Psychedelic Medicine Podcast with Dr. Lynn Marie Morski

In this episode of the Plant Medicine Podcast, Carlos Tanner Joins to share his story of addiction, and how participating in ayahuasca ceremonies not only led him to personal healing but started him down a path of becoming a traditional healer himself. Carlos is the founder of the Ayahuasca Foundation, an organization based out of Iquitos, Peru, which hosts retreats and leads educational programs to pass along training in the Shipibo tradition. The Ayahuasca Foundation is also home to the Riosbo Retreat & Research Center, which has received funding from the Medical Research Council in the United Kingdom to conduct research on the epigenetic effects of ayahuasca ceremonies, with particular focus on anxiety, depression, and childhood trauma. Before becoming a pioneer in psychedelic science, Carlos had a long journey with addiction, leading him to seek healing in Peru through, Shipibo ayahuasca ceremonies. Participating in his first series of ceremonies in 2003, Carlos describes his challenging first experience with ayahuasca and the dramatic healings spurred by subsequent ceremonies. Going into these experiences very much in the midst of addiction, Carlos came face to face with childhood trauma and personifications of his illness. With the help of the plant medicine and the spiritual ambiance of the ceremonies, he was able to find incredible healing in the experiences. It was the profound impact of these first encounters with ayahuasca and the Shipibo tradition experienced curandero, and learning the intricacies of the ceremonies. In This Episode: How the inner environment greatly impacts the outcome of an ayahuasca experience Carlos' experience with an intensive series of ayahuasca ceremonies while struggling with addiciton Trauma in oneself vs trauma in one's relationships, and the different modes of healing for each The importance of the ceremony in shaping the healing experience Epigenetic change caused by ayahuasca ceremony, leading to decreased anxiety and depression Quotes: "That's the magic of it- you could walk into a ceremony with zero faith and walk out with one hundred percent." [13:05] "When I left the third ceremony I knew it was my path to be a healer and that I was going to dedicate the rest of my life to this tradition." [29:10] "It was easy for me to heal that trauma. I know that might sound crazy but inside the ceremony, it wasn't such a crazy, difficult ordeal for me." [34:42] "You can't separate ayahuasca from the culture of its use, you can't separate the ceremony from the medicine, and there's so much that comes from the ceremony." [49:33] "If you're in the world of addiction it's going to be almost impossible to stay in that environment and not be an addict." [1:01:35] Links: Ayahuasca Foundation Psychedelic Medicine Association Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Porangui NOTE: I said I'd add links to the study findings Carlos was referencing, but those are unfortunately not yet published- links will be added when available.

In this episode, host Dr. Lynn Marie Morski, who is also president of the soon-to-be-launched Psychedelic Medicine Association, discusses what services the association will be providing what needs it will address, and how the collaborations fostered in the association will contribute to real-world improvements in access to psychedelic therapies. With her background in the medical field, Dr. Moski outlines why it is so difficult for practicing clinicians to encounter information about treatments such as psychedelic therapy. As doctors mostly stay up-to-date through medical journals and association emails, the excitement around the therapeutic potential of plant medicines in the broader culture doesn't necessarily translate to clinicians knowing the subject in detail. The Psychedelic Medicine Association will seek to rectify this lack of awareness by providing content geared towards medical professionals- connecting them with the latest science and providing resources so they are better able to respond to patient questions regarding psychedelic therapies. The association will even provide a forum for clinicians to interact with each other as they navigate understanding these medicines, as well as a forum to connect health professionals with other experts in the burgeoning field of psychedelic therapy. To celebrate the launch of the Plant Medicine Association, they will be hosting a webinar at 1:00 PM Eastern on September 29th featuring a panel discussion on bridging the gap between the psychedelic science and clinical medicine worlds to introduce the association and begin discussing how to best address the barriers to getting these medicines in the hands of patients in need. In this Episode: Discussing the launch of the Psychedelic Medicine Association The barriers to clinicians being fully informed on psychedelic medicine Why clinicians are wary to discuss psychedelic therapy The importance of dialogue between healthcare workers and those working within psychedelic science, medicine, and law How the Psychedelic Medicine Association will fill this niche and work to better integrate psychedelic therapy into existing institutions of medicine and psychiatry Quotes "The vast majority of good-hearted doctors are not trying to keep their head in the sand when it comes to psychedelics — it just has not come across most of their journals." [6:57] "A big part of what the entire psychedelic science industry is trying to do is overcome that stigma which came from [psychedelics] being illegal for so long, and as you probably know, you overcome that stigma with education." [12:04] "We want doctors and clinicians and those on the front lines of patient care to be well-informed so that they can present a full range of options to their patients." [17:53] Links Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Psychedelic Medicine Association Porangui

Dr. Adolph is a board-certified cardiac anesthesiologist and medical director of the Illumma Ketamine Clinic, as well as a member of the American Society of Ketamine Physicians. Dr. Adolph shares the brief history of how Ketamine was originally created, how it came to be used in the mental health arena, and its effectiveness for those with depression. He covers what the research has shown, as well as what he's seen in his clinic and in his own personal journey with the medicine. In this Episode: Ketamine's ability to extinguish suicidal ideation in 24 hours How Ketamine is one psychedelic that has an addictive potential The effects of Ketamine on BDNF and Glutamate, and how this can help heal the brain. The importance of integration. Quotes "By accident, they found that some of these patients (who were given ketamine) were able to work through some difficult issues and on the backside of that have less depression associated with their trauma" [10:07] "And then it begins to open them up to 'you know what, I'm ready. I'm ready to start taking a look.' Because that's what we see. Patients are more open to take a look at trauma. They're more open to see that their mindset is important in being able to produce a positive response." [22:04] Links Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Illumma Ketamine Clinic Daily Stoic Porangui

Dr. Kate Pate is a neurophysiologist who has been conducting research for 15 years in a variety of different areas, including neurotrauma, respiratory neurobiology, mental health, redox biology, and combat trauma. She is the CEO and co-founder of Coruna Medical and the director of research for both the Heroic Hearts Project and Unlimited Sciences. In this episode, Dr. Pate discusses how traumatic brain injuries (TBI) share many commonalities with the symptoms of PTSD. She discusses why it may be wise to tend to heal the physical brain prior to or in parallel to attempting to heal one's mental trauma. Dr. Pate also shares about the healing potential of the ayahuasca brew, independent of its DMT content. In this episode: How ayahuasca produces an anti-inflammatory effect in the body, which is incredibly helpful for healing TBI. How traumatic brain injury can predispose individuals to developing PTSD How psychedelics such as ayahuasca, psilocybin, and LSD promote neuroplasticity and even activate neurogenesis. Quotes: "Ayahuasca and other psychedelics that are acting on the serotonin system are actually promoting an incredibility anti-inflammatory profile in the body, which is extremely important, especially in the case of traumatic brain injury." [15:00] "[Increased neuroplasticity] happens through the serotonin system and the ability of these plant medicines to activate this compound called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, called BDNF." [19:54] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Psychedelic Medicine Association UnlimitedSciences.org Dr. Pate on Instagram Kate.Pate@heroicheartsproject.org Porangui

Hunter Land is the director of cannabinoid research at Canopy Growth Corporation. He has devoted his career to researching cannabis-derived medicines and their application across a variety of conditions, leading the clinical development of the first FDA-approved CBD medication, Epidiolex. In this episode, Hunter shares the science-based reality of dosing guidelines for using CBD for various conditions and purposes. He answers questions regarding sublingual delivery, whether you can develop tolerance to CBD, the difference between broad-spectrum full-spectrum CBD, and much more. In this episode: The difficulty in establishing CBD dosing guidelines. A discussion of whether one can develop tolerance to CBD What to look for when choosing a CBD product. Whether the long-term use of cannabis affects CBD effectivity Quotes: "It's tough to come up and say: "well you need this amount for sleep, you need this amount for anxiety, you need this amount for epilepsy." So, with a lot of other medications, a lot of physicians, like yourself, probably know, it's not uncommon to start low and go slow and see where you might land." [5:00] "At low doses, we do think there might be some enhanced stimulation effect. But we also know it's not like a stimulant like amphetamine or caffeine. It seems to function differently than that." [6:20] "We don't have guidance on pesticides either. So I think beyond just knowing what's in products based on standardization techniques, also what contaminates could be present is also of importance." [25:40] Links: Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Canopy Growth Corp Follow The Plant Medicine Podcast on Instagram Porangui

Dr. Ben Malcolm completed a Doctorate in Pharmacy and a Masters in Public Health, prior to post-graduate training and board-certification in psychiatric pharmacy. He currently holds a position in academia teaching psychiatric pharmacy, as well as providing consulting services for those seeking information about psychedelics at SpiritPharmacist.com. In this episode, Dr. Malcolm discusses how antidepressants react with MDMA, psilocybin, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, ayahuasca, and ketamine. He also explains the risk profiles for interactions between psychedelics and medications such as benzodiazepines, sleep medication, antipsychotics, and lithium. In this episode: Why combining antidepressants with ayahuasca has a high physical risk profile. How antidepressants can diminish the effect of MDMA and why it is advised to not take a high dose of MDMA to attempt to workaround that effect. What serotonin syndrome is and how to avoid it. How one's use of antipsychotics or lithium may be an indicator of possible contraindicated condition to psychedelic use. Quotes: "[A]ntidepressants like the SSRIs or SNRIs, in the long-term, create changes that makes the brain more resistant to using a psychedelic like MDMA" [9:14] "Most available and most antidepressant-friendly is [...] ketamine" [20:00] "With microdoses, you're talking about using very very small doses, and you're probably not talking about using something like MDMA that depletes serotonin. You're probably talking about using psilocybin or LSD, and so for those, the drugs have great physical safety profiles in very very large doses. So if you're thinking if there's going to be some horrible interaction risk that kind of pops out of the closet with psilocybin or LSD with my antidepressant? Probably not." [46:00] Links: Spirit Pharmacist Website Psychedelic School - Courses on pharmacology, safe use and integration Erowid Porangui Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine'

James Fadiman, PhD, was a part of the first wave of pioneering psychedelic researchers in the 1960s in the US. He's the co-founder of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, now known as Sofia University, and he's the author of several well-known psychedelics books, including The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide. From his initial rediscovery of microdosing and developing a protocol based on early reports, Dr. Fadiman teamed up with Dr. Sophia Korb to record and pattern-map the microdosing experiences of several thousand individuals from 51 countries. In this episode, Dr. Fadiman answers listener-submitted questions regarding microdosing psilocybin and LSD. He discussed dosing recommendations, tolerance, microdosing's general effects on healthy normals, and its specific effects on a number of conditions, ranging from depression to PMS. He also covered a variety of additional areas where people benefit from microdosing, including academic performance and athletics. In the last part of the episode, Dr. Fadiman discusses his new book, Your Symphony of Selves. He points out that we have not one, but a multitude of selves, and that we can learn to shift between them consciously. Further following this idea, he illustrates how we can save a lot of mental distress by not over-identifying with any particular one of our selves, and how we can extend that concept to those around us. This helps us not only forgive others when one of their selves may have acted in a displeasing way but also helps us forgive and go easy on ourselves when we act in a way that we later find distressing or shameful. In this episode: The reported benefits and risks of microdosing psilocybin mushrooms and LSD. Whether someone's height and weight makes a difference on their dosage. The overwhelming number of those suffering from depression who reported significant improvements in their survey. Why microdosing may not be advisable for those with anxiety. Dr. Fadminan reports on study findings regarding conditions including depression, PMS, migraine headaches, and bipolar Quotes: "A lot of people have found that when they're tapering off of an SSRI, which means taking it down very, very slowly over a period of maybe a couple of months from full dose to zero, that microdosing helps. That makes it easier. Makes it maybe even a little faster." [14:13] "I'm an enthusiast for the effect of microdosing, but I never recommend that anyone microdose. That's a personal decision based on information, but the nice thing is the risk/reward ratio, which is how dangerous versus how beneficial. It's very good for microdosing. Meaning, if you take it, it's very low risk, and yeah, from the reports, we have a lot of possibility of benefits." [35:00] "What we've found is that about 80% of the people who come in with heavy depression, and again, most of them having failed medications or other therapies, we've about an 80% turnaround rate where they're not depressed. That's really striking." [42:00] "They (students) say: "Microdosing is very much like Adderall, except with none of the very disturbing side effects." Adderall includes crashing, by the way. And addiction." [49:18] "Individual neurons in the laboratory, exposed to microdoses, grow into more healthy, more complex neurons with more dendrites, meaning more communication capacity." [52:17] In discussing his new book, Your Symphony of Selves: "The inconsistencies you see in yourself and particularly in the people you love are not inconsistencies. It is that they have several selves, and you do too. And if you begin to think in that way, curiously, the world becomes easier. You understand things differently and you are kinder to yourself and more compassionate to others." [1:10:43] Links: Psychedelic Medicine AssociationMicrodosing Psychedelics James Fadiman's website and email: jfadiman@gmail.com Cluster Busters - treatment for cluster headaches Get 20% off everything at Octagon Biolabs with coupon code 'plantmedicine' Porangui Studies mentioned:Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity Books Mentioned: A Really Good Day by Ayelet Waldman The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide by James Fadiman PhD Your Symphony of Selves by James Fadiman PhD, Jordan Gruber JD

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