Nov 13, 2024
The therapeutic benefits of ayahuasca are well-known and celebrated worldwide. However, when conducted by the wrong individuals, ayahuasca ceremonies can also lead to harmful outcomes. In this episode, host Mark Plotkin talks with author and explorer Robert Tindall about some of the potential risks and downsides of...
Oct 30, 2024
Many people associate cacao (and chocolate) with its origins in Mexico, but few are aware that the plant itself is native to the rainforests of the northwest Amazon. Previous episodes of this season of "Plants of the Gods" traced the journey of cacao from the Amazon to Central America and then to Europe. In this...
Oct 16, 2024
The concept of uncontacted or isolated indigenous rainforest groups enthralls many people, even those who have no particular interest in rainforest conservation or tribal cultures. Yet there certainly exist dozens of these groups in Amazonia, if not more. How can we estimate what and how much they know about the healing...
Oct 2, 2024
The Amazon rainforest - teeming with unstudied plants, fungi,
and shamanic cultures - has long been considered an almost
inexhaustible source of healing plants and potions.
In this episode - Dr. Mark Plotkin, an ethnobotanist who has been
studying the plants and peoples of Amazonia for four decades -
provides a...
Sep 18, 2024
This episode delves deeply into the ethnobotany of these bizarre rainforest plants. From the ethereal ayahuasca to galvanizing guarana, we hear tales of how these species can be used for everything from curing deadly spider bites to measuring climate change.