.academy/mka-programs/espd55/#espdbooks  

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 brothers' experiences with the plant medicines of Indigenous peoples in the Colombian Amazon would go on to shape Dennis' scientific career in profound ways.

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!

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.  

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.

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.

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.