Psychedelic Medicine Podcast with Dr. Lynn Marie Morski

Mike Salemi is a certified kambo practitioner who utilizes a completely holistic approach when guiding and supporting his clients toward accessing their own inner wisdom to heal and grow. His motivation is to help all people discover their true potential from the inside out. In this episode, Mike discusses what a kambo ceremony looks & feels like, and how to both prepare for it beforehand and integrate it afterward. Mike shares how he was first introduced to kambo as "the warrior's medicine" and the comprehensive training he underwent to be able to hold space for others. He also gives an overview of the uses of two other plant medicines called rapé and sananga. Kambo is an intense experience and Mike discusses who may benefit and who may be better served by other medicines. He also covers the importance of movement before the ceremony, the dietary recommendations for before and after kambo, and why it's wise to find an experienced practitioner with whom you feel safe. In this episode: How kambo helped shift Mike's issues with his gut and immunity Instances where kambo is contraindicated (pregnancy, mental disorders, schizophrenia, heart conditions, blood clots, epilepsy) Dietary recommendations for kambo and why it's important to NOT fast before the ceremony What a day of ceremony looks like and how the medicine gets made, applied, and removed An overview of the plant medicines rapé and sananga Quotes: "I would attribute it, personally, directly to kambo. That's been the biggest change. I've made in the last few years. And that for me is like the single biggest thing. My adaptability and resiliency toward stress has been hugely improved." [10: 39] "Kambo's going to do what it needs to do. I believe the ceremony is really between that person and kambo. I'm a part of the process, but my job is mainly to keep them safe, my job is to hold space. And then, if they're a little stuck, I can drive the process through specific tools." [32:00] "I still sit with as many kambo practitioners as I can, that I've heard good things about. It helps put it (the kambo experience) into context. And you start to realize that everyone brings their own life experience. Everyone brings their own process. And no one is right or wrong. You learn so much sitting with different people." [46:49] "When it's people's first time, we'll spend almost thirty minutes talking the whole process, answering every question they have, talking about what the experience may potentially feel like, because everyone is going to be individual, but also how the medicine comes on, and working in waves and the duration and stuff like that. What I've found is that that can subdue a lot of the anxiousness and fears around it. That's actually a really important piece; explaining things thoroughly." [58:15] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs (octagonbiolabs.com) with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Preparation support & Integration coaches Follow Mike Salemi on Instagram Mike Salemi's Website Email Mike Salemi Porangui

Neurobiologist Caitlin Thompson is a certified kambo practitioner, administering unique traditional frog medicine rituals. Caitlin is also the founder of a nutritional supplement company called EntheoZen. She's an independent scientific researcher and research associate at UCSD School of Medicine and is currently conducting research on the potential of psychedelic compounds as a novel approach to autoimmune conditions as well as the first human kambo studies. In this episode, Caitlin Thompson discusses what we know and what we don't know about kambo is and how it actually works. Having served kambo over 800 times, she shares the physiological and psychological changes people undergo when they experience the cocktail of peptides present in kambo. Caitlin also discusses the progress being made on creating synthetic variations of kambo. She explains how she's observed kambo to be most effective for those who have insufficient detox pathways and usually have trouble clearing out metals, mold toxins and toxins in general, and those who have fairly low neurotransmitter production. She also discusses how she titrates dosages in her ceremonies. In this episode: Where the kambo secretions come from and what ethical harvests are like. Why Caitlin uses the minimum effective dose as a kambo practitioner How leaky gut can lead to a herxheimer reaction after kambo use How often you may want to use kambo depending on your specific needs How kambo may be useful for those with chronic illness, autoimmune disorders, Lyme disease, and Epstein-Barr. Quotes: "I suffered with a chronic illness for most of my life and I sort of stumbled upon this [kambo] practice and accidentally started recovering from it. And the contrast between recovering from the illness and noticing how sick I used to be was quite startling. And that gap got bigger and bigger as time went on." [4:00] "They [tribal hunters] would find that it [kambo] is a bit of an adaptogenic sort of substance with increased resilience, endurance and alleged reduced need for food or water, and I've also heard something about it covering their human scent, allowing them to hide from animals more effectively." [17:30] "I try not to be dogmatic about anything but it's hard because [...] it's really great for inflammatory and immune dysfunction conditions, especially when there's a psychosomatic element to it." [33:45] "The kambo interfaces with the chemical systems that are the interface between our spirit and our physiology. I think psychedelics hit on that as well. They work with these molecular systems, these receptor-sites that happen to sort of tickle where the soul meets the meat. I see these amazing emotional and spiritual resolutions happen for people that results in these physiological and biological cascades throughout the body." [35:10] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs (octagonbiolabs.com) with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Medicine Frog kambo - Caitlin's Practice EntheoZen - Caitlin's Supplement Company International Association of kambo Practitioners Porangui

Lucrecia has been on a long healing journey, both physically and spiritually. Physically, she had endured a number of chronic issues, like celiac disease and exposure to mold toxicity. She had felt like she had tried it all and did not know what else to do. In talking with some ayahuasca practitioners, she was introduced to a Kambo practitioner. Even though the intense experience of Kambo seemed scary for her, she was in a place where she was willing to try anything. At first, her physician recommended that she not try it and she concurred. Later, she found herself to be so depressed that she was willing to act irrespective of her physician's recommendation. In having done so three different times (including once the day before this episode was recorded), she experienced such a significant reduction and even disappearance in her chronic migraines, gut, skin, and immune system issues that her own doctor voiced interest in trying Kambo as well. In this episode: What Kambo is, and the fact that it is already a legally allowed medicine How Lucrecia came to discover and trust her Kambo practitioner The intake process, preparation, experience, and after-effects of her Kambo journeys How physically-demanding (and rewarding) Kambo can be Why Kambo is not considered to be psychedelic Quotes: "The after-glow was so amazing. I finished the ceremony and I went home. I sat in silence for an hour - which is very uncommon for me. It wasn't even a meditation, I was just sitting there, empty; which was a really nice break from myself, which doesn't happen very often. After that hour, I grabbed my journal and started writing things down and suddenly, I just got this burst of energy, and I felt happy and clear and light. After feeling so crappy for so long, where it was really hard to get out of bed, this was amazing!" [19:16] "I was having chronic migraines, (after the Kambo ceremony) those started going away. A lot of the gut issues -I was having severe food allergies and sensitivities- and those calmed down too. It's like my whole immune system relaxed ." [20:30] "Kambo is not psychedelic at all. At all. Which is different. Usually, with Ayahuasca, there's a purging but then it's like you've got these cool insights and cool visions. No. There is nothing cool with Kambo." [30:45] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs (octagonbiolabs.com) with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Learn more about Kambo / find a practitioner - International Association of Kambo Practitioners Porangui

Del Jolly is co-founder and director of Unlimited Sciences, a psychedelic research non-profit. He was the outreach director for the Decriminalize Denver team that passed the historic legislation which decriminalized psilocybin in Denver, leading to a nation-wide movement. Before that, he worked for Charlotte's Web CBD in business development and is on the board of community advisors for the Realm of Caring, a cannabis non-profit. Along with research, Unlimited Sciences hosts a webinar series called Unlimited Voices and produces content educating the general public on entheogens. Unlimited Sciences' first study, in conjunction with Johns Hopkins' Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, intends to understand how the community is using psilocybin in real-world settings. The goal of the study is to learn more about the effects of using psilocybin outside of the research setting, and any potential factors that could affect those outcomes. By collecting data from individuals who are already planning to use psilocybin, the researchers aim to investigate variables such as demographics, lifestyle, mindset, and personality traits—as well as characteristics of the experience itself, such as dosage, ingestion method, intention, and setting. Anyone planning to use psilocybin (single dose; not a microdose regimen) outside a research laboratory in the next 6 months is invited to participate. In this episode: How in five years, Del went from being anti-cannabis to co-founding and directing a psychedelic research non-profit organization. Why community-provided data about how psilocybin is actually being used, and the effects people are experiencing with it, is crucial for informing future research studies. How data points collected through such studies can lead to aligning the financial incentives of insurance companies to support plant-medicine empowered therapies. Quotes: "As we were moving forward with the decriminalize initiative, I just knew and saw that there's going to be this huge wave of psychedelic naive folks who are going to hear these stories that are going to come out, whether it's veterans, or smoking cessation, or whatever it might be, and they're going to need a safe place to land." (11:01) "I continued to grow my knowledge of plant medicine and then I had a personal experience a couple years ago and that was it. I absolutely knew that there is so much potential in these entheogens, and our choice to not study them will go down as probably one of the biggest crimes against the human race." (16:07) "If you say: "Hey, how can I get involved in this cause? What can I do?" Most people don't have time to petition, to collect signatures. They don't have time to start a non-profit. Their focus is on other things but this is very important to them. This study is a really good opportunity to anonymously provide information on how you're using psilocybin." (21:18) "People are not using psilocybin in a lab, on a couch, with one or two therapists. They don't. It's not happening. This way of collecting information allows us to see how the community is using it, what does that look like, and what can we learn from that type of information?" (22:18) "It's not our role to get people to vote for psilocybin. It's more our role to make sure they're not necessarily voting against it, just like for me (referring to his past), if you're on the fence, just stay there. If you don't know, just stay on the fence. Don't jump on one side because it's what you think you're supposed to do." (38:29) Links: Participate in the Unlimited Sciences/Johns Hopkins psilocybin research study Unlimited Sciences website Unlimited Voices webinar series Follow Unlimited Science on Instagram Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine Follow The Plant Medicine Podcast on Instagram Porangui

Chris Timmermann, PhD, is a researcher at Imperial College, where he conducted the first neuroimaging studies of DMT in healthy volunteers and its potential for mental health interventions. He is also conducting research concerning the effects that psychedelics have on belief systems and the ethical implications associated with the mainstreaming of these substances. In this episode, Chris Timmerman discusses what happens neurologically when DMT is administered. He talks about his research into neuroimaging and how the brainwaves change during DMT experiences, and how those changes can help elucidate some of the mechanisms of psychedelic states. He also breaks down the concept of cortical activation and how DMT experiences lead to a pattern of cortical activation that mimics that of visual stimulation. Dr. Timmerman also discusses how DMT experiences are often compared to what happens to the body when it has a near-death experience. He explains some of the difficulties of studying these effects and how to ethically study the phenomenon of near-death experiences. In addition to his work on DMT, Dr. Timmerman also shares some of his research on the impact of music in psychedelic therapy, and how it can help comfort people facing trauma. In this episode: How DMT interacts with our physiology Current scientific research on DMT The correlation between DMT and near-death experiences How alpha, delta and theta brain waves are affected by DMT Why people think DMT use can lead to tolerance The role of music in psychedelic therapy What psychedelic apprenticeships are and how they can help with healing Quotes: "DMT is incredibly unique because it is able to generate simulations of sorts. The level of immersion is radical, complete. People with their eyes closed, they feel kind of detached from their environment, but they are experiencing a world of experience." [5:52] "We developed a map of this DMT story for each participant. We found three main components: one there was a visual component in the experience, we found a bodily component [a somatic effect], and an emotional effect. And we found that these different parts of the DMT story - the visual, the bodily, and the emotional - had different brain signatures." [18:55] "There have been some animal studies, or very promising ones, in which not only DMT but also LSD and ketamine has been shown to have important properties associated with neurogenesis." [35:09] "The use of psychedelics by western populations is fairly new. We don't have that know-how or that expertise like some indigenous cultures, has for generations." [46:49] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs (octagonbiolabs.com) with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Follow Dr. Timmerman on Twitter Follow Dr. Timmerman (and check out his music) on InstagramFollow Chris on Instagram and listen to his music Center for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College Porangui

Adam Meredith is an entrepreneur, podcasting consultant, speaker, photographer, health and movement coach, martial artist, and retired pro fighter based in St. Louis, MO. In addition to hosting Outside Perspective, Adam is also the founder and CEO of Imposed Will, a lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering others to impose their will on life, through mental strength and healthy habits. In this week's episode, Adam goes into detail about what he experienced during multiple DMT journeys. He talks about how intense his first experience was and what he felt in the DMT space. He also compares how different his later experiences were. Initially, Adam avoided setting expectations for his DMT experiences. However, he shares how it has helped him develop his spirituality and realize that he was more than just his physical body. In this episode: What a DMT journey can be like and what Adam experienced How DMT can vary between experiences. The benefits of having a guide for a first time experience. How DMT can help promote religious experiences Quotes: "I feel like expectations are the quickest way to disappointment. So it's like, I just wanted to be open to the experience and see what I actually get from it." [7:25] "I look on the walls and I'm seeing the geometric patterns and all of a sudden I'm just yanked away from this physical space." [10:12] "This is a place that you can go to, and we are a part of that thing, whatever that is. Whether you call it the universe, you can call it God, you can call it energy, it's like, there is a whole lot more going on than we really understand, and maybe we will never be able to explain it with science, but it's there." [25:12] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs (octagonbiolabs.com) with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Outside Perspective Podcast Follow Adam on Instagram Follow Outside Perspective Podcast on Instagram DMT: The Spiritual Molecule Porangui

Michael "Zappy" Zapolin and Warren Gumpel co-founded The Ketamine Fund, a 501(c)(3), that provides free ketamine treatments to veterans suffering from PTSD or having suicidal ideations, with the mission of lowering suicide rates by 75 percent. The Ketamine Fund has donated more than 400 free treatments to veterans suffering from PTSD. In this week's episode, Zappy and Warren share their stories, and what led them to advocate for ketamine treatments. Noticing how expensive this therapy can be, Zappy and Warren wanted to help veterans who would benefit the most by subsidizing this treatment. Zappy and Warren also discuss some additional projects they work on to increase awareness of ketamine treatments, such as their upcoming documentary about Lamar Odom and their work with the Mind Army Movement. They also talk about why a proper ketamine facilitator is so important and how certain ketamine treatments are not as effective due to underdosing. In this episode: How Zappy and Warren became involved in advocating for ketamine. Their upcoming documentary about Lamar Odom and how ketamine helped him in his recovery. How ketamine addresses trauma and how it's helping soldiers with PTSD. How the Ketamine Fund is supporting soldiers through partnerships with treatment centers in the US. Quotes: "After my ketamine treatments, my depression and anxiety were gone. Nothing had ever happened so quickly and so miraculously." [7:29] "Probably the most beautiful thing about ketamine is it needs the least integration of what I've seen because some of the plant medicine takes a long time." [18:50] "It became very apparent to us that one of the most underserved communities in this country that deserves it [ketamine treatment] is the veteran community." [25:38] "We think if we can fund that [the Ketamine Fund] properly, and then anybody in the country who says that they're having suicidal ideation; we can get them into a clinic, in our network, within 24 hours in a clinic and get a free treatment." [40:10] Links: Ketamine Fund Odom Reborn The Reality of Truth Considering Taking Psychedelics During the Quarantine? Porangui

Mike Jay is an author who has written widely on the history of science and medicine. His books include High Society: Mind-Altering Drugs in History and Culture and his latest, Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic. In this episode, Mike discusses his research into mescaline and its extended history. Mike shares the cultural significance of huachuma and peyote for indigenous tribes in Mexico and Peru dating back over 3000 years. He also talks about western research into mescaline starting in the 19th century, and even mentions how peyote was almost incorporated into the Mormon Church! Mescaline is considered a class A drug by many countries, and Mike discusses some of the legal "blurry areas" based on different types of cacti containing it. He also covers the environmental impact of improperly harvesting peyote, how industrial mining is destroying peyote's environment, and what native tribes in Mexico are doing to protect this endangered plant. In this episode: The origins of mescaline-related terms including san pedro, huachuma, and peyote. The traditional uses of huachuma and peyote. How mescaline was discovered and what led to its criminalization. The differences between peyote and huachuma. Why peyote is endangered and what is being done to protect it. Quotes: "All those kind of great early accounts of peyote from the 1890s are all very full-on, first-person (what we would call trip reports), written by people who are often doctors, but who are also often poets and writers. People who are very, very good at medical description. So these are kind of beautiful pieces of psychedelic literature." [6:14] "There are reports from the 17th/18th century of villages where everybody would get together, usually around a fire, usually at night. peyote would be passed around and people would sing and dance through the night." [21:04] "Your average cactus supplier, or sometimes even your cactus garden center will have huachuma. So the legal status of the cactus is kind of blurry." [25:38] "We kind of go, 'Oh Psychedelics! That story started in the '60s or '50s.' If you look at mescaline it's like, no. I mean there are western stories starting way back in the 19th century." [36:50] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs (octagonbiolabs.com) with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Mike Jay's Website Follow Mike Jay on Twitter Fundraiser for Peyote Conservation and Cultivation Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic Huicholes: The Last Peyote Guardians Porangui

Tah Whitty spent 25 years as a nurse in emergency medicine, and Kole Whitty has spent 17 years educating professionals about life's addictions. Together, they have 17 years of combined experience in various shamanic traditions, guiding performance-driven entrepreneurs. In this week's episode, Tah and Kole discuss how their paths led to facilitating huachuma (San Pedro) ceremonies. While they both were initially resistant to using plant medicine, they discovered how impactful huachuma ceremonies can be to resolve pent up trauma. Tah and Cole describe huachuma as more gentle compared to other plant medicines, though the effects of the medicine can often be present for 10-12 hours. They also discuss the pre-journey intake process, the preparation and support that goes into a participant's experience, and the post-care support to help integrate the experience into their healing journey. In addition to explaining the huachuma ceremony, Tah and Cole talk about trauma and healing. They emphasize the importance of avoiding the Transformation TRAPP (Tirelessly Repeating A Painful Process) which can be harmful to an individual's growth, and the importance of being in a state of relaxation to optimize healing. In this episode: What drew both Tah and Kole to working with huachuma ceremonies The origin of the terms huachuma and San Pedro. Some common experiences during a huachuma ceremony. The preparation and support facilitators provide before and during a huachuma ceremony, and the necessity of follow up support. The importance of relaxation and the use of TRE(Tension and Trauma Release Exercise) to help the body relax at the beginning of their ceremonies. How modern treatments promote "Transformation TRAPP." and prevent true healing. Quotes: "When your nervous system is relaxed, you can actually get to the deeper space that you need to get to, and that's where healing takes place the most." [5:03] "You are not controlling the [Mescaline]experience. You are co-creating the experience." [13:03] "The trauma response, physiologically, is your response to an activity. Trauma is not what happens to you, it is how your body and your organism responds." [27:56] "What does it feel like to be free of the conditioning, of the expectations, of the trauma, and drama? It doesn't mean you stop feeling, it means it stops being so much weight on your wings." [42:06] "We have had countless people come to us and to work with us, and they're like 'I've got trauma that is holding me back!' No, what is holding them back is that they are not allowing themselves to have fun." [43:16] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs (octagonbiolabs.com) with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Tah and Kole's website Mentor in the Mirror Podcast Take the Get Help Quiz Subscribe to Tah and Kohle's Texting List by texting 'Optimize' to 22999 Follow Tah and Kole on Instagram Find Tah and Kole on Facebook Porangui

Joe earned his BA in philosophy in New Hampshire. After stumbling upon the work of pioneering psychedelic psychiatrist Dr. Stanislav Grof in 2001, Joe began participating in Holotropic Breathwork workshops in Vermont in 2003 and he later began helping facilitate Holotropic and Transpersonal Breathwork workshops. In this week's episode, Joe discusses how he and his co-founder, Kyle Buller started Psychedelics Today, and how their podcast led to them developing a number of online courses. Their upcoming course is Navigating Psychedelics for Clinicians and Therapists. This 8 week course is good for both those wanting to learn how to better understand a client's needs as a physician or a therapist and for those looking to get a taste of what the psychedelic therapy world is like before embarking on official training. Joe also talks about how mystical and spiritual experiences can play a role in psychology. While often overlooked in the current psychiatric system, Joe believes these spiritual and mystical experiences may help to heal patients in certain situations. In this episode: How Psychedelics Today started, and what led to offering courses. What information Joe found lacking in the psychedelic community. What to expect in the Navigating Psychedelics course and who it is for. How psychological theories incorporate into the work of facilitation Spiritual Emergence and its potential benefit to the current psychiatric system Quotes: "We just thought the psychedelic world is really interesting, but it is really lacking regular discussion of Dr. Stan Groff and Holotropic Breathwork. So really it [The Psychedelics Today podcast] was a way that we could contribute and bring voices that we thought were important back to the foreground" [5:13] "I don't want to be the Tony Robbins telling you how, you know, this is exactly how you should be charging at your problems. It's like no - you need to take an individualized approach." [13:03] "If more people had a lot more support like we could see people self resolve things [trauma and psychological issues] instead of going into the psychiatric system for decades." [26:13] "You don't get educated and then you're done. This is a lifelong process." [36:53] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs (octagonbiolabs.com) with coupon code 'plantmedicine' psychedelicstoday.com psychedeliceducationcenter.com Navigating Psychedelics: For Clinicians and Therapists Follow Psychedelics Today on Instagram Follow Psychedelics Today on Twitter Porangui

Ian-Michael Hebert is committed to healing the relationship between humanity and the Earth. His formal training has been in eco-resort design and he holds a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology and community mental health. He is the founder of Holos Global, a network of holistic healing centers. Ian-Michael has catalyzed many teams in creating enduring structures and institutions that will benefit generations to come. In this week's episode, Ian-Michael describes his very personal journey as he experienced mescaline while hiking through the Grand Canyon. This Mescaline experience helped Ian-Michael work through his negative internalizations, reconnect spiritually to nature, and even helped him strengthen his relationship with his father. He also discusses how this experience led him to his current work with Holos Global and the services they provide. In this Episode: What a mescaline experience can be like and what Ian-Michael experienced The importance of reconnecting with nature How to reintegrate after a psychedelic experience The purpose of Holos Global Quotes: "What I find with this particular ally or this particular plant medicine, is that it deeply amplifies our feeling states." [8:17] "That particular experience was less like an actual visual experience and more of a felt sense." [18:47] "The overall journey of being on the Grand Canyon and that bigger context was very much a reset of my life, and I came out very inspired." [26:55] "The integration arc is as important as the journey. If you really want to mine the gems, if you want to, like, get the benefits of the medicine you really have the opportunity to reflect on it and to practice it." [28:33] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Holos Global Follow Holos Global on Instagram Wild Vessel The Body Keeps the Score Plant Medicine Podcast Episode with Eamon Armstrong Episode Music by Porangui

Dr. Joseph Peter Barsuglia is a clinical psychologist focused on bridging ancestral medicines and wisdom with best clinical practices, in order to catalyze personal healing and spiritual awakening. He has worked as Research Director of a psychedelic treatment center which utilized 5-MeO-DMT and ibogaine for the treatment of addiction, as a psychotherapist in the MAPS-sponsored trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, and is an initiate of the African tradition called Bwiti which uses iboga as its sacrament. In this episode, Dr. Barsuglia discusses what happens to the body when 5-MEO-DMT is consumed. He also discusses the origins and history of 5-MEO-DMT, as well as some of the scientific research being conducted on the molecule. He also shares some research on how he observed the mystical effects 5-MEO-DMT had on patients and some of the consistent experiences patients described. The increasing popularity of this psychedelic often brings up a discussion on the environmental impact of harvesting Sonoran Desert toads. Dr. Barsuglia uses this to discuss differences between synthetic vs naturally occurring 5-MEO-DMT, and how synthetic developments can help protect the environment and preserve tribal tradition. In this episode: The sources of 5-MEO-DMT and how it is used The historical, cultural, and environmental significance of 5-MEO-DMT The effects of 5-MEO-DMT on the body and common experiences from participants Current scientific research on this plant medicine The differences between natural and synthetic 5-MEO-DMT Quotes: "This is one of the oldest psychedelics found in archeology." [8:30] "Some kind of basic science studies on cell lines that showed that 5-MEO-DMT does in fact stimulate brain cell growth, antidepressant properties, and might boost the immune system." [13:24] "In many psychedelics, you are getting formed visuals, you can kind of interact with what's happening. This medicine kind of takes you beyond your biography, beyond your memory, beyond form into a very energetic experience." [16:07] "80 percent, I think, of people that had this experience said it was profoundly sacred or holy." [28:48] "I also think that people don't need to be demonized that are using this medicine." [51:31] Links: Find Dr. Barsuglia Online MAPS Scientific Journals relating to this episode: Angel of human health: current research updates in toad medicine The Development of Toad Toxins as Potential Therapeutic Agents New Therapeutic Aspects of Steroidal Cardiac Glycosides Pilot Study of Huachansu in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, or Pancreatic Cancer The Development of a Pharmacological Approach for Rabies Treatment Bufotenine is able to block rabies virus infection in BHK-21 cells Porangui

Atira Tan is currently a PhD candidate in Expressive Arts Research at the European Graduate School in Switzerland. She possesses an MA in Art Therapy, has a background in Transpersonal Art Therapy and Holistic Counseling, and is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner with decades of training in various somatic trauma-informed approaches. Atira worked as a trauma-informed integration specialist in retreat centers such as the Temple of the Way of Light, and she is currently the head of Ayahuasca integration at AYA Healing Retreats. In this episode, Atira discusses the concept of trauma-informed therapy, and how facilitators can respect and support participants in healing circles. As everyone experiences traumas in their lives differently, Atira discusses how trauma can impact an individual's experience in healing circles. She also establishes the importance of communication between the facilitator and participants. Atira's upcoming workshop covers several important topics to help teach facilitators how to integrate trauma-informed principles into their ceremonies. There will be a large focus on the core of the essentials of trauma and how to intervene. Some other topics that will be discussed include boundaries, safety, and consent during ceremonies, how trauma shows up in the body, identifying trauma and trauma recovery, and the cross overs of shamanism and mental health. In this episode: Explaining the definition and principles of trauma-informed therapy The importance of a facilitator to prepare and have a medical intake in healing circles. What may trigger people in a plant circle and how to support them Tips on how we can soften the collective trauma of Covid-19 Quotes Trauma happens when there is a boundary violation. [10:07] As part of the trauma-informed lens, facilitators need to kind of think about what's important to be communicated first. [19:59] Part of giving people's choice and agency is really about consent. [22:10] Links: Aya Healing Retreats Trauma-Informed Plant Medicine Facilitation Workshop Porangui

Tricia Eastman is a medicine woman, author, and pioneer in the psychedelic movement. Eastman offers highly curated retreats in countries where use is legal, working with iboga, psilocybin mushrooms, and 5-MeO-DMT. She has been initiated into Bwiti Fang traditions and the Ngonde Missoko tradition, and she facilitated the psychospiritual iboga program for Crossroads Treatment Center in Mexico. She supports projects related to the preservation of the sacred medicines and sacred sites for future generations and working with the ancient wisdom traditions with respect and reverence. In this episode, Tricia discusses the start of her journey into becoming a healer working with psychedelics. At a 5-MeO-DMT retreat, she learned how to love herself, and decided she wanted to lead others on this healing experience. Since 2016 she founded Psychedelic Journeys, which offers guided retreats with a number of medicines. Tricia shares the many ways 5-MeO-DMT can be administered, and how facilitators can support participants during this ceremony. While she does discuss the positive experiences many people have, she speaks frankly about how 5-MeO-DMT can greatly affect others based on their previous experience, both with psychedelics and past trauma. One of Tricia's passions is promoting sacred and ethical use of 5-MeO-DMT. She discusses how encroaching farming practices and unethical harvesting has impacted the source of 5-MeO-DMT, the Sonoran Desert Toad, and some practices for minimizing harm In this episode: How Tricia got started facilitating 5-Meo-DMT. Some methods facilitators use during a 5-MeO-DMT ceremony. What people may experience during a 5-MeO-DMT ceremony. How 5-MeO-DMT is contraindicated The ethical and environmental impact of 5-MeO-DMT extraction. Quotes: 12:00 "You are in a space of timelessness where your perception of where you are could feel like eons even though it has been seconds." 14:59 "I try not to be a character in the movie. I don't want it to ever be about me, or doing anything, because they are there to do their own healing work. 19:43 "We don't want to set you up in a way that you are going to get in your own experience, and not actually receive whatever the medicine wants to show you." 37:48 "For me, I really feel that it's important that everything is done in a sacred way. That they are done in an ethical thing." 41:14 Everything I do is a very deeply intuitive process of really following and listening, and that's just how you learn when you work in the shamanic traditions. Links: Third Eye Meditation Lounge- Third Eye Cacao- Use code PLANTMEDICINE to get 15% of orders over $50, and a free class at the meditation lounge. 3rd Eye Mushroom Immune Elixior Find Tricia Eastman online Follow Tricia on Instagram Ancestral Heart Terra Incognita Foundation World Bufo Alvarius Congress 5-MeO-DMT Patient Experience Music by Porangui

In today's 5-MeO-DMT patient experience episode, Mikey, a former Navy SEAL, shares his phenomenal story of how an experience with 5-MeO-DMT changed his life. Mikey explains what he experienced when he tried 5-MeO-DMT, and the effect that experience had on him. 5-MeO-DMT experiences have helped Mikey better understand and accept the presence of a higher power in his life, which has helped him accept his mistakes, grow as a person, and improve his outlook on life. Mikey also discusses how these experiences helped him come to a better understanding of acceptance and love for himself. In addition to accepting himself, he also discusses how this higher power and the concept of infinite love helped him learn to love and support others. In this episode: How Mikey's journey led him to try using 5-MeO-DMT to get help. What a 5-MeO-DMT journey can be like and what Mikey experienced. How 5-MeO-DMT can help bring one to an understanding of a higher power. How changing one's mindset can help promote healing and improve one's outlook on life. Quotes: "Where I am at today, there is a peace about me. There is a willingness to want to think of others, and to be of service." [4:09] My arms, my brain-- everything is like drifting and kaleidoscoping away. I feel like I am being turned inside out. Not in a painful way, but in an awareness way." [27:16] "You have never been judged a day in your life. There is no wrong you can possibly do. There is no wrong you can possibly do because there is no judgment. This is the stuff that is coming out of me!" [29:21] "I was literally jettisoned right into the lap of God. There is no other way to put it." [30:12] "For every situation that we find ourselves in, it is not about any one of us, but it involves all of us. We are all the star players in our own movie. We're all the co-star of everyone else's." [32:45] "When we heal, we heal others." [36:02] Links: Get 20% off everything at Proper Hempco CBD with coupon code "PLANTMEDICINE" Music by Porangui

Dr. Thomas Kingsley Brown is back on the show to discuss the history and legality of ibogaine. With a master's degree in chemistry and a Ph.D. in anthropology, he has conducted extensive research into altered states of consciousness, religious conversion, and the use of ibogaine in the treatment of opioid addiction. In this episode, Dr. Brown describes the origin of ibogaine which is derived from iboga, a plant indigenous to west-central Africa. Its bark has been sacramentally used by the Bwiti people for countless generations. At the turn of the 20th Century, ibogaine was first isolated from iboga. Various drugs were derived from this in Europe and North America throughout much of the century. During the war on drugs, this obscure psychedelic was regulated and criminalized in the United States in 1967. In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act declared ibogaine to be a Schedule 1 drug. In the 1980s, efforts to explore ibogaine's potential to treat chemical addiction got underway. With opioid use linked to the transmission of HIV/AIDS, various groups began looking at ibogaine as a tool for recovery. There have always been a few countries where ibogaine remained unregulated. However, it wasn't until 2009 that New Zealand became the first country to legalize it as a medicine for use in opioid recovery. In several US cities, such as Oakland, ibogaine was recently decriminalized. That said, its legal future remains uncertain. In this episode: The natural African roots of ibogaine How ibogaine was used in various medications during the 20th Century What led to the criminalization and regulation of ibogaine The movement to explore ibogaine's use in addiction recovery How and where ibogaine was legalized or decriminalized in recent years Quotes: "It's sort of a twisted history in a way. There are a lot of different things that go into it. But chemically ibogaine was first isolated and purified from the iboga shrub in 1901." [4:09] "Psychedelics are not addictive, ibogaine among them. Ibogaine is usually a difficult trip, especially for people who are using it for getting off opioids." [10:11] "I think it will be at least some time before we are able to see legal ibogaine treatment here in the US." [24:03] Links: Episode 34: Ibogaine Scientific Research Dora Weiner Foundation ACT UP Episode 28: Decriminalize Nature MAPS Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

This week we discuss the upcoming Psychedelic Liberty Summit (April 25th and 26th) with Bia Labate, Ph.D. As the executive director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, adjunct faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies, public education and culture specialist at MAPS, co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies in Brazil, editor of the Mexican blog Drugs, Politics, and Culture, and the author and editor of numerous books, special edition journals, and several peer-reviewed articles, Dr. Labate is a wealth of information and knowledge. Dr. Labate explains how she started the Chacruna Institute in 2017 with the mission of promoting education around plant medicines. With a focus on the cultural side of plant medicines, Chacruna works to help spread the idea that these plants have a place in society. This involves creating a bridge between traditional uses of plant medicine and scientific advances being made in the field. Chacruna's upcoming conference might be the largest virtual event of its kind. There will be a large focus on the emerging politics of plant medicines. Other themes include the responsibilities that practitioners and patients have to use them in an informed and ethical way. With more than 70 speakers and 35 community partners, this will be an inclusive and expansive event. In this episode: The mission of the Chacruna Institute to bridge the gap between tradition and science The main focus and structure of the Psychedelic Liberty Summit The wide variety of organizations that are part of the summit Some of the summit speakers and their topics Quotes: "We're trying to create legitimacy around the idea that these drugs are legitimate and should be respected as such and be incorporated into our legal and health systems." [5:06] "We have activists, researchers, community leaders, lawyers, religious leaders, and practitioners. We have a really incredible lineup." [22:00] "In the field of psychedelics science, we have often fetishized shamans from South America and forgotten the people of the land. So I'm really proud that we have a series of different Native American representatives." [32:54] Links: Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines MAPS Psychedelic Support The Psychedelic Society Psychedelic Seminars Horizons Wixárika Research Center Psychedelics Today Morning Star Conservation Sage Integrative Health Transform Drug Policy Foundation Drug Policy Alliance "The Emergence of a New Market: Psychedelic Science Conferences" by Bia Labate Ph.D. Episode: Decriminalization of Psilocybin with Attorney Sean McAllister Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Thanks to the current pandemic, most of the population is quarantined at home. During this time, some may want to consider using psychedelics. However, there are some additional considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether to undergo a psychedelic journey during the quarantine. Rebecca Kronman is a licensed therapist and the founder of Plant Parenthood, a community of parents who use psychedelics. She is a psychotherapist with a private practice in Brooklyn, NY where she works with clients to help them prepare for and integrate after psychedelic experiences. In this episode, Rebecca discusses the concept of harm reduction. This means that no one is advocating what anyone else should or shouldn't be doing. Rather, it is about asking that people explore the topic of psychedelics with all the information available. With the right knowledge and confidence, people will feel better prepared for whatever they decide to do. Given that hospitals are currently overtaxed and undersupplied, considering what might happen if a psychedelic experience goes wrong is more important than ever. Rebecca talks about how heightened levels of anxiety are going to play into this and how is more crucial that someone is attuned to their mindset before undertaking a psychedelic experience. Rebecca shares some tools that people can use to listen to what their mind and body are telling them. If, after taking everything into account you decide this isn't the proper time to be journeying for you, then it can still be used to prepare for one in the future or integrate one from the past. That being said, for some individuals this time may be too overwhelming for that and it might be best to wait for another time. Rebecca stresses that everyone needs to evaluate their own situation and make an informed decision. In this episode: What harm reduction means and how it relates to psychedelic use Important considerations if an experience goes awry Tools for evaluating mindset during times of heightened anxiety Using this time to prepare for a future experience or integrate a past one Quotes: "Are we okay with the fact that the hospital might not be available to us right now?" [6:20] "Any way that you can create space for yourself and pause - any kind of contemplative practice - is going to be extremely useful." [11:10] "This is an entropic period for all of us. Our whole lives look different. We may be in a different place. Definitely, we're doing different things. Our whole routine has shifted. Greater entropy gives us greater opportunity for shifting patterns. That's what psychedelics are about." [20:07] "If it feels accessible to us to add something new into our integration practices, this is a great time. If we've got too much on our plate, have compassion for ourselves and say 'drop the technique.'" [22:27] Links: Plant Parenthood Follow on Instagram The Psychedelics Integration Handbook by Ryan Westrum, Ph.D. Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In this week's iboga patient experience episode, we hear from Eamon Armstrong. He is the creator and host of the Life is a Festival Podcast, promoting a lifestyle of adventure and personal development through the lens of festival culture. Eamon's belief in the transformational power of psychedelics led him to take part in a traditional Bwiti initiation in Gabon. He has since become a trained sitter with MAPS' Zendo Project. Eaman describes how his desire for personal metamorphosis led him to seek out an iboga experience in Africa. However, he doesn't recommend that others go to Gabon to do what he did. Rather, a more clinical setting is much safer. At any rate, he found that it was a truly transformational journey. Eamon describes what he went through during his ten-day experience and how it led to new and important insights. Eamon's journey revived many forgotten memories. These memories brought back some suppressed fear and trauma. He feels that it was a very healing experience overall. Eamon found that iboga led him to recognize the source of his traumas which ultimately helped him deal with addiction. In this episode: Why it is safer to have an ibogaine experience in a clinical setting rather than elsewhere Preparation to take before an iboga journey The various steps to a traditional iboga experience How an iboga journey is a very personalized experience The important role that an integration coach can play in any psychedelic journey The distinction between iboga and ibogaine Quotes: "My pursuit of iboga had to do with certain aspects of myself that I wanted to transform. I wanted to transform them by going to the root." [6:02] "It felt healing. I felt like I was moving through chunks of things that I had been carrying and holding inside me. It was hard work." [26:28] "What iboga teaches you is that there is no such thing as addiction in the way that you think there is. There is only deep trauma and pain and patterns that you create to avoid them. Iboga goes to the root of that trauma and pain and shows you what it is." [36:15] Links: Life is a Festival Podcast Zendo Project Iron John by Robert Bly Ayahuasca Scientific Research with Dr. Dan Engle Ibogaine Scientific Research with Thomas Kingsley Brown, Ph.D Unlimited Sciences Maya Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

As this episode airs, most of us are currently contained at home and much of the world has shifted online. This presents a very exciting opportunity to connect with MAPS. This organization is preparing to release its 2020 webinar series which runs April 9 through May 21. If you are wondering what MAPS is and what this webinar is about, Brad Burge is on today to share that with you. Brad is the director of strategic communications who began working with MAPS in 2009 to help expand their international public education and communication programs. He engages daily with journalists and media producers around the world to enhance public knowledge about psychedelic research while also helping develop MAPS brand and outreach strategy. In its upcoming online course, MAPS and the speakers will explore the latest advancements in psychedelic research, medicine, and policy. This will include talks by some of the foremost leaders in the psychedelic renaissance. They'll provide insights into the latest research into the medical and therapeutic uses of psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, and more. It also includes a sneak-peek at key issues affecting the wider availability of psychedelics for healing and spirituality. In this episode: Speakers and the topics they will cover in the webinar What is being discovered about the effect of psychedelics and the brain MAPS' role in regulatory and decriminalization initiatives How MAPS provides peer support and harm-reduction Current research on the ability of MDMA to treat PTSD Quotes: "The topics were chosen based on what's timely in the field of psychedelic therapy and clinical trials." [4:40] "MAPS is about the research and science, but we're also about much more than that. We're also looking at and supporting different initiates to regulate psychedelics." [7:15] "If we can take these so-called bad trips and turn them into learning experiences, then we can do a lot of good. We can heal trauma and help people explore their consciousness." [12:01] "Where in this when, not if, situation. We're in a final push after 33 years of work to actually make MDMA a legal prescription treatment for PTSD." [18:27] Links: MAPS webinar signup Zendo Project Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines LSD Scientific Research with Dr. Katrin Preller MDMA Scientific Research with Marcela Ot'alora Ayahuasca History and Legality with Ismail Ali Decriminalization of Psilocybin with Attorney Sean McAllister MDMA Practitioner Methods with Shannon Carlin MAPS Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

With a master's degree in chemistry and a Ph.D. in anthropology, Dr. Thomas Kingsley Brown takes a comprehensive approach to study topics of altered states of consciousness, religious conversion, and the uses of ibogaine in the treatment of opioid addiction. He joins us today to discuss the current research into ibogaine. Ibogaine is not one of the most well-known psychoactive compounds. Dr. Brown explains what this plant medicine is and what it is derived from. Ibogaine is most often derived from the root bark of the iboga shrub from west-central Africa. It was used by certain African populations in a ceremonial context for centuries. Dr. Brown delves into some of ibogaine's more recent history as a treatment for opioid addiction. Its anti-addiction effects were anecdotally first discovered by accident in the 1960s by Howard Lotsof. After an experience with ibogaine, Lotsof found that he no longer desired heroin. This kicked off a career researching the anti-addiction effects of this compound. Dr. Brown shares what his research has gleaned concerning ibogaine's mechanism of action. The full mechanism is still not entirely clear. However, he has found that it acts in two ways. First, there is a biochemical action in the brain and body. There is also a powerful psychoactive effect. These two effects seem to work in tandem to eliminate opioid desire and withdrawal symptoms. Research participants have reported several intriguing observations besides a drop in drug use, particularly an improvement in social wellbeing. In this episode: The natural and artificial sources of ibogaine How ibogaine became associated with opioid addiction recovery What is known about ibogaine's mechanism of action Common experiences of people who have undergone ibogaine therapy Possible effects of ibogaine to promote neural health Thoughts on the efficacy of using medicines with tribal origins in a clinical setting Quotes: "It seems that this would facilitate rewiring of the brain. You could look at this as being a potential mechanism for creating new pathways where you're not automatically going into your addictive behavior." [12:46] "Even if you're not using it to treat addiction, it will force you to confront things you've been avoiding." [17:05] "As an anthropologist, it seems to me that the more we can set our intentions going in, really being careful about the setting, then the better we'll do with these psychedelic therapies." [29:32] Links: MAPS Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Ismail Lourido Ali is the Policy Fellow at MAPS where he helps develop and implement strategies to create legal access to psychedelic substances in medical, sacramental, and personal contexts. Licensed to practice law in California, Ismail sits on the advisory committee of the Ayahuasca Defense Fund. In this episode, Ismail discusses the history and legality of ayahuasca. He explains how people in the Amazon have been using ayahuasca for thousands of years, often as part of religious, spiritual, and community ceremonies. In the mid-20th Century, ayahuasca found its way out of the jungle and into American and European popular consciousness. However, in just the past few years, ayahuasca has expanded to a near-global level. Naturally, these changes have led to a new context for this plant medicine. With the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, ayahuasca was swept up with other psychedelics for regulation. Interestingly, the plants themselves are not regulated under the 1971 International Convention on Psychotropic Substances, but the psychedelic compound it contains, DMT, is. Ismail explains why in the US, ayahuasca remains a Schedule I substance. There are legal exemptions, however. As a result of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 and a 2006 Supreme Court case, certain religious institutions are permitted to utilize ayahuasca in a sacramental context. The legality of ayahuasca use among other communities is still unclear. The status of ayahuasca varies greatly outside of the United States. In theory, ayahuasca remains unregulated in any country that has not affirmatively regulated it. However, in general, ayahuasca is most commonly legally accepted in countries that have chosen to regulate it to a certain degree or permit it under particular laws. With decriminalization movements taking hold across the United States, the status of ayahuasca has become as murky as ever. In cases like Denver and Oakland, ayahuasca still remains illegal. However, new statutes mean that enforcing laws against it are no longer a law enforcement priority. What this will mean in the long run is still unclear. In this episode: How ayahuasca use has transformed from its origins in the Amazon to something that is known across the world How ayahuasca became a regulated substance in the United States Instances in which ayahuasca use is legally permitted The complexities involved in getting permission to legally use ayahuasca The legality of ayahuasca in various countries around the world How current and recent decriminalization efforts are changing the legal status of ayahuasca Quotes: "We're in an interesting time. We're looking at a case study in the expansion of something that is more than just a plant, drug, or medicine. It's really a combination of so many different cultural, political, social, and historical realities." [6:35] "Because there is really no effective structure to determine who does and doesn't get an exemption, there are a lot of big questions that still need to be answered." [15:58] "Right now, technically nothing has changed from a legal perspective. But it's absolutely true that we're experiencing a pretty significant conversation shift because of decriminalization." [33:55] "It's important to remember that part of the reason to do spiritual and healing work is so that we have the resilience to engage with the world as it is." [36:51] Links: Follow Ismail Ali on Instagram | Twitter MAPS Ayahuasca Defense Fund "From Shock to Awe" Decriminalize Nature Boom Festival "Colonization Laid the Groundwork for the Drug War" MAPS Policy Reform Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In today's ayahuasca practitioner episode, Dr. Joe Tafur shares his vast experience learning about this plant medicine. For the last decade, family physician Dr. Tafur, author of The Fellowship of the River, has been exploring the role of spiritual healing and modern healthcare. In Peru, Dr. Tafur learned how the ceremonial use of ayahuasca could be used to heal the emotional body, and in turn, the mind and physical body. He is co-founder of Modern Spirit, a non-profit organization dedicated to demonstrating the value of spiritual healing in modern healthcare. Dr. Tafur describes the traditional origins and uses of ayahuasca. Throughout the Amazonian basin, hundreds of tribes and religious groups incorporate ayahuasca in their healing and sacred practices. This naturally has led to quite a diversity in how this plant medicine is used. Many of these traditions stretch back countless generations and researches are still learning about their processes. There is a vast range of ailments that ayahuasca has been used to address. To treat these, ayahuasca is seldom used in isolation. With the diverse vegetation found in the Amazon, ayahuasca is often combined with specific plants to treat specific conditions. This has made it very versatile in its traditional uses. Related to his work with ayahuasca, Dr. Tafur explains what is meant by the emotional body. He has recognized many spiritual healing techniques that have value beyond plant medicine treatments. Dr. Tafur explains that addressing the emotional needs of the individual can have a profound impact on many of their physical ailments. In this episode: The traditional origins and uses of ayahuasca in South America What to expect during various traditional ayahuasca ceremonies The important role of music and communication during ayahuasca ceremonies The many different conditions that ayahuasca has been used to treat Addressing the emotional needs of the patient in order to treat their physical conditions Quotes: "In the wide world of nature, the plants, and tribal culture there's a lot of variation. It's very much dependant on the individuals." [15:04] "It's a very present practice. That's part of the key to the engagement and the energy." [28:29] "What the psychedelic therapeutic experience opens up for a lot of people is an opportunity to work through the emotional and spiritual dimensions of their health." [44:50] Links: Modern Spirit The Fellowship of the River "From Shock to Awe" Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Dr. Dan Engle is a psychiatrist with a clinical practice that combines aspects of regenerative medicine, psychedelic research, integrative spirituality, and peak performance. His medical degree is from the University of Texas at San Antonio. His psychiatry residency degree is from the University of Colorado in Denver, and his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship degree is from Oregon Health & Science University. Dr. Engle is an international consultant to several global healing centers facilitating the use of long-standing indigenous plant medicines for healing and awakening. He is the Founder and Medical Director of Kuya Institute for Transformational Medicine in Austin, Texas; Full Spectrum Medicine, a psychedelic integration and educational platform; and Thank You Life, a non-profit funding stream supporting access to psychedelic therapies. Dr. Engle is the author of The Concussion Repair Manual: A Practical Guide to Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries, as well as his new book, A Dose of Hope: A Story of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy. Dr. Engle shares how he sees ayahuasca and other plant medicines as a bridge between traditional medical practices and contemporary medicine. This is particularly the case in the field of psychology. Ayahuasca can have the ability to create visionary states that lend insight into what individuals find most important at a deep subconscious level. There are ongoing efforts to understand the possible uses of ayahuasca as a tool in integrative therapy. Dr. Engle has particular experience applying it in TBI therapies. He describes what he has observed in how ayahuasca can create synaptic genesis and stimulate the growth of brain cells. This has huge implications for treating neurodegenerative conditions. Dr. Engle goes on to describe some of the scientific research surrounding ayahuasca. Its ability to treat a number of conditions has been closely examined in recent decades. This includes its effects on such a large range of issues including chronic inflammatory bowel conditions, addiction, depression, and brain injury. In this episode: The potential of ayahuasca to lend insight into unconscious desires Uses of ayahuasca in integrative psychology and TBI treatments What ayahuasca is and the active chemicals it contains Known contraindications of ayahuasca The findings of many of the research projects focusing on ayahuasca Ayahuasca's potential to treat addiction The lasting positive and negative effects of ayahuasca use Quotes: "The opening that happens when medicines are facilitated well is orders of magnitude more powerful than the opening that I had experienced in talk therapy." [6:30] "If you have brain trauma, or a neuro deficit or hypoactivity, many people feel like their brains come back online." [19:16] "We started studying it. But we're still in our infancy of understanding, whereas the traditional cultures have been working with this medicine for thousands of years." [31:14] "The medicines are not here to save us. They aren't here to fix us. The medicines are here to show us truth in our path. It's still our work to do." [50:05] Links: The Concussion Repair Manual "Fantastic Fungi" DMT: The Spirit Molecule "Embrace of the Serpent" Fellowship of the River Takiwasi Center Revive Centers Being True to You The Third Wave Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical recommendation, diagnosis, or treatment. The use of information in this podcast is at one's own discretion, and is not an endorsement of use given the complexity inherent in these medicines, and the current variable widespread illegality of their usage.

Today, Jesse Gould, the founder of Heroic Hearts Project, is here to share his story... Jesse is a former Army Ranger with a background in finance. After struggling with mental health issues stemming from his military career and finding little support at home, Jesse left it all behind and went to Peru. Hoping to find the answers he was searching for, Jesse discovered the therapeutic uses of ayahuasca. Jesse describes how his search for help eventually pointed him towards ayahuasca. While in Peru, Jesse spent a week at an ayahuasca retreat. He found that, although he was nervous and the process was difficult, the therapeutic supports throughout helped bring a new sense of clarity. In the end, Jesse found that the whole experience gave him useful tools for handling the anxiety that he previously found crippling. Once he came home, Jesse was inspired to share this experience with others like him. He started the Heroic Hearts Project with the intention of helping other veterans connect with reputable ayahuasca retreats and support their path towards healing. Over the past few years, Jesse has worked with many veterans who have experienced profound results from ayahuasca therapies. In this episode: The struggles that Jesse experienced as a veteran seeking mental health support What to expect from a week-long ayahuasca retreat The lessons of learning to surrender and give over control Helping veterans take advantage of ayahuasca therapies What many veterans are saying about the use of psychedelics to help treat PTSD Quotes: "I knew it was a big change. I knew the small changes I was making weren't having an impact. I might as well try something and I'm glad I did." [8:51] "You just come to the realization that you are not in control and that's okay." [11:13] "The psychedelic process can bring profound changes and some answers. But the person still has to implement these changes and make some hard life decisions for it to fully take effect." [22:35] Links: Save 20% at Proper Hemp Co with the code "plant medicine". Heroic Hearts Project Follow Heroic Hearts Project on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

On today's history and legality of LSD episode, we're joined by Dr. Erika Dyck. As a professor in the Department of History at the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Dyck focuses her research on 20th Century medical history with a particular interest in psychedelics, psychiatry, eugenics, and population control. Her books include Psychedelic Psychiatry: LSD from Clinic to Campus. She is also editor of A Culture's Catalyst and Psychadelic Prophets. Dr. Dyck begins by explaining how LSD was first synthesized in 1938. By the end of the 1950s, LSD had been widely studied by numerous researchers who were interested in what this new compound might offer as a model psychosis or for treatment of alcohol addiction. During the mid-20th Century, it was used in multiple settings to help treat numerous conditions. It was even studied by the US military in a failed attempt to create a truth serum. During the 1960s, LSD found its way out of the labs and into the counter-culture of the era. Dr. Dyck tells the story of how this was largely due to the efforts of Timothy Leary who advocated for its widespread use. At this point, LSD had irreversibly left the clinical medical setting and became firmly entrenched in the world of illicit drug use. With a look to the future, Dr. Dyck examines recent changes in attitudes and laws surrounding LSD and other psychedelics. For the first time in over a generation, extensive research is being conducted into the potential therapeutic uses of these drugs. This is a significant shift that leaves open new possibilities for their future legal status. In this episode: What led to the original creation of LSD The early uses of LSD to treat and understand certain psychoses The origin of the term "psychedelic" How LSD became part of the counter-culture movement in the 1960s The use of LSD in secret military experiments What led to the criminalization of LSD in the United States and Canada What has changed in recent years surrounding attitudes towards the use of psychedelics Quotes: "One of these experiences of LSD was later described as worth ten years of psychotherapy." [11:43] "Historians have tried to understand the relationship between the rising tide of social unease and frustration and civil rights protests that start to challenge the government and how the government responded by criminalizing these drugs." [22:10] "Things have really changed in the last decade. There's a return to questions around whether Schedule 1 is, in fact, the appropriate place for these." [27:23] "This is a moment where there is a desire to think about those colonial tensions that have shaped our history. That might be another feature that will help us to reconcile, or at least appreciate, a different kind of relationship going forward." [35:16] Links: Save 20% at Proper Hemp Co with the code "plant medicine". Psychedelic Psychiatry: LSD from Clinic to Campus A Culture's Catalyst Psychadelic Prophets The Search for the Manchurian Candidate The Trials of Psychadelic Therapy Episode: Psilocybin Research with Dr. Garcia-Romeu Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In today's special bonus episode, we're talking with the co-founders of Decriminalize Nature, Carlos Plazola and Larry Norris. Their mission is to promote human health and wellbeing by decriminalizing and expanding access to entheogenic plants and fungi. By utilizing political and community organizing, education, and advocacy, they are closer than ever to their goal. Carlos and Larry discuss how their organization began as an effort to help people reconnect with nature by way of using plants for their healing properties. This naturally led to them advocating for the removal of plants from their Schedule 1 status so that people can once again rediscover and utilize them as medicine. For anyone who is interested in organizing change in their community, Carlos and Larry share their advice on how to get started. It begins by gathering a small group of like-minded community members and developing a resolution. From there, it can be shared with a broader coalition of people from various parts of the community. Once it has gained wider support, it can be brought before the local government. As this movement increasingly spreads around the country, more and more organizations and individuals are getting involved. We talk about recent changes in attitudes that have taken place to make this possible and how this might lead to further developments in the near future. In this episode: The grassroots mission of Decriminalize Nature and how it has spread all over the country How Carlos and Larry became involved in advocating for decriminalization efforts Practical advice on how to organize for decriminalization at the community level What decriminalization means on the local and federal levels How the decriminalization movement has spread to cities around the United States Lessons learned from the decriminalization of cannabis How the decriminalization movement has become more diverse than ever Quotes: "This is a moment when we can stand up and say that these are important for us to be able to work with, on a personal level, a spiritual level, and healing level. And now the science is showing that." [3:51] "This is not a fear-based movement. This is a movement about liberation, equitable access, and remembering our connection to nature." [12:17] "The more news that comes out, the more people see that it's possible. The more people see the support, then everyone gets excited to jump on it. It feels safe." [26:25] "This is a non-political issue. It's very much a human issue." [32:49] Links: Decriminalize Nature Follow Decriminalize Nature on Facebook | Instagram MAPS ERIE Applying the Lessons of Legal Cannabis to Psychedelics Decriminalization VIDEO: Decriminalize Nature Addresses the Berkeley City Council Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Dr. Katrin Preller has worked for the University of Zurich where she investigated the neurobiological long-term effects of cocaine, MDMA, and heroin use. She also investigated the use of psychedelics on self-perception and social cognition at the neuro-psychopharmacology and brain imaging lab. She was appointed as the junior group leader at the University of Zurich and holds a position as a visiting assistant professor at Yale University. In today's scientific research episode, Dr. Preller breaks down what is known about LSD and discusses her clinical studies. Because of its complicated molecular structure, LSD stimulates more serotonin and dopamine production than many other psychedelics. Dr. Preller describes what past and ongoing studies have discovered concerning LSD's effect on different receptors on the subjective-behavioral and neurological levels. While Dr. Preller's research examines the neurological effects of LSD, it also focusses on social cognition. Her findings indicate that certain psychedelics can reduce feelings of social exclusion and increase empathy. This has significant implications for possible use in treating depression. Dr. Preller also discusses how various doses of LSD may affect a person's creativity as well as certain aspects of brain connectivity. In this episode: The implications of LSD's molecular structure and chemical composition What the research says about the lack of addictive potential of LSD Possible effects of psychedelics on social cognition The links between LSD and working memory The difference between micro-dosing and regular-dosing on stimulating creativity Quotes: "It is basically impossible to get addicted to LSD just because you can't use it on a daily basis." [6:05] "We are very interested in how psychedelics can modify social cognition. It is a big part of human life in general. It is also a key criterium for psychiatric diagnosis." [9:42] "What we have seen with LSD is that there is a blurring between the perception of oneself and the perception of other people." [17:02] "Research on these compounds has reemerged recently. There are still very few studies out there. We definitely need more studies to be able to answer all these open questions." [32:24] Links: Save 20% at Proper Hemp Co with the code "plant medicine". Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In today's LSD patient experience episode, Arash tells the story of how he has interacted with this particular drug. He describes what led him to his decision to try LSD for the first time and the events that helped get him into the proper mindset to proceed with it. Arash explains what type of effect it had on him and why he decided to continue using LSD afterward. LSD experiences have helped Arash make sense of many things that he had previously ignored or took for granted. He explains the insight that this compound has given him and how it has brought him to what he feels is a greater understanding of human behavior and his own identity. Having been using LSD for some time now, Arash reflects on how it has changed his perspective on many things. He has created stronger inter-personal bonds that he feels he was not capable of before. Furthermore, LSD has also lent him new insight into many things that he feels most adults fail to see. In this episode: Arash describes why he first decided to use LSD The helpfulness of having someone to guide an LSD experience How an LSD experience helped Arash have more confidence in social situations The bonding power of psychedelic experiences How LSD has allowed Arash to see old things with new eyes Quotes: "The little ego-check was what I needed so that I went into LSD having relaxed some of my guard and I went in with more of a clear slate." [9:12] "Before my trip, I was in this more insecure, scared, and vulnerable place. And then I felt completely confident in my body. I felt strong and experienced. I was finding myself taking more of a leadership role in interactions with people." [21:17] "The assistance of psychedelics took my spirituality from a dial-up modem and upgraded it to highspeed cable wifi." [36:22] Links: The Burner Podcast Follow Arash on Instagram Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Today we have another bonus episode so that you can hear from the founders of the #ThankYouPlantMedicine movement. David Griot and Jonathan Glazer are two of the leaders of this movement which aims to remove the stigma around the use of plant medicine. On February 20, 2020, there will be an important event for people who have been affected by the power of plant medicines to come out and let the world know of their experiences. David and Jonathan strongly believe that, like so many other social movements, this can be instrumental in leading to progressive change. David and Jonathan believe that this is a crucial time for this movement because it seems that more people are using plant medicines than ever. However, the legal and pharmaceutical landscape still doesn't support this. To that end, we talk about how to delicately approach this topic in circles where it might not be totally accepted. David and Jonathan explain the phases of their project and how many different people are coming together to make it happen. They are bringing in individuals and organizations from all around the world to make this a truly grassroots movement that reflects the diversity of all plant medicine users. In this episode: What the #ThankYouPlantMedicine movement is The implications of the gap between pharmaceuticals and psychedelics The connection between plant medicine and spiritual development The power of pant medicines to unite people around the world Addressing the need for discretion when discussing the use of plant medicine How people can get involved in this movement Quotes: "It's time for the communities to unite and get out of the hidden spots and just tell the truth as it is." [10:16] "The real underlying why in this for me is to create a change in consciousness on a global level to try to create a more collaborative, joyful, and pleasant world." [17:26] "There's no pressure -- it's an invitation. Only people who feel comfortable with it and are not in legal risk should participate. This is going to be the beginning of what we hope to be a multi-year movement until we reach the point where people are not jeopardized by talking about it." [22:34] Links: Find Thank You Plant Medicine online Find Thank You Plant Medicine on Facebook | Instagram The 5 Most Common Mistakes People Make when Trying Plant and Psychadelic Medicines World Ayahuasca Conference Chacruna Envision Festival Global Drug Survey Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Natalie Ginsberg is the director of policy and advocacy at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychadelic Studies (MAPS). She works hard to disentangle science from political partisanship on Capitol Hill, the United Nations, and beyond. Today, she is joining us to discuss the history and current legality of MDMA. Unlike many other psychedelics, MDMA was actually legal in the United States for quite some time. It was originally developed in 1912 in an attempt by pharmaceuticals to create a blood-clotting agent. Later on, MDMA was redeveloped with attention paid to its potential therapeutic effects. Consequently, throughout the 1970s, MDMA was widely in therapy, particularly to address phobias and in couples therapy. This all changed in the early 1980s when MDMA found its way into the club scene. With the War on Drugs in full swing, the federal government, despite lobbying efforts by therapists, religious leaders, and activists, classified it as a Schedule 1 drug. There are now efforts underway by MAPS and other organizations to get MDMA back on a pathway for legalization. By citing government studies, collecting anecdotes, and running phase 1 and phase 2 studies, MAPS has shown that there is great potential for a rescheduling of this drug. In this episode: How MDMA was first used in a therapeutic setting The history of how MDMA became criminalized Current efforts to reclassify MDMA as a medicine Evidence that MDMA can be used to successfully treat PTSD What may happen to the legal status of MDMA if it is rescheduled Ways in which psychedelics are used in conflict resolution settings Quotes: "Throughout the 70s, MDMA was actually used across the US and the world in therapy." [3:20] "Something that we were able to do was use the abundance of MDMA research that governments had sponsored to try to demonstrate harm but had actually demonstrated safety." [12:20] "Everyone who we interviewed had a very clear intention with the process of taking it for self-healing. They weren't going to save the world to do conflict resolution." [25:43] Links: MAPS Follow Natalie on Instagram Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Shannon Carlin is the associate director of training and supervision at the MAPS Public Benefit Corp. In this role, she oversees the development and implementation of the programs that prepare mental health and medical professionals to deliver MDMA assisted psychotherapy in approved clinical settings. Today Shannon is sharing what the clinical and legal landscape currently is for MDMA trials. The discussions with the FDA are currently evolving, but Shannon is very optimistic about the direction things are going in. She also talks about the current model of trials that they are conducting and how this promises to yield innovative and tangible results. Shannon describes how these trials are conducted and what participants can expect throughout the process. Shannon acknowledges that its a complex and tedious process, but stresses that everything is done to ensure both the safety of the participants and the proper scientific gathering of data. To that end, she explains how they are currently running tests and how they are preparing to change once approval for expanded trials happens. In this episode: The current FDA regulations of MDMA The types of practitioners who are participating in ongoing studies What trial participants can expect as they prepare for an MDMA trial What takes place during a clinical trial with MDMA The importance of mindset for both the practitioners and the clinicians during trails How dosing is determined during clinical studies Quotes: "I really enjoy being in the therapy room with somebody who doesn't have my same professional background because it broadens the competence that the two of us have together." [7:21] "To me, it really does feel ceremonial. There is a certain amount of ritual or sacredness about it." [13:25] "There's a symbolic gesture. It's subtle, but we don't give the medicine, we don't administer the medicine, we offer the medicine." [19:13] Links: MAPS MDMA Therapy Training Program Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Marcus and Amber Capone are founders of a nonprofit organization, VETS, Inc., which provides resources, research, and advocacy for U.S. veterans seeking psychedelic-assisted therapies. Marcus served 13 years as a Navy SEAL, and when the post-military challenges became seemingly insurmountable, Amber became intent to save him by pursuing unconventional treatment modalities. Marcus attributes psychedelic-assisted therapies to saving his life, and now the couple is determined to drive profound change in the veteran healthcare system as a whole. Marcus and Amber describe how they came about finding their way into getting Marcus into Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT treatment and the immense changes that have come about as a result of that therapy, both in Marcus's own healing journey and now in their desire to help other veterans through their foundation, Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS). In this episode: How traumatic brain injury was leading to neurologic symptoms that were treatment-resistant The experience of undergoing an Ibogaine session What it was like to do 5-MeO-DMT after the Ibogaine and why that sequence was helpful How Marcus keeps his symptoms at bay How the VETS nonprofit is aiming to spread the healing

Marcela Ot'alora G is a psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience working with trauma, specifically PTSD. Having dedicated her professional life to teaching and research, Marcela has served as principle investigator and therapist on various phase-II and phase-III MDMA assisted psychotherapy studies. In today's MDMA scientific research episode, Marcela describes some of the history of the research into the uses and effects of MDMA. Before it became a Schedule I substance, MDMA was widely used in various therapeutic settings, particularly in couple's therapy. That changed with its classification as a Schedule I drug in the mid-1980s. However, the research into MDMA's potential uses in therapy continues. With her particular focus in treating PTSD, Marcela explains some of the neurochemistry behind MDMA's use in treating this disorder. Research has shown that MDMA activates parts of the brain that are suppressed as a result of trauma and helps people suffering from it make healing connections that they previously were unable to. As an active researcher in MDMA, Marcela describes what has been gleaned from various recent and ongoing clinical studies. In this episode: Some of the early uses of MDMA in therapy The effects of MDMA in treating PTSD The results of recent phase-II and phase-III trial into the therapeutic possibilities of MDMA What it means to have breakthrough therapy status What the research says about how addictive MDMA actually is Potential adverse effects of using MDMA Quotes: "It was so powerful that I decided that I really wanted to advocate for this work and try to bring it to more people."[1:25] "They are a grounding place for you to be able to access these traumatic memories that are very difficult or painful." [7:44] "More research is needed and definitely more will be done. PTSD is just the focus at the moment." [26:50] Links: Find Marcela Ot'alora G online MAPS ClinicalTrials.gov MDMA/PTSD Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In today's patient experience episode, Steven tells us about a therapeutic use of MDMA that you may not have heard of. A medical practitioner himself, Steven understands his own condition of IBS very well and what standard treatment is. However, when all these failed to produce results, Steven took the chance and set out to discover how he could better treat his condition. It was finally a decision to address the emotional and spiritual side of his health with his therapist that led Steven to try a guided MDMA experience. As a potent compound, MDMA can lead to significant psychological effects. Steven describes what it was like for him and how it led to significant improvements with his constant pain within a day of his initial experience. Steven explains how he found somebody to lead his journey. Because of legal issues, he had to use an underground network that his therapist pointed him towards. Steven shares how he vetted his guide and what he did to feel safe and supported throughout the experience. In this episode: What compelled Steven to take his health into his own hands Addressing past trauma with the guided use of MDMA to get a handle on physical health Why Steven ultimately decided that MDMA was the right psychedelic for him What an experience of a "heroic dose" of MDMA is What to look for in someone to lead an MDMA journey The value of having an integration session after the experience The protocol Steven followed before during and after his MDMA journey Quotes: "The human body, just because it's not a machine, doesn't make it any different. There's a bunch of inputs and outputs. It's kind of like electrical engineering systems." [2:27] "For the first time in my life, I could feel bloating. It's not that the bloating went away; it was that the pain associated with the bloating went away." [10:06] "It's a breakthrough therapy. It's what the mavericks are doing." [34:23] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Healthy Gut Company MAPS Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In today's episode, Sean McAllister explains the history of psilocybin's legality in the United States and what its legal status is today. Sean is an attorney working for decriminalization efforts in California and Colorado. He was general counsel for the decriminalization movement in Denver and is a key figure in legalization efforts in California. Sean walks us through the history of psilocybin in the country over the past half-century. He explains how psychedelics became demonized in popular culture and politics. Throughout the sixties and seventies, psilocybin was branded as a dangerous drug and its use and sale were criminalized in the Controlled Substances Act of 1971. Sean explains how recent cultural shifts have opened up the possibility of looking at psychedelics such as psilocybin for their possible health benefits. He describes what went into decriminalizing psilocybin in Denver through a voter initiative and where it stands there legally at the moment. In many places, psilocybin's legality occupies a gray area. Though decriminalized, it still remains technically illegal. Sean explains just what this means in the actual legal landscape and how there are still limits to what one can do with psilocybin. We also discuss some very current events. Only a few weeks ago, the effort to collect signatures to legalize psilocybin in California began. Sean has been instrumental in drafting the language for this initiative. He tells us where the effort is at the moment and what it would accomplish if passed. In this episode: The history of the study and use of psilocybin in the United States The efforts that led to the decriminalization of psilocybin in Denver The distinction between decriminalization and legalization The current state of legalization efforts in California and Oregon Quotes: "It's nice that this renaissance is about a cultural and paradigmatic shift towards looking at drug use as a public health issue, not an incarceration issue." [3:14] "What these elections do is they create so much positivity and hope because it proves that when people come together and when the message is right, the voters will do the right thing, even on a complicated topic like this." [11:51] "It's a very complex issue that we're really only now beginning to unpack. The next five years are really going to be an amazing time to be involved in psychedelic reform. That's why its the psychedelic renaissance right now." [41:55] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Decriminalize Nature SPORE Drug Policy Alliance MAPS Decriminalize California Chacruna Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In today's special bonus episode, we're discussing integration with Dr. Ryan Westrum. Many guests on this show talk about the importance of integration as part of a psychedelic journey. However, integration is not always understood for what it is. As you'll hear, it can serve as important scaffolding for a psychedelic experience, making it more meaningful than it might be otherwise. Dr. Westrum is the co-author of The Psychedelics Integration Handbook and an internationally recognized psychedelic integration expert. For more than fifteen years, his primary focus has been working with individuals and groups to facilitate experiential therapy and integrate psychedelic journies into healing and personal transformation. In this conversation, Dr. Westrum explains exactly what an integration therapist is. Simply put, they help prepare the patient for the psychedelic experience and assist in processing it afterward. What they do not do is actually administer the drug itself. In this role, what an integration therapist does can actually vary greatly. Whether they're doing dream-work, CBT therapy, or even yoga, the integration therapist provides a degree of support and interpretation to make the experience more effective and meaningful. In this episode: What integration is and what an integration therapist does How an integration therapist helps tailor a specific experience to a particular patient's needs Some of the factors that contribute to psychedelic experiences Some integration exercises that help make meaning of a psychedelic experience The importance of intention setting and mindset in a psychedelic journey Considerations for group versus individual experiences Quotes: "We're not trying to put a square peg in a circular hole. We're trying to individualize it." [6:30] "Psychadelic experiences can bring out a tremendous amount of information that we're not necessarily aware of. So any preparation is going to support that." [9:14] "All experiences are challenging; they're not bad. But if you invite yourself to compare and do the appropriate preparation within integration, you're going to get something fruitful out of it." [22:53] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' The Psychedelics Integration Handbook Psychedelic Integration Healing Souls Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Today I'm sharing with you the psilocybin patient experience. Disclaimer: I'm not coming to you as a doctor, lawyer, or researcher in this episode, but simply as someone who has experienced psilocybin and is talking about the experience for educational purposes. This was my first (and to this date only) experience with a curated psilocybin ceremony, involving intention setting, a playlist specifically-designed for the journey, and a well-planned environment. It was actually that experience that ultimately led me to start this podcast. I describe how this psilocybin experience helped convey certain messages and led me into a sense of clarity through new introspection. During my psilocybin journey, I was able to deeply reflect on episodes in my life in ways that gave them the closure I hadn't even been aware that I needed. It helped me gain perspective on my anxiety and actually be grateful for its source. I have since been able to carry some of the clarity of this experience forward with me in other aspects of my life. As a bonus, I discuss a bit about how a microdose of psilocybin led me to finally quit practicing medicine. In this episode: Setting intentions as part of a psilocybin ceremony The messages that the plants can convey during an experience The clarity that is imparted by psilocybin How psilocybin has affected my sense of anxiety The possible delayed introspective effects of psilocybin microdosing Quotes: "A lot of times the people who are guiding these ceremonies have a certain intuition to them." [7:58] "Especially during this psilocybin journey, I felt like the plants were speaking to me. Not necessarily in a language but in very clear senses in what they were trying to convey." [10:40] "When you're in the effects, things seem so dramatic and real and you feel this sense of calm and oneness. It's hard to realize that that's going to wear off." [16:39] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Today's episode is the first in our series focusing on psilocybin's potential uses as medicine. You are going to hear from one of the premier researchers into this drug, how he runs his studies, and what he has discovered concerning its effects and uses as a medicine. Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu is a member of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a Guest Researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Neuroimaging Research Branch. There, he studies the effects of psychedelic drugs in humans with a particular focus of psilocybin as a potential aid in the treatment of addiction. Dr. Garcia-Romeu explains the biochemical effects of psilocybin in the human body. He delves into what his research has uncovered about the drug's potential to treat addiction disorders. What is noteworthy about his research is that is has shown that psychedelic treatments have been able to help some people make lasting changes in regard to alcohol and nicotine addiction. Dr. Garcia-Romeu also discusses psilocybin's use in treating anxiety and depression. The research has shown that psilocybin has the potential to help patients with life-threatening and terminal illnesses cope with the psychological burdens of their disease. He also explains some of the ongoing research into the efficacy of psilocybin to have a lasting impact on depression in general. In this episode: How psilocybin works at a biochemical level What the research is saying about the uses of psilocybin to treat addiction disorders Possible reasons why some people respond more significantly to psilocybin treatments than others Psilocybin's effect on treating mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression Safeguards to avoid possible adverse effects during psilocybin studies Quotes: "Administering high doses of drugs like psilocybin and LSD seemed to really help people make some breakthroughs into having greater insight into their alcohol abuse and having more plasticity in their ability to change their behavior going forward." [7:06] "The more mystical effects that people are having, the better outcomes you're seeing." [23:25] "These were real improvements in the quality of life that were measurable, statistically significant, and enduring." [28:42] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research clinicaltrials.gov Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Today's episode discusses the history and legality of ketamine. Being so widely available and legal in many places, including the United States, ketamine's story is different from many other medicines discussed in this show. With that being the case, we'll also hear the experience of one more patient who has made use of ketamine therapy. When many people hear of ketamine they think of a horse tranquilizer, party-drug, or battlefield medicine. This diversity of uses reflects the varied history of this drug. Ketamine was patented for human and animal use in 1966 and approved by the FDA in 1970. It soon after found widespread use as a field anesthetic in Vietnam. It wasn't long before the medical and non-medical uses of ketamine expanded worldwide. In the 1990s, researches found that ketamine has many effects in the treatment of depression and chronic pain. In the United States, ketamine is a Schedule 3 drug, meaning that it is widely available as long as a patient has a prescription from their physician. However, in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, ketamine remains illegal. Many other countries restrict the drug to veterinary use only. The second part of this episode is a discussion with Jennifer about how she approached her physician about using ketamine and her journey with this medicine. While searching for relief from her chronic depression and anxiety, Jennifer came across ketamine treatments. While she initially faced pushback from her psychologist, Jennifer went ahead with her treatment. She discusses how ketamine was able to treat her depression as well as migraines in a way that the other drugs she had taken had not. In this episode: A brief history of the legality of ketamine in the United States What early studies into the various medical uses of ketamine uncovered Where ketamine is legal and in what forms The challenge of finding a doctor who agrees with a patient's interest in alternative therapies The small but meaningful changes that one patient felt after starting ketamine therapy Quotes: "The fact that there are so many different ways that people have heard of ketamine is a testament to how many things it can do." [5:11] "If you are considering ketamine, it is a matter of finding a physician or a center that offers it intravenously or intramuscularly. Or work with a psychologist or psychotherapist who offers it, often in the lozenge or nasal form." [7:56] "So many little things. It felt like I could take deep breaths. I wasn't always on edge with stress and anger and being defeated. When that little bit starts to lift -- that's a lot!" - Jennifer [14:20] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Ketamine.com The Third Wave Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In this bonus ketamine practitioner episode, you'll hear from Dr. Ben Kaplan-Singer about the application of intramuscular ketamine. Dr. Kaplan-Singer practices integrative and functional medicine and has developed a "whole person" approach to helping his patients address a number of conditions. With a specialty in intramuscular applications of ketamine, Dr. Kaplan-Singer explains how this method is administered and how someone best prepares for it. As with many transformational experiences, intention setting is crucial. Dr. Kaplan-Singer shares his advice when it comes to setting intentions and explains how it helps with the process overall. Dr. Kaplan-Singer goes on to describe what someone going through an IM treatment of ketamine can expect. From the initial meetings with the doctor to the treatment itself to processing the experience afterward, Dr. Kaplan-Singer explains how he manages it all as a highly curated and supported process. In this episode: How ketamine works at both the biochemical and metaphysical levels The importance of intention setting when preparing for a transformational experience Relative contraindications and side-effects of ketamine to be aware of A walk-through of the process and experience of IM treatment from beginning to end The effects of ketamine on the central-nervous-system as well as the body Techniques and methods for processing the post-ketamine experience Quotes: "Ketamine is being rediscovered as one of the most potent and fastest acting anti-depressants that we know in the pharmaceutical world." [4:37] "When used this way, we're actually helping people get novel insights into who they are, what they are, why they're alive, what their purpose is for being on this planet, what their relationship is to others, and what their relationship is to the cosmos." [6:52] "I encourage people to embrace a view where whatever comes up is not necessarily looked at as a side-effect but rather as a portal for potential healing." [15:36] "Ketamine doesn't just seem to work on the mind. It also seems to work on the body." [23:14] "When you have a big transformation, it's not enough to just have a peak experience. It really matters how you apply those insights into daily living." [26:17] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Find Dr. Ben Kaplan-Singer online Enzo Center Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

This week's episode delves into the science behind ketamine therapy with Dr. Jason Wallach. Dr. Wallach has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology and is an instructor at the University of the Sciences. His research focuses on the analytical and pharmacological characterizations of psychoactive drugs with a focus on dissociatives and the serotonergic classical hallucinogens. Dr. Wallach explains what the research says about the biochemistry of ketamine and how it actually works in the body. There's still some debate about how ketamine's various biochemical effects are involved in its therapeutic effects. Dr. Wallach shares what his research has discovered and the questions that he is still trying to answer. Specifically when it comes to examining the potential uses of ketamine to treat depression, Dr. Wallach sees a lot of promise for the drug. He explains some of what the research has shown with ketamine's use as an anti-depressant and how its effects differ from other treatments. There has also been a lot of research into the difference between racemic mixtures of ketamine versus left-handed or s-ketamine. While racemic, which contains both the right and left-handed molecules, is what's most widely used in the United States, new information is coming out regularly about the more targeted approach of s-ketamine. In this episode: What the current research says concerning ketamine's biochemical effects in the body The connection between ketamine and glutamate receptors and what this could mean for its anti-depressant effects Studies into ketamine's use as an anti-depressant and what this suggests about its efficacy Ketamine as a treatment for various chronic pain conditions The difference between racemic ketamine and s-ketamine The future of ketamine trials Quotes: "What ketamine does is it blocks the NMDA receptor preventing that flux of information from outside the cell to inside the cell." [5:46] "Most existing anti-depressants have a delay in their onset. They take several weeks before you see any effect. Whereas with ketamine they can be observed within 40 minutes and peak within a day or so." [10:45] "I suspect that maybe for a subset of people with depression, maybe even PTSD, chronic pain, or OCD, those experiences might have additional efficacy above and beyond what is occurring with the sub-hallucinogenic doses of ketamine that are currently being used." [24:41] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

In today's ketamine practitioner episode, Dr. Steven Mandel describes some of the modern applications of ketamine. Dr. Mandel is the founder and president of Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles and a founding member of the American Society of Ketamine Physicians. As an internationally recognized pioneer in the use of ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression, suicidality, PTSD, and chronic pain, Dr. Mandel has made numerous media appearances and has personally administered thousands of ketamine infusions. In this episode, Dr. Mandel recounts some of the history behind ketamine's use in treating conditions such as PTSD and depression. While its use originated on the battlefield, an increasing number of physicians, including Dr. Mandel, soon discovered its other uses for anesthesia and psychological treatments. Dr. Mandel describes what goes on in his clinic and the common conditions that he uses ketamine infusions to treat. This ranges from depression to PTSD and even chronic pain. Dr. Mandel goes into what the research is saying concerning ketamine's effects on these conditions and how he uses it to treat his patients. In this episode: The history behind ketamine's use as a treatment for PTSD and depression The other therapies that should go alongside ketamine use in order to achieve lasting effects Common psychological conditions that ketamine may help to address Ketamine's use in treating chronic pain The importance of priming a patient's mindset in preparation for and during therapy Some of Dr. Mandel's favorite success stories Quotes: "Ketamine very quickly became the darling of the battlefield medical community because ketamine in sub-anesthetic doses could very rapidly make a wounded soldier numb enough to participate in his own evacuation despite his wounds." [8:35] "Ketamine is not a cure at all. It's a treatment. It doesn't fix anybody permanently." [12:30] "You can go to very dark places with ketamine. Ketamine is a fuel. It's a great enhancer of resilience but particularly the first experience with it can be offputting." [28:04] "Ketamine can help you to become more open, more resilient. Your sense of worthlessness and helplessness goes away. Your ability to give yourself permission to experience pleasure gets much better." [34:43] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles American Society of Ketamine Physicians Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Today's episode explores the patient's experience of using ketamine in a clinical setting. As a very health-conscious person, Michael was curious about how ketamine, applied at a clinic through an IV drip, could address issues with his overall health. In this episode, Michael describes what these experiences have meant to him. Michael shares his reasoning behind his decision to try ketamine and how he prepared mentally and physically for the experience. He walks us through the experience at the clinic getting his infusions and what it's like from the patient's perspective. These ketamine treatments have had a number of effects for Michael. He describes how they helped him gain clarity on a number of topics ranging from his business to the grieving of a friend's death. These six treatments were very impactful for Michael, and he describes how he processed them immediately afterward and how he continues to think about them. In this episode What led to Michael's decision to use ketamine What was involved in preparing for his initial treatment How ketamine compares to other psychedelics in Michael's experience Common protocols around ketamine infusion treatments Quotes "You can cover a lot of ground. It's really up to the person how much they're willing to investigate in themselves." [10:25] "I closed my eyes and it was a really easy experience to let go into because it's a tranquilizer, you know." [14:29] "They made it sound like I was going to be able to work the same day [as the treatments]. Definitely not the case! Really give yourself some space for the rest of that day." [34:24] Links Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Distinguished Professor of Law Michael Vitiello is a nationally-recognized expert on criminal law, sentencing policy, and cannabis law. His work on California's three-strikes law has been cited by the United States Supreme Court and the California Supreme Court. This year, Prof. Vitiello along with two co-authors from the University of Michigan published cases and material regarding cannabis law. Today's episode is an examination of the history and legality of cannabis in the United States. Prof. Vitiello starts off with a brief history of how people have grown and consumed cannabis throughout the ages. In fact, a couple of centuries ago, there were few regulations around cannabis and it was widely used for many purposes, including as medicine. Prof. Vitiello explains how that all changed towards the end of the 19th Century when regulations began limiting access to cannabis. He describes how attitudes about the plant have shifted and changed over the last one hundred years and how this is and isn't reflected in the law. We then examine the shifts in regulations and attitudes of recent years that have allowed some states to decriminalize or even legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use. This has led to a divergence between federal law and many states' law, something which further clouds the issue. To help make sense of this, Prof. Vitiello describes how we can navigate a situation in which state laws and federal laws diverge over the legal status of cannabis. In this episode The fascinating yet little understood history of marijuana in America The factors that initially led to the criminalization of marijuana How cannabis played a role in the culture wars throughout the 20th Century The legal rollercoaster that marijuana has gone through over time Recent developments that have led to states changing their laws concerning marijuana How to make sense of conflicting laws concerning the legality of cannabis Quotes "During the Civil War, there were more regulations of tea than there were on marijuana." [4:12] "Marijuana got into Schedule 1 because of a political compromise. The government's original position was that it couldn't accept the petition to reschedule because it didn't have the power to do that. It was an asinine position." [25:19] "When we talk about legalization, we're only saying that some states have decided not to make it a violation of state law." [30:44] "The possibility of the federal government prosecuting you just based on you purchasing and using in-state is almost is almost certainly not going to happen." [48:23] Links Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Dr. Adam Abodeely is the founder and CEO of Reserve:MD as well as a double board-certified surgeon specializing in gastrointestinal diseases and cancer. He is the chairman of the Dispensary Review Committee for the Association of Cannabis Specialists and is the author of A Surgeon's Perspective on the Science & Truth of Cannabis. Dr. Abodeely recommends cannabis-based therapy for over one hundred different conditions. His journey with medical cannabis began when his patients started telling him about how they were benefiting more from cannabis than they were from the pharmaceuticals he prescribed for them. Since then, Dr. Abodeely has been conducting exhaustive research into the medical uses of cannabis. In this interview, Dr. Abodeely describes what he takes into consideration when deciding if a patient is a good candidate for medical cannabis. We examine some of the many medical conditions in which Dr. Abodeely has found cannabis, and specifically THC, to be helpful. As a GI specialist, Dr. Abodeely takes us on a deep dive of how THC and other cannabinoids specifically affect people with various gut issues. He describes the various ways in which THC can be administered and the benefits and drawbacks of different methods. We examine how cannabis can best be delivered and how to determine proper dosage. In this episode: Guidance to give patients when certifying them for medical cannabis Some of the conditions that Dr. Abodeely has found are treated well with medical cannabis How the various properties of cannabis can impact people with certain GI diseases If depression can be considered a form of chronic pain and be treated with cannabis Why different people respond differently to THC Whether or not cannabis can react negatively with other medications Quotes "What I realized is that patients were actually really benefiting from it. They were coming to me to receive care and my care was providing them with sub-optimal outcomes. But they were receiving great benefits from cannabis." [5:50] "My goals are to at least minimize or reduce the opioid consumption or get rid of it all together [13:33] "Cannabis medicine is a very personal experience. Our bodies are all genetically different. We all have our unique cannabinoid receptors and genetic polymorphisms which means there's differences in how my cannabinoid receptors may be compared to yours and how you're going to respond." [21:31] "Doses that are too low or too high tend to be non-therapeutic. There's a sweet spot." [29:57] Links Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Reserve:MD Adirondack Gastrointestinal & Surgical Group Association of Cannabis Specialists A Surgeon's Perspective on the Science & Truth of Cannabis by Dr. Adam Abodeely Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

Dr. Karyemaitre Aliffe is a multi-lingual physician and scientist who brings life to science and vitality to our concepts of medicine. He has over 35 years of experience as a researcher in natural products. His work has taken him across the globe from the biotech hub of Silicon Valley to some of the remotest corners of the Amazon, Australia, and Africa. Today's episode explores some of the latest scientific research into medical THC. When it comes to examining the medical uses of cannabis, there is a lot more anecdotal evidence than clinical evidence available. Dr. Aliffe explains the value he sees in this anecdotal evidence and why it should not be overlooked in terms of scientific value. Dr. Aliffe explains what he knows about how THC actually interacts with the human body. There is still much to be discovered about this, but he describes what is known about the biochemical response that happens when THC and other cannabinoids are introduced into the body. Dr. Aliffe talks about a number of recent discoveries covering topics ranging from THC's role in athletic training to managing stress factors. Since the endocannabinoid system helps modulate the emotional reaction to various circumstances, it has a number of implications in high-stress situations. With the many variations in cannabis products and individual physiology, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for studies to determine what is optimal for each person. Dr. Aliffe explains what he believes the role of an individual, as well as their physician, could be in this matter. In this episode: The important distinction between pharmaceuticals and botanical medicines The value of examining anecdotal evidence What is known about how THC actually interacts with the human body The impact of cannabis on the human response to high-stress situations The challenges of determining optimal dosing with THC The potential role of cannabis in treating aspects of PTSD, anxiety, and depression The implications of cannabis' anti-inflammatory properties Quotes: "For me, anecdotal evidence is useful because medical practice is all anecdotal; it's not a controlled trial." [8:27] "There's ample evidence that shows that when you have a person who's relaxed but present and very centered, that's when they have their optimal mind-body performance and cognitive athletic function." [20:24] "The challenge is for people to feel comfortable to know how to proceed with a well-produced and well-documented product that actually does have the amount of THC and CBD and other components that it says on the label." [34:54] "There's all this conflicting physiology going on and the endocannabinoid system is trying to find that sweet spot of homeostasis in there where everything goes well in life." [45:13] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui

When Leanna was finishing up college she began experiencing severe nerve pain in her back. To help her deal with the pain and sleep through it better, Leanna turned to using medical cannabis. In today's THC patient experience episode, I talk with Leanna about how she used THC to help her cope with this recurrent back pain. She even shares how her grandmother used it help with all sorts of pains and to get her more active than she had been in years. Not wanting to take potentially addictive opioids, Leanna started asking questions about cannabis as a possibly safer alternative. She soon found that THC was helping her feel better than she otherwise thought she could. Leanna and I talk about how she, as well as her grandmother, found their preferred forms of administering THC and why it's different for everyone. She explains why using cannabis at different times of day helped her get out of bed in the morning and sleep better at night. In this episode: Coming to the decision to use cannabis to treat chronic pain How to deciding which form of THC to take Determining one's ideal way of taking THC to maximize the results and minimize the side-effects Discussing the use of medical cannabis with family members How patients can talk with medical practitioners about their use of THC products Quotes "At the time I was just looking for other ways that I would feel safer than taking [opioids] long-term." [6:08] "I had struggles with anxiety in the past and [cannabis] was something that always helped me with it a little bit too. Whereas I have friends who say it gives them even more anxiety." [14:03] "So my grandma was someone who was able to handle THC better than a lot of people my own age." [18:40] Links Check out the full episode post Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine'

Today's episode covers the history and legality of CBD. While this should not be construed as legal advice, you will learn about some of the background of CBD and where it fits into the current legal landscape. In order to understand the legality of CBD, it's important to know the difference between hemp and cannabis. Hemp contains less than 0.3 percent THC content, while cannabis has more. Although CBD can be extracted from either of these plants, the majority of CBD on the market comes from hemp. The production of hemp in the United States has been greatly affected by various laws over the last one hundred years. In fact, it wasn't until the Farm Bill of 2018 that hemp was removed from the Controlled Substances Act, allowing for the harvesting of CBD seen today. CBD has been known to have potential medical applications for decades, however recent changes in both state and federal laws have led to its new proliferation around the country. Since laws vary from state to state and not all CBD comes from legal sources, it's important to know where each particular state stands. In this episode: The difference between hemp and cannabis and why this distinction matters A brief history of the word marijuana and why many people are avoiding its use A history of hemp production and how anti-drug laws have affected it The discovery and study of CBD as a compound with potential medical uses What to look out for when determining the legality of a CBD product in a particular state Quotes "CBD can be extracted from both marijuana and hemp as both of them have cannabidiol, or CBD, in them among other cannabinoids." [4:34] "It is a rapidly developing area and the FDA is still working to develop a regulatory path for hemp-derived CBD."[10:43] "In states where cannabis is not legal, then CBD from cannabis is also not legal." [12:29] Links Keep up with everything Plant Medicine related here Porangui Get 20% off everything at Octogon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine'

Dr. Mallory Loflin is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Her research focuses on understanding cannabis as a plant containing multiple potential therapeutic agents, as well as being a substance of abuse. She is the primary investigator for a phase II clinical trial testing the efficacy of CBD as an adjunctive to psychotherapy in the treatment of PTSD in veterans. In today's episode, we dive into what the research is telling us about CBD. Dr. Loflin shares how her current study is going, as well as her past work. She tells us what the science is saying about various applications of CBD to treat conditions such as epilepsy, anxiety, and depression. With her own research focusing on PTSD, Dr. Loflin is trying to answer some very intriguing questions. From determining if commercially available CBD products are appropriately labeled to studying how it affects people's fear response as well as their mood in general. Dr. Loflin continues to explain how she is working to determine how CBD works in different dosages and how that can help patients in a number of fascinating ways. In this episode: The encouraging results of trials into the efficacy of CBD for treating PTSD symptoms Some of the ways CBD has been used to treat various conditions and illnesses in recent years What many of the recent and ongoing studies into CBD are looking at The different types of CBD and why it's important to know the difference Figuring out the right dose for CBD and how it compares to THC treatments Just how habit-forming using cannabis, and CBD in particular, is on a regular basis Quotes "When you looked at the preclinical data, there had been some early work suggesting that potentially some cannabinoids could be helpful for the treatment of PTSD." [5:00] "People are already experimenting with different kinds of CBD, so we have to both see what people are using and if it's safe, if it's potentially showing effects, differences in what people are using and then we also need to study it from an actual traditional drug development pathway." [11:10] "Usually when you get [people with PTSD] on a route of change, you don't start to really see big impacts in functioning until further down the road because you're changing the trajectory of their life." [25:39] Links Dr. Loflin's CBD and PTSD study (currently enrolling) VA Center of Excellence, Stress, and Mental Health Santa Cruz Veterans Alliance Octagon Biolabs