ESPD50
Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs
On the 50th anniversary during the month of June 2017 an international group of specialists finally gathered again to share their perspectives on past, present, and future research in the field of ethnopharmacology. The symposium was held at the spectacular Tyringham Hall in Britain. Synergetic Press published a collector’s box set including the first edition of 1967 plus a brand new book with the 50th anniversary symposium’s findings.
Speakers and Recordings
On the 50th anniversary during the month of June 2017 an international group of specialists finally gathered again to share their perspectives on past, present, and future research in the field of ethnopharmacology. The symposium was held at the spectacular Tyringham Hall in Britain.
ARCHAEOSPHERE | Ancient psychoactive plant use in ethnobotanical archaeology
Dennis McKenna
Ethnopharmacologist
What a long, strange trip it’s been: Reflections on the Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs 1967-2017
Dennis McKenna
Ethnopharmacologist
Ethnopharmacology meets the receptorome – Bioprospecting for psychotherapeutic drugs in the Amazon rain forest
Manuel Torres
Professor Emeritus
The origins of the ayahuasca/yagé concept. An inquiry into the synergy between DMT and ß carbolines.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY |
Christopher McCurdy
Medicinal Chemist
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) as a potential therapy for opioid dependance.
Jean François Sobiecki
Ethnobotanist
Psychoactive Initiation Plant Medicines: Their Role in the Healing and Learning Process of South African and Upper Amazonian Traditional Healers.
Jeanmaire Molina
Associate Professor
Phylogenetic analysis of traditional medicinal plants: discovering new drug sources from patterns of cultural convergence.
Keeper Trout
Author
Mescal, peyote and the red bean; a peculiar conceptual collision in early modern ethnobotany.
Kenneth Alper
Associate Professor
The Ibogaine Project: Urban ethnomedicine for opioid use disorder.
Michael Heinrich
Professor of Ethnopharmacology
Ethnopharmacology – from Mexican hallucinogens to a global transdisciplinary science.
Nigel Gericke
Medical Doctor
Kabbo’s !kwaiń Sceletium species – The past, present and future of Kanna.
Snu Voogelbreinder
Ethnobotanist
Psychoactive Acacia Spp. In Australia & Their Alkaloids.
Stacy B. Schaeffer
Professor Emerita
Fertile Grounds? Peyote and the Human Reproductive System.
ETHNOSPHERE | Contemporary cultures of psychoactive plant use
Glenn Shepard
Ethnopharmacologist
Substance, soul and sensation in Amazonian shamanism.
SOCIOSPHERE | Psychoactive substances, institutions, law & policy
Evgenia Fotiou
Anthropologist
Plant use and shamanic dietas in contemporary Ayahuasca shamanism in Peru.
Jerry D. Patchen
Attorney
Reflections on the Peyote Road with the Native American Church – Visions & Cosmology
Luis Eduardo Luna
Anthropologist
Ayahuasca, a powerful epistemological wildcard in a complex, fascinating and dangerous world.
Related Programs
Ethnobotany Courses
Discover the living intelligence of plants with McKenna Academy’s Online Ethnobotany Courses. Led by world-renowned experts, these self-paced programs unite science, spirit, and culture—offering deep insights into plant medicine, shamanism, and human evolution. Gain lasting knowledge, cultural perspectives, and transformative wisdom, with lifetime access and certificates included.
When the ceremony doesn’t end.
Organized with the support of the McKenna Academy, join us for a comprehensive online educational seminar that brings together a diverse panel of experts to examine the complex phenomenon of psychosis in psychedelic experiences.
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Renovation of a precious herbarium in Iquitos, Peru which houses 150,000 specimens.
ESPD55
Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs hosted at St. Giles House 2022
ESPD50
Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs hosted at Tyringham Hall 2017.
Ripples of Change: Symbiosis Symposium
The Ripples of Change: Symbiosis Symposium brought together a group of passionate global voices actively engaged in creating awareness on the topic of symbiosis instead of competition.
Mystery School
Mystery schools have been a cornerstone of learning for centuries, serving as institutions dedicated to the exploration of the inner self and spirituality.
ESPD Publications
“The discovery of ESPD’s publication changed my life. For me, at least, that book was influential because it provided a cultural context for psychedelics based on traditions older and richer than anything I had encountered in mass media sources.”
Read about Dennis’ personal journey with the first ESPD symposium volume here
ESPD50 Collector’s Box Set
In collaboration with Synergetic Press, the McKenna Academy reprinted the 1967 symposium volume and published the 2017 ESPD conference findings together in a high quality collector’s edition box set that won the esteemed James A. Duke Botanical Literature Award. This popular publication has been reprinted seven times already.
ESPD55 Symposium Volume
The McKenna Academy is again working closely with Synergetic Press to publish the findings of the third edition of ESPD as a stand-alone volume, “ESPD55” in 2023.
