Plants of the Gods S8E5: The Ethnobotany of Coca with Dr. Wade Davis
From Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation podcast by Mark Plotkin, Ph.D.
April 20, 2026 · 36 min · Season 8 · Episode 5
About this episode
Mark Plotkin and Wade Davis discuss the ethnobotany of coca and its cultural significance.
Mark Plotkin sits down with Wade Davis — author of One River , Lost Amazon , and dozens more — for a deep dive into one of South America's most misunderstood and miraculous plants. Drawing on their shared history working alongside the legendary Richard Evans Schultes, the two ethnobotanists trace coca from its origins as a sacred, nutritionally rich plant used across Andean and Amazonian cultures to its unjust criminalization driven more by ideology and racism rather than science. Davis also breaks down the differences between the coca leaf, coca ine, and mambe, reflects on lessons from cannabis legalization, and makes a compelling case for why the world should finally embrace coca 's extraordinary potential. Show notes: "The Secret History of Coca " by Wade Davis for Rolling Stone Magazine: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ coca -leaves-war-on-drugs- coca ine-1235310539/ Books by Wade Davis: https://daviswade.com/books
People in this episode
Host: Mark Plotkin
Guest: Wade Davis
Topics covered
- ethnobotany
- coca
- Andean cultures
- Amazonian cultures
- criminalization
- cannabis legalization
- plant potential
Keywords
- coca
- ethnobotany
- Wade Davis
- Mark Plotkin
- Andean cultures
- cannabis legalization
- plant potential
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Rolling Stone Magazine
Books & works: One River, Lost Amazon, The Secret History of Coca
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