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 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 gods. Show notes: Babu, Kavita M, et al. "Opioid Receptors and Legal Highs: Salvia Divinorum and Kratom." National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2008, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18259963/.

You can listen to Plants of the Gods: S7E3. Part Two —The Ethnobotany of Salvia with Dr. Chris McCurdy online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Plants of the Gods: S7E3. Part Two —The Ethnobotany of Salvia with Dr. Chris McCurdy is an episode from Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation podcast by Mark Plotkin.

This episode is 15:53 long.

This episode was published on Jul 2, 2025.

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