Plant Teachers

Ayahuasca, Tobacco, and the Pursuit of Knowledge

By: Jeremy Narby, Rafael Chanchari Pizuri - contributor

Narrated by: Jonathan Yen

"The dose makes the poison," says an old adage, reminding us that all substances have the potential to heal or to harm, depending on their use. This is especially true of tobacco. Although Western medicine treats it as a harmful, addictive drug, tobacco is considered medicinal by indigenous people of the Amazon rain forest. Along with the hallucinogen ayahuasca, tobacco forms a part of treatments designed to heal the body, stimulate the mind, and inspire the soul with visions.

Anthropologist Jeremy Narby first learned of the shamanic uses of ayahuasca and tobacco while conducting fieldwork in the Amazon region decades ago. After witnessing the transformative power of these mind-altering plants, Narby embarked on a quest to understand their effects on human consciousness. His search led him to contact Rafael Chanchari Pizuri, a traditional healer from the Peruvian Amazon.

In Plant Teachers, Narby and Pizuri hold a cross-cultural dialogue that explores the similarities between ayahuasca and tobacco, the role of these plants in indigenous cultures, and the hidden truths they reveal about nature. Juxtaposing two distinct worldviews, Plant Teachers invites listeners on a wide-ranging journey through anthropology, botany, and biochemistry, while raising tantalizing questions about the relationship between science and other ways of knowing.

©2021 Jeremy Narby and Rafael Pizuri Chanchari (P)2021 Tantor

Grounded and informative perspective

Grounded, Informative perspective with a splash of magic and science to top off the satisfaction. Grateful for the listen.

Love the science combined with indigenous knowledge!

Love the informative, knowledgeable comparison of scientific fact and ancient knowledge. Very well done! Love the narration, too!

Connecting dots

This short book changed my whole perspective on tobacco and my relationship with that medicine relative, starting in the first half hour.

Narby is exploring and places that interest me!

Narrator was great, This isn't really a storybook it's, nothing that will Sway your beliefs But it will give you insight into The boundaries of consciousness and biology.

Interesting and unique

I wish there was more Information on tobacco from both Jeremy and Rafael. There is so few books on sources about ancient/sacred tobacco. Most things that come up are about industrial cigarettes.
The book was too short for me. I wanted to have more information and I'm sure they have tons more info within them.
I hope they do another book focusing on tobacco