Jeremy Narby is a cultural treasure with decades long experience as an anthropologist with plant medicines in their traditional settings in South America. He's the author of several important books, including the iconic The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge. In this interview, Jeremy shares eye-opening, and highly relevant, knowledge on ayahuasca that even the experienced among us often don't know, like concerns about commonly-used admixtures: the importance for us Westerners of seeking out yellow (sky)) ayahuasca over black ayahuasca; the dangers of sorcery and of power corruption among ayahuasqueros, how the common DMT-heavy brews emphasize tripping over healing; the Banisteriopsis vine itself without a DMT-containing plant as the master teacher, and much more.
The knowledge he shares on tobacco is almost more remarkable. This plant is badly misunderstood and misused, especially in the commercial tobacco industry. The Asháninka people of South America say tobacco is the number one plant teacher. It is used as a diagnostic tool and has multiple healing properties. The "real" tobaccos (up to 20 times more nicotine than industrial tobacco) are powerful and can be dangerous. This sacred medicine needs a proper hearing and Jeremy is perfectly positioned to help provide it.
As always, these interviews (now nearly two dozen) with leading figures in psychedelics and consciousness transformation for a world in crisis are available in video form on the StephenGray Vision YouTube channel. Here's the direct link to the interview with Jeremy.