Dr Mark Plotkin is an ethnobotanist (a scientist who studies how, and why, societies have come to use plants for different purposes) who has a particular interest in the healing properties of hallucinogenic plants and fungi and their impact on world culture and religion.

This is series 3 of his podcast Plants of the Gods, and I can recommend looking back over previous episodes for some really educational & thought-provoking content. In this episode Dr Plotkin kooks at the Peyote cactus

Peyote is a tiny cactus that has had a giant impact on history and culture. It is one of the most ancient hallucinogens – finds near the Texas-Mexico border indicate that humans have been consuming this Plant of the Gods for over 6000 years. Many credit Aldous Huxley’s 1954’s book “The Doors of Perception” – based on his experiences with mescaline, the most active alkaloid in peyote – as launching the Psychedelic Renaissance. And this cactus and this alkaloid and this book impacted The Beatles, The Doors and The Who as well. This episode tells that story.