Dennis McKenna is the founder of the McKenna Academy and has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca.
Important Links:
- McKenna Academy: [https://mckenna.academy/]
- ESPD 55 (Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs): [https://espd55.com/]
- Twitter: [https://twitter.com/DennisMcKenna4]
- ICEERS (International Center for Ethno-botanical Education, Research, and Service): [https://www.iceers.org/]
Show Notes:
00:00 - Start
02:20 - Main Podcast
04:22 - ESPD 55 conference
08:51 - How psychedelics affect our relationship with nature
13:09 - Bridging the gap between ancestral and moderns scientific knowledge
20:33 - Nixon’s war against drugs
22:11 - Psychedelics on the safety scale
24:35 - LSD being really responsible for the birth of modern neuroscience
36:15 - DMT reopening the door to clinical research
42:36 - Psychedelics are not just “band-aids”
50:15 - Reality hallucination
58:08 - Future of psychedelic research
01:01:44 - Protecting endangered plants
- Goals of the McKenna Academy
- Fear of persecution in the medical community
- Using psilocybin for end of life applications
- Dissipation of knowledge among indigenous tribes
- Therapeutic utility of psychedelics
- Making psychedelics more accessible
- Forming alliances with indigenous communities
Books Mentioned:
- The Immortality Key; by Brian Muraresku
- How to Change Your Mind; by Michael Pollan
- Psychology and Alchemy; by Carl Jung
