Jun 15, 2026
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 of the Gods, we trace vanilla's journey from its origins in Mexico to its rise as a global commodity. Learn why European powers struggled to cultivate vanilla outside its native...
Jun 1, 2026
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 traces the ethnobotanical history of vanilla, first used by
pre-Columbian cultures in Central America as
a component of revered beverages and to
perfume sacred temples. An organism...
May 18, 2026
How do Indigenous knowledge and Western science come together in the study of nature and plant medicine? Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, a chemical biologist and author of The Spirit of the Rainforest, joins Dr. Mark Plotkin to explore ethnobotany, animal self-medication, and the idea that plants and ecosystems may...
May 4, 2026
Wade Davis, celebrated
author and anthropologist, joins Mark Plotkin for a personal
reflection on the life and legacy of legendary ethnobotanist
Richard Evans Schultes. Davis traces Schultes' journey from his
transformative encounter with peyote to his decades-long odyssey
through the Amazon, where he documented...
Apr 20, 2026
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...