Ep. 32 - Dennis McKenna - Plant Medicine, Mystery Schools & Visionaries

Hey everybody! Episode 32 of the show is out. In this show, I spoke with Dennis McKenna. Dennis is one of the pioneers of plant medicine work and has been a bridge for shedding light and bringing plant-medicine wisdom to the public. He and his brother Terence McKenna, I think, are great ambassadors for this work at large. Dennis has been involved in research, writing, and teaching for decades and brings a wisdom and experience to all of his talks. It was a pleasure and honor to speak with him and I think you all will get a lot out of this episode. To view bonus material and extended conversations, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!“Dennis McKenna’s professional and personal interests are focused on the interdisciplinary study of ethnopharmacology and natural hallucinogens. He received his doctorate in 1984 from the University of British Columbia, where his research focused on ethnopharmacological investigations of ayahuasca and oo-koo-he, two indigenous Amazonian psychedelic medicines. He completed post-doctoral studies at the Helicon Foundation in San Diego (1984-86), the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology at NIMH (1986-88) and the Department of Neurology at Stanford University (1988-1990). He worked at Shaman Pharmaceuticals as Director of Ethnopharmacology from 1990-93, and relocated to Minnesota in 1993 to join the Aveda Corporation as Senior Research Pharmacognosist.Dr. McKenna taught courses in Ethnopharmacology, Botanical Medicines and Plants in Human Affairs in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota from 2001 to 2017. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute and serves on the advisory board of non-profit organizations in the fields of ethnobotany and botanical medicines. He was a key organizer and participant in the Hoasca Project, an international biomedical study of ayahuasca used as a sacrament by the UDV, a syncretic religious group in Brazil. He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna…”For Dennis’ full bio, visit: https://www.universewithinpodcast.com/podcast/dennis-mckennaTo learn more about Dennis and his work, vist: https://mckenna.academy/This episode of the show is sponsored by the Temple of the Way of Light. To learn more or sign up for a retreat, visit: https://templeofthewayoflight.org/Share the show, Subscribe or Follow, leave comments, and if you can go on Apple Podcasts and leave a starred-rating and a short review. That would be super helpful with the algorithms and getting this show out to more people. Thank you in advance!For more information about me and my upcoming plant medicine retreats with my colleague Merav Artzi, visit my site at: https://www.NicotianaRustica.orgTo support this podcast on Patreon, visit: https://www.patreon.com/UniverseWithinTo donate directly with PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/jasongrechanikMusic courtesy of Nuno Moreno. See his work at: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound and https://nahira-ziwa.bandcamp.com/https://www.facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/UniverseWithinPodcast