In today’s episode, we continue learning about tobacco, one of the most widely used mind altering substances. During this two-part discussion, Dr. Plotkin addresses the duality of this well-known plant of the gods. Between its spiritual significance and its ties to addiction, disease and enslavement, the story of tobacco is complicated yet fascinating. In the second half, we’ll hear about some of Dr. Plotkin’s own experiences with tobacco, and how indigenous peoples in both Mexico and Amazonia employ this sacred plant for healing purposes.

Episode Notes

“A Deep History of Tobacco in Lowland South America.” The Master Plant : Tobacco in Lowland South America, https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474220279.ch-002. 

Descola, Philippe. The Spears of Twilight: Life and Death in the Amazon Jungle. New Press, 2009. 

Emboden, William. Narcotic Plants. Collier Books, 1980. 

Furst, Peter T. Hallucinogens and Culture. Chandler & Sharp Publishers, Inc., 1997. 

Goodman, Jordan. Tobacco in History and Culture. Thomson Gale, 2005. 

Goodman, Jordan. Tobacco in History: The Cultures of Dependence. Routledge, 1994. 

Hobhouse, Henry. Seeds of Wealth: Four Plants That Made Men Rich. Macmillan, 2012. 

Marris, Emma. “The Anthropologist and His Old Friend, Who Became a Jaguar.” Culture, National Geographic, 4 May 2021, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/160518-manu-park-peru-matsigenka-tribe-death-jaguar. 

Narby, Jeremy, and Rafael Chanchari Pizuri. Plant Teachers: Ayahuasca, Tobacco, and the Pursuit of Knowledge. New World Library, 2021. 

Ott, Jonathan. Pharmacotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History. Natural Products, 1996. 

Schultes, Richard Evans, and Albert Hofmann. Plants of the Gods: Origins of Hallucinogenic Use. A. Van Der Marck Editions, 1987. 

Shepard, Glenn H. “Psychoactive Plants and Ethnopsychiatric Medicines of the Matsigenka.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, vol. 30, no. 4, 1998, pp. 321–332., https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.1998.10399708. 

Steffensen, Jennifer. “The Reality (TV) of Vanishing Lives: An Interview with Glenn Shepard.” Anthropology News, vol. 49, no. 5, 2008, pp. 30–30., https://doi.org/10.1525/an.2008.49.5.30. 

Wilbert, Johannes. Tobacco and Shamanism in South America. Yale University Press, 1993.