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

“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 – and healing potential - is only now beginning to be appreciated as never before.

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

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

Feb 23, 2026

This is a special joint episode of Plants of the Gods and Brainforest Café. 

Plants are virtuoso chemists. Some create molecules that closely resemble the neurotransmitters shaping human consciousness — a mystery that fascinates ethnopharmacologist Dennis McKenna, PhD. 

In Part One of this episode, Dennis explains why psychoactive plants are powerful tools for understanding the relationship between the brain and the mind, and reflects on the legacy of his late brother, Terence McKenna, whose work pushed the boundaries of psychedelic thought. The brothers’ experiences with the plant medicines of Indigenous peoples in the Colombian Amazon would go on to shape Dennis’ scientific career in profound ways.