The Tim Ferriss Show

#469: Dr. Mark Plotkin on Ethnobotany, Real vs. Fake Shamans, Hallucinogens, and the Dalai Lamas of South America

Sep 30, 2020

Dr. Mark Plotkin is an acclaimed ethnobotanist and president of the Amazon Conservation Team, known for his extensive work with indigenous tribes. In this conversation, he dives into the mystical world of plants and their medicinal properties, discussing the rich traditions of shamans and the ethics surrounding hallucinogens like Ayahuasca. He also highlights the pressing issue of environmental degradation's link to public health crises and advocates for integrating indigenous knowledge with modern medicine to foster sustainable conservation efforts.

01:37:08

Episode guests

Mark Plotkin

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Influence of Indiana Jones on Tropical Research

01:32

Intro

2min

Exploring Health Innovations

7min

Exploring Ethnobotany and Healing Traditions

18min

Exploring Hallucinogens: Yopo vs. Ayahuasca and Indigenous Wisdom

5min

The True Essence of Shamanism

9min

The Wisdom of the Amazon: Bridging Tradition and Technology

21min

Pandemic Prevention and Nature's Role

7min

Building Bridges: The Importance of Long-term Relationships and Bipartisanship

4min

Female Healers and Gender Dynamics in Indigenous Cultures

9min

10.

Exploring Holistic Healing Through Traditional Practices

3min

11.

Bridging Cultures for Conservation: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge and Western Medicine

3min

12.

Ethnobotany and Personal Discoveries

8min

Dr. Mark Plotkin (@DocMarkPlotkin) is an ethnobotanist who serves as president of the Amazon Conservation Team, which has partnered with 55 tribes to map and improve management and protection of 80 million acres of ancestral rainforests. Educated at Harvard, Yale, and Tufts, Plotkin has since spent much of the past four decades studying the shamans and healing plants of tropical America from Mexico to Argentina, although much of his work focuses on the rainforests of the northeast Amazon. He is best known to the general public as the author of the book Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice, one of the most popular books about the rainforest. His new book from Oxford Press is The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know.

His upcoming podcast series is titled Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens: Culture, Conservation, History and Healing, and it will be coming out in late October. More information will be available on Mark’s website.

Please enjoy!

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