Foodie Pharmacology Podcast

Dragon’s Blood and the FDA Approval Path for Botanicals with Dr. Steven King

This week on Foodie Pharmacology, we’re going to embark on a journey from the Amazonian rainforest to the pharmacy as we retrace the pathway of bringing a botanical drug to market to treat serious cases of diarrhea as an FDA approved drug. I first encountered the source of this drug 20 years ago in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. Locally known as Sangre de Drago – or the dragon’s blood tree – it is used in traditional medicine for both topical and internal afflictions. Its bark is a smooth pale grey, and a slip of a knife dragged across that bark reveals a weeping blood red latex, from which it gets its name. I speak with Dr. Steven King, Executive Vice President of Sustainable Supply and Ethnobotanical Research and intellectual property at Jaguar Health and Napo Pharmaceuticals, about his work on this fascinating medicinal species.

#Amazon #HIV #HerbalMedicine

Regenerative Farming and Eating for Longevity with Jennifer Maynard

The soil is a vibrant and multifaceted space, full of biodiversity ranging from microbes to insects, mammals, to fungi. Beneath the ground, in the rhizosphere, plant roots engage with these organisms through a series of connections and chemical signals. Soil health is the first step to healthy crops, and in turn, foods that nourish humans to health. In this episode, I speak with Jennifer Maynard about the practice of caring for the soil through regenerative farming and eating the rainbow of plant life to support our own longevity.

#Gardening #HealthyLiving #Farming

Breadfruit & The True Story of Mutiny on the Bounty with Dr. Diane Ragone

You may be familiar with the famous story of the Mutiny on the Bounty, but did you know that a fruit from the mulberry family was at the heart of the conflict? In this episode, I speak with the Dr. Diane Ragone, director of the Breadfruit Institute, about a large, nutritious tropical fruit that originates in the Pacific, but has found a home across the tropics and sub-tropics. We discuss the botany, history and ethnobotany of this fascinating starchy food source.

#Breadfruit #Crops #Ethnobotany

The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know with Mark Plotkin

The Amazon is a land of complex history full of mysteries and wonder. It covers a land area roughly the size of the continental US and the Amazon River contains more types of fish than all of the rivers in Europe combined. In this episode, I speak with trailblazing ethnobotanist, Dr. Mark Plotkin, about everything from piranhas, curare poison, ayahuasca, and agriculture in the Amazon. He shares highlights from his latest book, The Amazon - What Everyone Needs to Know. This is one episode of Foodie Pharmacology that you don’t want to miss!

#Amazon #Ayahuasca #Curare