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Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation podcast

Mark Plotkin

“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...

Episodes

20 of 82 episodes

Plants of the Gods: S8E9 Vanilla: The Forgotten History of the World's Most Beloved Flavor

Vanilla is one of the world's most beloved flavors, but its history is far more complex than most people realize. In this episode of Plants...

29:54Jun 15, 2026

Plants of the Gods: S8E8 Vanilla, Pseudocopulation and Darwin's Favorite Orchid

Vanilla is anything but plain. In fact, this orchid might be one of the sexiest plant in the rainforest. In this episode, Dr. Mark Plotkin t...

31:49Jun 1, 2026

Plants of the Gods: S8E7 Rosa Vásquez Espinoza: Between Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science

How do Indigenous knowledge and Western science come together in the study of nature and plant medicine? Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, a chemic...

52:15May 18, 2026

Plants of the Gods: S8E6 Richard Evans Schultes' Legacy — Where Science Meets the Sacred

Wade Davis, celebrated author and anthropologist, joins Mark Plotkin for a personal reflection on the life and legacy of legendary ethnobota...

28:42May 4, 2026

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 m...

35:38Apr 20, 2026

Plants of the Gods: S8E4 The research behind microdosing and medicine (Dr. Pamela Kryskow, Part 2)

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 microdo...

38:52Apr 6, 2026

Plants of the Gods: S8E3 Can Psychedelics Treat "Incurable" Trauma? (Dr. Pamela Kryskow, Part 1)

How can psylocibin be used to help patients work through traumas that once seemed untreatable? Dr. Pamela Kryskow, a self-described "fungi p...

28:29Mar 23, 2026

Plants of the Gods: S8E2 Dennis McKenna on new discoveries and emerging psychedelic science (part 2)

This is a special joint episode of Plants of the Gods and Brainforest Café . Host Dr. Mark Plotkin continues his conversation with ethnophar...

29:41Mar 9, 2026

Plants of the Gods: S8E1 Dennis McKenna on the remarkable Amazonian plants that shape human consciousness (part 1)

This is a special joint episode of Plants of the Gods and Brainforest Café . Plants are virtuoso chemists. Some create molecules that closel...

41:15Feb 23, 2026

Coming Soon: Plants of the Gods Season 8

Season 8 kicks off February 23 with an interview featuring Dennis McKenna , PhD — a renowned ethnopharmacologist who has spent more than 40...

0:37Feb 19, 2026

Plants of the Gods: S7E10. When Plants Speak: Exploring Ayahuasca with Rebekah Senanayake

Join Plants of the Gods as we explore the mysteries of ayahuasca with ethnobotanist Rebekah Senanayake. Through years of fieldwork with trad...

41:02Oct 8, 2025

Plants of the Gods: S7E9. Spice - A New Book by Roger Crowley

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 t...

18:22Sep 24, 2025

Plants of the Gods: S7E8. Psychonauts: A New Book by Mike Jay

The Plants of the Gods podcast has pioneered the concept of mind-altering substances not being merely hallucinogens but also "ideogens," sub...

19:07Sep 10, 2025

Plants of the Gods: S7E7. The Ethnobotany of Brugmansia, the Tree of the Evil Eagle.

Ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin discusses Brugmansia, some of the most beautiful hallucinogenic plants in the botanical world. Their bright f...

31:15Aug 27, 2025

Plants of the Gods: S7E6. The Ethnobotany of the Spice Trade: How it Built the Modern World

The spice trade was one of the most influential economic and cultural forces that shaped the modern world. It profoundly impacted cultural e...

28:12Aug 13, 2025

Plants of the Gods: S7E5. Use of Mushrooms and Cannabis in Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Rob Silver

If herbal remedies can help humans, why not our pets? In this fascinating episode of Plants of the Gods, ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin sits...

53:18Jul 30, 2025

Plants of the Gods: S7E4. Dr. Joe Watkins: Indigenous Perspectives on the Psychedelic Renaissance

"Plants of the Gods" has featured dozens of episodes detailing the power, potential, and pitfalls of using hallucinogenic plants and fungi –...

41:15Jul 16, 2025

Plants of the Gods: S7E3. Part Two —The Ethnobotany of Salvia with Dr. Chris McCurdy

A mind-blowing mint? Salvia divinorum, a perennial herb in the mint family, has been used by traditional healers in Oaxaca, Mexico, to under...

15:53Jul 2, 2025

Plants of the Gods: S7E2. The Ethnobotany of Kratom with Dr. Chris McCurdy

The tropical Asian tree kratom – a member of the same botanical family that has given us both coffee and quinine – is showing great potentia...

34:02Jun 18, 2025

Plants of the Gods: S7E1. Lost Cities, Shamans, Hallucinogens and… King Kong!

The lure of lost cities is a deep and enduring fascination that combines equal parts mystery, adventure, treasure, and the promise of forgot...

24:43Jun 4, 2025