Foodie Pharmacology Podcast

The Last of Us with Dr. Nick Oberlies & Dr. Huzefa Raja

If you’re a fan of science fiction like me, you’ve gone gaga over HBO’s new hit show, The Last of Us! This week on the podcast, I speak with two experts in chemistry and mushrooms to dissect fact and fiction in the show! Join me as I chat with Dr. Nick Oberlies (a natural products chemist) and Dr. Huzefa Raja (a mycologist) from University of Carolina Greensboro. We dive into questions like: Which fungi can kill humans? Can fungi survive in the snow? Can fungi really turn creatures into mind-controlled zombies? How do fungi communicate? SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t seen the show yet! You can follow our guests research work on Twitter at: @OberliesGroup  @huzefaraj @uncg_chem @UNCGresearch

#TheLastOfUs #HBO #Fungi #Zombie #PopularCulture #NaturalProducts

Biodynamic Agriculture & Sustainable Development with Helmy Abouleish

As a follow-up to my research expedition in Egypt this winter, I speak with Helmy Abouleish. He is the Chief Executive Officer of SEKEM Holding, the Initiative for Sustainable Development in the Egyptian desert, which works holistically in the four pillars of sustainable development: Ecology (biodynamic agriculture and its promotion), Economy of Love (production of phytopharmaceuticals, organic textiles and food), Social Life (sustainable community development) and Cultural Life (individual potential unfolding in Schools, University, Medical center). I’ve learned so much about biodynamic farming and sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change from Helmy and his team and I know you will too with this episode! Plus, he shares an exciting capacity building program underway in Egypt that helps small farms (2 acres or less) to farm using biodynamic practices and gain financial support through carbon certification. You can learn more about Helmy and the work at SEKEM at their website (www.sekem.com) and learn more about how to support farmers through voluntary carbon credits with the Economy of Love project (https://www.economyoflove.net/certificate-page/). 

#biodynamic #organic #farming #Egypt #desert #compost #sustainability #ClimateChange #podcast #CarbonCredit #Africa

Fermentation Journeys with Sandor Katz

Fermentation is where microbes, vegetables, and community meet! This week on the show, I chat with Sandor Katz, James Beard award-winning fermentation revivalist. Sandor shares secrets on how to make the most delicious lactic acid fermented vegetables and shares some of his favorite recipes from his new book. “Fermentation Journeys”. Learn more about Sandor’s work at his website: https://www.wildfermentation.com/

#fermentation #pickles #probiotics #kombucha #kefir #sourdough 

Food Sovereignty with Linda Black Elk

How do we become better connected with our food? This week I speak with Linda Black Elk, an ethnobotanist and food sovereignty activist specializing in teaching about culturally important plants and their uses as food and medicine. Linda is the Food Sovereignty Coordinator at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota, where she passes ethnobotanical and food systems knowledge on to her amazing students. When she isn’t teaching, Linda spends her time foraging, hiking, hunting, and fishing on the prairies and waters of the northern Great Plains with her husband and three sons, who are all members of the Ohceti Shakowin, the Seven Council Fires of the Lakota. Follow her work on Facebook @lindablackelk and on TikTok and Instagram at @Linda.Black.Elk

#WildFood #Ethnobotany #Lakota #Podcast #Fermentation #Plants 

Psychedelic Medicines for Depression with Dr. Charles Raison

This week on the show, we’re going to explore a popular topic emerging in mental healthcare: the potential utility of psychedelic medicines for depression. I speak with expert in this field, Dr. Charles Raison. Dr. Raison is a medical doctor whose research focuses on examination of novel mechanisms involved in the development and treatment of major depression and other stress-related emotional and physical conditions. He is the Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children and Families and Professor of Psychiatry at University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as the Director of Clinical and Translational Research for the Usona Institute. He shares insights into the current state of psilocybin research and development, including how it is being tested in the clinic to treat depression. Follow his work on Twitter at @DrCharlesRaison 

#depression #psilocybin #psychedelics #MentalHealth #microdosing #CharlesRaison #mushrooms

Eat & Flourish with Mary Beth Albright

Have you ever noticed that your mood is connected with the food you eat? This week, Ispeak with journalist Mary Beth Albright about her new book "Eat and Flourish: How Food Supports Emotional Wel-Being." We discuss four pillars of food and health explored ni the book: pleasure, microbiome, inflammation, and nutrients. From eating socially to eating a variety of vegetables, we discuss the myriad ways to boost mood through our foods! Follow Mary Beth's work at
http://www.marybethalbright.com/

#food #mood #flourish #mentalhealth #diet #podcast

Echinacea and the Incredible Synergy of Plants with Dr. Nadja Cech

Echinacea is one of the most beloved of medicinal plants in North America, long used in folk medicine for its immune-boosting effects. But did you know that echinacea also has a microbiome—a community of microbes living in and on it—that influences its chemistry and medicinal properties? I speak with plant chemistry expert, Dr. Nadja Cech, about plant microbiomes, chemical signatures of plants, and how the thousands of  molecules found in a single plant work together in synergy. You can follow Dr. Cech’s work on Twitter at @nadjacech. Join us this June at the Joint Conference of the Society for Economic Botany and Society of Ethnobiology meeting. Lock in the best rates with early registration by April 15^th!

#echinacea #medicinalplants #plantchemistry #synergy #podcast #microbiome #nadjicech #CassandraQuave

Adventures in Foraging with Alexis Nikole Nelson

Imagine a world in which you knew how to find food all around you in nature… what would that look like? How might your food experiences expand? This week on the show I speak with the extraordinary Alexis Nikole Nelson – aka the “Black Forager”! Alexis is a cook, forager, and science communication star who has introduced the incredible world of foraging to millions of people via her channels on TikTok (@alexisnikole) and Instagram (@blackforager). I had so much fun chatting with Alexis about the plants she loves and how she takes her passion for wild foods to the masses. Listen and learn with me!

#forage #podcast #wildfood #BlackForager

The Seed Detective with Adam Alexander

Seeds are nothing short of magical. They are the reservoirs of genetic information and yet so much more. They also hold the stories of farmers, seeds savers, and cultures of long ago. This week, I speak with Adam Alexander, whose book The Seed Detective – Uncovering the Secret Histories of Remarkable vegetables was published in September 2022. We chat about Adam’s passion in collecting seed of rare, endangered but above all, delicious vegetables from around the world.

#Seeds #Farming #HomeGarden #SeedSaver #SeedDetective #Foodie

A Gardeners Guide to Botany with Dr. Scott Zona

Who’s ready to start your spring garden? If you love plants and gardening, you’re going to love this episode! I speak with my former plant taxonomy Professor, Dr. Scott Zona, about his fun new book: “A Gardener’s Guide to Botany: The biology behind the plants you love, how they grow, and what they need.” We also touch on topics ranging from plant defense compounds to some of the emerging challenges in agriculture. 

#garden #botany #houseplants #GardenersGuideToBotany #ScottZona #FoodiePharmacology #CassandraQuave