Foodie Pharmacology Podcast

Feasting Wild! Exploring the World of Wild Foods with Gina Rae La Cerva

Gina Rae La Cerva is a geographer, environmental anthropologist, and award-winning writer who has traveled extensively to research a variety of environmental and food-related topics. On this episode, I speak with Gina about her new book: Feasting Wild: In Search of the Last Tamed Food.  Throughout human history, food was frequently procured from the wild – whether fished from the sea, foraged from meadows, or hunted in biodiverse rich forests. What once was the norm is now something all too often reserved for the wealthy. We explore the topics of foraging, hunting, and humankind's relationship with the wild!

#Forage #WildGame #Hunting

The Entangled Life of Fungi with Dr. Merlin Sheldrake

Fungi are everywhere. They coat our skin, hide beneath the soil and flourish along the forest floor, intertwined between myriad plant species – both dead and alive. They are responsible for transforming rocks into soil, making medicines, psychedelic drugs, food, poisons and ink, among many other roles. On this episode of Foodie Pharmacology, I speak with mycologist and author, Dr. Merlin Sheldrake, who reveals this hidden entangled world of fungi to us in his newly released book, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make our Worlds, Change our Minds, and Shape our Futures.  

#Fungi #Mushrooms #Ecology

No Seeds? No Problem! with Dr. Chris Gunter

What do you do when seeds are in short supply? Is there a way to transform kitchen scraps into viable plants in your garden? I asked these and so many other questions about vegetative propagation of Dr. Chris Gunter, our guest for this episode of Foodie Pharmacology! Chris is a professor of Horticultural Science and the Extension Vegetable Production Specialist for the commercial vegetable industry in North Carolina, working with commercial vegetable growers to maintain a high quality of life through the use of integrated, economical and environmentally sound production practices. His main emphasis is with the Solanaceous (tomato, pepper) and Cruciferous (cabbage, broccoli) cropping systems.  He's also a leader in the area of fresh produce safety for the fresh produce industry in North Carolina.

#HomeGarden #Vegetables #Gardening

A Sicilian Summer – Exploring the Wild Foods and Medicines of Pantelleria with Dr. Quave

On this episode of Foodie Pharmacology, I share some insights from a field study that I conducted with one of my collaborators on a beautiful volcanic island located in the Mediterranean sea. Pantelleria is the largest of the Sicilian isles and populated by roughly 7,000 inhabitants, and visited by tourists who come to the island to enjoy its numerous natural attractions such as the Specchio di Venere, a geothermally-heated lake with healing muds, archeological sites such as the Byzantine tombs, and local foods and beverages such as capers and the passito wine.

#Italy #Pantelleria #Ethnobotany

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

Berry Patches, Bears & Oil Sands in the Boreal Forest with Dr. Janelle Baker

The Boreal forest of northern Canada is a magical place, filled with the sweet scents of spruce trees, with a groundcover blanketed in spongy mosses, colorful lichens and wild cranberries. Yet, it is also home to massive deposits of fossil fuel found in the oil sands. What are the consequences of mining the Earth for fossil fuels, metals and minerals both to our food system and our health? In this episode, I speak with Dr. Janelle Baker, an ethnobiologist who studies the environmental impact of oil sands operations in Canada on traditional indigenous lands and their wild foods.

#OilSands #Berries #Canada

Biodiversity, Planetary Health & Disease Ecology with Dr. Tom Gillespie

Human and planetary health are linked to biodiversity in ways that are not always clear or appreciated by the public. Even as more species are disappearing in the wild and becoming threatened with extinction, others are being introduced to new environments. This raises questions of how such environmental changes will impact our everyday life. I speak with special guest, Dr. Tom Gillespie, about how industrial agriculture impacts natural ecosystems, contributing to biodiversity loss and increases opportunities for disease transmission between wildlife and humans.

#Biodiversity #Health #Conservation