Plants of the Gods: S8E6 Richard Evans Schultes' Legacy — Where Science Meets the Sacred
From Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation podcast by Mark Plotkin, Ph.D.
May 4, 2026 · 29 min · Season 8 · Episode 6
About this episode
Wade Davis reflects on the life and legacy of Richard Evans Schultes, exploring his contributions to ethnobotany and the psychedelic movement.
Wade Davis, celebrated author and anthropologist, joins Mark Plotkin for a personal reflection on the life and legacy of legendary ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes. Davis traces Schultes' journey from his transformative encounter with peyote to his decades-long odyssey through the Amazon, where he documented Indigenous sacred plant traditions. Together, they explore how Schultes's discoveries — including his collaborations with mycologist Gordon Wasson and chemist Albert Hoffman — helped ignite the psychedelic era, and how his mentorship of Davis inspired the acclaimed book One River. Show notes: The Amazonian Travels of Richard Evans Schultes
People in this episode
Host: Mark Plotkin
Guest: Wade Davis
Topics covered
- ethnobotany
- psychedelics
- Indigenous traditions
- Amazon
- mentorship
- cultural legacy
Keywords
- Richard Evans Schultes
- Wade Davis
- ethnobotany
- psychedelics
- Amazon
- Indigenous plants
- One River
- Gordon Wasson
- Albert Hoffman
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: One River
More episodes of Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation podcast
- Plants of the Gods: S8E8 Vanilla, Pseudocopulation and Darwin's Favorite Orchid · June 1, 2026 · 32 min
- Plants of the Gods: S8E7 Rosa Vásquez Espinoza: Between Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science · May 18, 2026 · 52 min
- Plants of the Gods S8E5: The Ethnobotany of Coca with Dr. Wade Davis · April 20, 2026 · 36 min
- Plants of the Gods: S8E4 The research behind microdosing and medicine (Dr. Pamela Kryskow, Part 2) · April 6, 2026 · 39 min
- Plants of the Gods: S8E3 Can Psychedelics Treat "Incurable" Trauma? (Dr. Pamela Kryskow, Part 1) · March 23, 2026 · 28 min
- Plants of the Gods: S8E2 Dennis McKenna on new discoveries and emerging psychedelic science (part 2) · March 9, 2026 · 30 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens, Healing, Culture and Conservation podcast podcast page.