Plants, people, & Jaguar in the Amazon with Dr. Glenn Shepard

05/17/21 • 55 min

Did you know that in some cultures, humans are believed to transform into forest animals as a part of the hunting tradition? Or that the elderly may transform into the fierce jaguar in the last phases of life? This week, I speak with Dr. Glenn Shepherd about topics ranging from medicinal plants and poetry, to the life cycle and different cosmologies that shape the ways that humans perceive the processes of aging and death. We also explore how certain psychoactive plants and fungal endophytes (including ergot alkaloids cultivated in sedges!) are used by Indigenous groups in medicine. Learn more about Glenn’s work in the Amazon on his blog Notes from the Ethnoground, and follow him on Twitter @TweetTropiques or on Facebook and Instagram @ethnoground_photography

#ethnobotany #Amazonas #psychoactive

#ethnobotany #Amazonas #psychoactive

Previous Episode

HEALing our Food Systems with Navina Khanna

Food is our most intimate and powerful connection to each other, to our cultures, and to the earth. This week, I speak with Navina Khanna, co-founder and the Executive Director of the HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, and Labor) Food Alliance, a national alliance of organizations building collective power for transformed food systems across race, sector, and geography. We explore how community action can transform food systems to support access to healthy food that is fair to the people who grow, distribute, prepare, and serve it. Learn more about how to get involved at the HEAL website (https://healfoodalliance.org/), or follow them on Twitter @HEAL_Food or on Facebook and Instagram @HEALFoodAlliance.

#FoodJustice #Advocacy #ClimateAction

Next Episode

Madre Chocolate with Dr. Nat Bletter

This stimulant ingredient has captured the imaginations (and taste buds) of humans over the centuries! You may be surprised at all of the steps that it takes to transform cacao seeds from the chocolate tree into the chocolate bars and beverages we love. This week, I speak with Dr. Nat Bletter about the history and chemistry of chocolate. He also gives us a unique walk through all of the steps to processing chocolate—including some fascinating insights on the fermentation and tempering stages. Learn more about Nat’s work with chocolate or order some tasty bars to sample at Madre Chocolate (@madrechocolate on Instagram and Facebook). You can also check out is YouTube channel or follow him on Instagram and Facebook at @NattyByNature808 for more for more info on ethnobotany and gardening.

#chocolate #cacao #ethnobotany