Here’s a fantastic podcast with ethnobotanist Dr. Glenn Shephard, a leading expert in plant medicine.
We explore how ethnobotany exemplifies the holistic, interdisciplinary approach to health that many aspire to create. Dr. Shepard shares his insights into the deep connection between plants and people, as well as the wisdom of indigenous cultures, where health is viewed as a balance of mind, body, and spirit. We also explore the importance of how storytelling can serve as a powerful catalyst for personal and collective healing.
Read moreIt is an open question why many global psychedelic therapies focus on the past, especially the traumatic past, as the royal road to healing and spiritually flourishing with ayahuasca and other psychedelics.
Alternate approaches, including across Amazonia, focus on the capacity to see possible futures when consuming the brew.
Read moreJeremy Narby is a renowned anthropologist, author, and advocate for indigenous knowledge systems, particularly in the Amazon. His influential book, The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge (1998), explores the parallels between shamanic visions and molecular biology, proposing a connection between indigenous knowledge and our scientific understanding of DNA.
He has conducted extensive fieldwork with indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon, advocating for their rights and the preservation of their traditional knowledge.
Read moreIn February 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a document to the legal team representing the Church of the Eagle and the Condor (CEC).
On June 9, 2023, the Chacruna Institute published an article in the peer-reviewed Journal of Psychedelic Studies contesting the DEA’s report. The article, “The DEA Report on Ayahuasca Risks: ‘Science’ in Service of Prohibition?” was written in partnership with leading experts on ayahuasca, including scholars from the fields of biology, neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, anthropology, and sociology.
Read moreCheck out this nifty guide for safety with ayahuasca, for practitioners and participants.
Read more