African Psychoactive Plants: Dreams, Ancestors, and Healing - Jean-Francois Sobiecki

Jan 19, 2026

Join ethnobotanist and healer Jean-Francois Sobiecki as he explores the rich landscape of African psychoactive plants, challenging the myth that Africa lacks in visionary traditions. He dives into Ubulawu, a dream-enhancing medicine, and discusses its role in ancestor healing. The conversation ranges from parallels with Amazonian practices to the archaeological evidence of psilocybin in Africa. Sobiecki also shares insights on conservation, the therapeutic potential of dreamwork, and the need for respectful healing practices.

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ANECDOTE

15-Year Apprenticeship With Leti Mponya

Jean-Francois recounts meeting Leti Mponya and apprenticing for 15 years, becoming close mentor and friend.
Leti introduced him to plants used for dreaming, like Strychnos henningsii, and guided his initiation and research.

INSIGHT

Africa's Rich Psychoactive Plant Traditions

Jean-Francois overturns the myth that Africa lacks psychoactive plant traditions by documenting extensive use of dreaming and visionary plants.
He inventoried 306 species used for psychoactive purposes, showing a rich, overlooked tradition.

INSIGHT

Ubulawu: A Slow-Acting Dream Teacher

Ubulawu is an emetic, dream-enhancing root medicine used to open intuition and connect people to ancestors via dreams.
Jean-Francois contrasts Ubulawu's slow, sustained 'kindling' effect with ayahuasca's sudden visionary 'flame'.

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African Psychoactive Plants: Dreams, Ancestors, and Healing

In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Jean-Francois Sobiecki, a South African ethnobotanist, clinical nutritionist, and healer whose work challenges the assumption that Africa lacks psychoactive plant traditions.

Find full show notes and links here: https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-339/?ref=278

Drawing from over two decades of research and a 15-year apprenticeship with a Northern Sotho healer, Jean-Francois explores dream-enhancing medicines like Ubulawu, ancestral healing systems, and cross-cultural parallels with Amazonian plant traditions. The conversation also examines conservation, initiation, and the role of African psychoactive plants in global mental health.

Jean-Francois Sobiecki is a South African ethnobotanist, clinical nutritionist, and healer with over two decades of experience researching African psychoactive plant traditions. A research associate at the University of Johannesburg and founder of Phytoalchemy, he has documented more than 300 psychoactive plant species and completed a 15-year apprenticeship under Northern Sotho healer Leti Maponya. He is the author of African Psychoactive Plants: Journeys in Phytoalchemy.

Highlights:

Challenging myths about African visionary plants
Ubulawu and dream-based healing
Psychoactive vs psychedelic distinctions
African and Amazonian initiation parallels
Archaeological evidence of psilocybin in Africa
Conservation and healing gardens

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