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

17/10/2025

Again, thank you for listening, supporting and downloading our Plants of the Gods podcast for these past seven seasons. Please continue to like, comment and share. Stay tuned, for there is more to come!

Remember, protecting the Amazon Rainforest matters to us all—and even the smallest donation can make a big difference. 🌎💚

👉🏾 Support the mission: https://www.amazonteam.org/support-us/

16/10/2025

With Halloween creeping up on us, we decided to revisit our POTG live episode, "Witches, Halloween & Hexing Herbs:The Botany & Hallucinogens" to remind you of the hallucinogenic magic witches experienced while flying on those powerful broomsticks.

Listen to the POTG episode from our premiere season here- https://youtu.be/Bl1SB16tiow?si=eWCpqVguhQFM26Kt

15/10/2025

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Research is uncovering a surprising partner in its development: the microbiome.

Microbes like Fusobacterium nucleatum appear inside tumors, while diets high in fat and cigarette smoke exposures shift the gut ecosystem and create chemical environments that can push cells toward cancer.

I break down what the science shows about microbes, metabolites, and cancer risk — and what choices we can make to keep our gut ecology on the protective side.

Read the full post here: https://open.substack.com/pub/naturespharmacy/p/gut-bugs-and-colon-cancer-risk-explained?r=i3zme&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

15/10/2025

We'd love your input again. As always, we value the opinion of our community, and as we plan the next season, we want to know what topics interest you. 💡

Suggest future POTG topics in the comments, and your ideas could inspire a future episode!

13/10/2025

13/10/2025

If you missed the Plants of the Gods season 7 finale, it's not too late to catch up. In this final episode, Dr. Mark Plotkin speaks with ethnobotanist Rebekah Senanayake about ayahuasca healing, visions & plant intelligence in the Amazon. A journey into interspecies communication + liminality you won't forget.

(PHOTO CREDIT) Rebekah Senanayake

🔗 Listen: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzB7k6l38Wzpx5wySgR8W2k1Op7M93Ycp&si=ufNdsTRn7WUJ_WDm

10/10/2025

We appreciate your support and ACT donations over the past 25 years, and thank you for listening to our Plants of the Gods podcast for these past seven seasons. Stay tuned, for there is more to come!
Remember, protecting the Amazon Rainforest matters to us all—and even the smallest donation can make a big difference. 🌎💚

👉🏾 Support the mission: https://www.amazonteam.org/support-us/

08/10/2025

For our Season 7 finale of Plants of the Gods, Dr. Mark Plotkin chats with Rebekah Senanayake, an intrepid ethnobotanist who has spent a decade learning from ayahuasca healers deep in the Amazon. Her story is one of visions, healing, and the incredible intelligence of plants. 🌱💫

🎧 Listen now, where you find your favorite podcast. https://youtube.com/playlist...

06/10/2025

In his final discussion of the season,"When Plants Speak: Exploring Ayahuasca with Rebekah Senanayake", Dr. Mark Plotkin speaks with Rebekah Senanayake, a PhD student and ethnobotanist from New Zealand, who has spent years with traditional Amazonian healers studying ayahuasca rituals and plant communication.

In this enlightening conversation, they explore:
✨ Indigenous and Western ways of knowing
✨ The power of liminality in healing
✨ The hero's journey of ayahuasca
✨ The wisdom of plants as teachers



🎧 Stay tuned for the POTG Season 7 finale: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzB7k6l38Wzpx5wySgR8W2k1Op7M93Ycp&si=ufNdsTRn7WUJ_WDm

05/10/2025

🎧 Ayahuasca, it’s the #1 topic with our audience. Listen to past POTG ayahuasca conversations on our YouTube channel as we prepare for our season finale this week, featuring a conversation on ayahuasca healing with fellow ethnobotanist Rebekah Senanayake. . Don't miss it!

👉🏾 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzB7k6l38Wzqe3Lb3zHvvq6_TLP_wVkZJ

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

03/10/2025

🌍💚 For more than four decades, Dr. Mark Plotkin shared a friendship and conservation mission with the late, great Dr. Jane Goodall.

On October 11–12, 2010, she honored him with the Jane Goodall Institute’s Global Leadership Award for International Conservation Leadership—a recognition of his tireless work protecting the Amazon, its peoples, and its plants. 🌿

This prestigious award reflects Jane’s vision: compassion for people, animals, and the environment, paired with innovative solutions to global challenges.
A legacy of leadership, friendship, and hope for our shared planet. ✨

03/10/2025

Dr. Jane exited with her boots on: not retiring to a cloistered life living with her many memories, but a road warrior for conservation: traveling far from home in England to spread the word and rouse the faithful.

In these dark days, where Mother Nature seems increasingly embattled from all sides, Jane Goodall NEVER gave up.

Her indefatigable spirit and passionate commitment to our living planet continues to inspire us all- MP

Great mentors mold the future. Louis Leakey shaped Dr. Jane Goodall into a force of Nature. Richard Schultes ignited in Dr. Mark Plotkin an unquenchable pass...