Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Join host Dr. Mark Plotkin, ethnobotanist and founder of the Amazon Conservation Team, we continue our discussion about cacao. In this episode, Dr. Plotkin sheds light on the often-overlooked contributions of Maria Sibylla Merian, a pioneering naturalist whose groundbreaking work in the Amazon predated that of many famous explorers. Discover how this remarkable woman, who began as an artist in 17th-century Germany, became one of the first Europeans to scientifically document the plants, animals, and cultures of the Amazon. Dr. Plotkin also shares his favorite episodes from the "Plants of the Gods" podcast, including stories of Ayahuasca, absinthe, and even how apes use plants for medicinal purposes. Tune in to explore the rich tapestry of the Amazon and the extraordinary individuals who have helped us understand its wonders.

In this episode of Plants of the Gods, join us as we continue delving into the rich and complex world of chocolate. Our guest, Denise Castronovo, founder of Castronovo Chocolates, shares her journey from tasting fine Swiss chocolates as a child to sourcing cacao directly from the Northwest Amazon. She works with indigenous and local communities to ensure ethical practices and the highest quality ingredients. Denise explains the difference between mass-produced and artisanal chocolate, highlighting the latter's 600+ flavor notes influenced by cacao varietals. Join us as we explore chocolate's ancient origins, modern artisanal production, and the importance of sustainability in the chocolate industry.

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 grapes. The stoned ape hypothesis suggests that the consciousness is due to proto humans consuming magic mushrooms. In the first half of two-part episode, Mark Plotkin suggests that the human mind developed when these primates ate coffee berries, whose caffeine inspired both their thinking and their creativity. 

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 sector, Mongabay reports on many regions that POTG host Dr. Mark Plotkin has spent his career working in. Today, join us in conversation with Dr. Plotkin and Rhett Butler to hear about everything from Mongabay’s origins, Rhett’s inspiration for his work, and how best to save the rainforest.

Mongabay's podcast covers the whole environmental spectrum, from Indigenous ecological knowledge to the latest in conservation science, with a variety of expert guests, authors, researchers, and activists. Find the Mongabay Newscast wherever you get podcasts.

https://www.mongabay.com/podcast/

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 CD set comprised entirely of German beer drinking songs? And what did the late Frank Zappa say – and sing – about beer?

Works Cited

Appleton, Frank. Brewing Revolution: Pioneering the Craft Beer Movement. Harbour

Publishing, 2016.

Caruso, Giuseppe, et al. The Botany of Beer: An Illustrated Guide to More than 500 Plants Used

in Brewing. Columbia University Press, 2022.

English, Camper. Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine,

Spirits, and Cocktails. Penguin Books, 2022.

Hennessey, Jonathan, et al. The Comic Book Story of Beer: The World’s Favorite Beverage from

7000 BC to Today’s Craft Brewing Revolution. Ten Speed Press, 2015.

Laws, Bill. Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History. Firefly Books, 2015.

McGovern, Patrick E. Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic

Beverages. University of California Press, 2010.

Muraresku, Brian. The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name. St.

Martin’s Griffin, 2023.

Oliver, Garrett. The Oxford Companion to Beer. Oxford University Press, 2012.

Smith, Gavin D. Beer - a Global History. Reaktion Books, 2014.

Standage, Tom. A History of the World in Six Glasses. Doubleday Canada, 2010.

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 why are we asking this in a discussion of beer? And is there really a 10 CD set comprised entirely of German beer drinking songs? And what did the late Frank Zappa say – and sing – about beer?

Works Cited

Appleton, Frank. Brewing Revolution: Pioneering the Craft Beer Movement. Harbour
Publishing, 2016.
Caruso, Giuseppe, et al. The Botany of Beer: An Illustrated Guide to More than 500 Plants Used
in Brewing. Columbia University Press, 2022.
English, Camper. Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine,
Spirits, and Cocktails. Penguin Books, 2022.
Hennessey, Jonathan, et al. The Comic Book Story of Beer: The World’s Favorite Beverage from
7000 BC to Today’s Craft Brewing Revolution. Ten Speed Press, 2015.
Laws, Bill. Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History. Firefly Books, 2015.
McGovern, Patrick E. Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic
Beverages. University of California Press, 2010.
Muraresku, Brian. The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name. St.
Martin’s Griffin, 2023.
Oliver, Garrett. The Oxford Companion to Beer. Oxford University Press, 2012.
Smith, Gavin D. Beer - a Global History. Reaktion Books, 2014.
Standage, Tom. A History of the World in Six Glasses. Doubleday Canada, 2010.

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 (cannabis trilogy to brush up on your history!), as well as his father’s successful efforts to fend off the Nixon Administration’s attempts to deport John Lennon because of a cannabis conviction. Join us today for this captivating interview.

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 species of fungi named after fellow mycologist Paul Stamets. Join us today for part two of this captivating interview.

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 species of fungi named after fellow mycologist Paul Stamets. Join us today for part one of this captivating interview.

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 (revisit our most recent two episodes to brush up on tobacco!). In today's part two of this interview, we delve more deeply into tobacco use in indigenous Amazonian communities. Dr. Shepard also discusses his organization Rainforest Flow which is devoted to delivering clean water, sanitation, and hygiene programs to indigenous people in Peru's Amazon rainforest.

Episode Notes

“A Deep History of Tobacco in Lowland South America.” The Master Plant : Tobacco in Lowland South America, https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474220279.ch-002. 

Descola, Philippe. The Spears of Twilight: Life and Death in the Amazon Jungle. New Press, 2009. 

Emboden, William. Narcotic Plants. Collier Books, 1980. 

Furst, Peter T. Hallucinogens and Culture. Chandler & Sharp Publishers, Inc., 1997. 

Goodman, Jordan. Tobacco in History and Culture. Thomson Gale, 2005. 

Goodman, Jordan. Tobacco in History: The Cultures of Dependence. Routledge, 1994. 

Hobhouse, Henry. Seeds of Wealth: Four Plants That Made Men Rich. Macmillan, 2012. 

Marris, Emma. “The Anthropologist and His Old Friend, Who Became a Jaguar.” Culture, National Geographic, 4 May 2021, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/160518-manu-park-peru-matsigenka-tribe-death-jaguar. 

Narby, Jeremy, and Rafael Chanchari Pizuri. Plant Teachers: Ayahuasca, Tobacco, and the Pursuit of Knowledge. New World Library, 2021. 

Ott, Jonathan. Pharmacotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History. Natural Products, 1996. 

Schultes, Richard Evans, and Albert Hofmann. Plants of the Gods: Origins of Hallucinogenic Use. A. Van Der Marck Editions, 1987. 

Shepard, Glenn H. “Psychoactive Plants and Ethnopsychiatric Medicines of the Matsigenka.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, vol. 30, no. 4, 1998, pp. 321–332., https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.1998.10399708. 

Steffensen, Jennifer. “The Reality (TV) of Vanishing Lives: An Interview with Glenn Shepard.” Anthropology News, vol. 49, no. 5, 2008, pp. 30–30., https://doi.org/10.1525/an.2008.49.5.30. 

Wilbert, Johannes. Tobacco and Shamanism in South America. Yale University Press, 1993.