Ethnobotany, Traditional Medicine and Modern Healing | Mark J Plotkin

Legendary ethnobotanist, Mark J. Plotkin, joins the show this week for a fascinating chat about traditional medicine, Indigenous knowledge, plant healing and modern medicine.

Dr Plotkin studied under the great Richard Evans Schultes himself and has been exploring the Amazon as a friend and researcher for five decades. He is the co-founder of the Amazon Conservation Team -a nonprofit that partners with Indigenous communities to conserve biodiversity, protect traditional lifeways and support sustainable Amazonian livelihoods.

During the lockdown era, Mark started an excellent and highly recommended podcast, Plants of the Gods. We discuss

• The origination of the podcast project
• The role of psychedelics in contemporary medicine
• The safeguarding of Indigenous intellectual property in the 'modern' world
• 'Active molecules' versus whole plants in contemporary medicine
• The changes -good and bad- in the field of ethnobotany over the course of his career

A fantastic discussion with a personal hero. Dive in. And if this is the first time you've heard about Plants of the Gods, well, I'm pleased to be able to share it with you!

• Mark's website
• Plants of the Gods podcast
• Amazon Conservation Team