Today we are honored by the presence of the legendary Dr. Dennis McKenna. Dr. McKenna has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years.  He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca.  He is the younger brother of Terence McKenna.  From 2000 to 2017, he taught courses on Ethnopharmacology and Plants in Human affairs as an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota. In 2018, Dr. McKenna conceived the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy to explore modern and traditional practices, ideas and technologies that foster the understanding of nature, consciousness, the cosmos and their interweavings with humanity. The Academy’s mission is to be a catalyst for the transformation of global consciousness, through educational experiences that interweave our collective intelligence, science, and ancestral wisdom.    TOPICS COVERED:    The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss   The Experiment at La Chorrera   Ethnopharmacology   Tryptophan, Tryptamines & 5HT2A ReceptorsPsychedelic Biochemistry   Messenger Molecules & Signal Transduction   Psychedelic CommunicationsNeural Gating & The Reality Hallucination   Future of Psychedelics in Modern, Western Culture   Psychedelics Sourced from South America – Short-Term Extraction, Long-Term Symbiosis?   Nature Wave Zero   Humans as an Endangered Species   Undiscovered Psychedelic Compounds   The McKenna Academy   EPISODE RESOURCES    McKenna Academy: https://mckenna.academy/   McKenna Academy IG: https://www.instagram.com/mckenna.academy/   "The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss": https://www.amazon.com/Brotherhood-Screaming-Abyss-Terence-McKenna/dp/0878396365   "Botanical Medicines: The Desk Reference for Major Herbal Supplements": https://typeset.io/papers/botanical-medicines-the-desk-reference-for-major-herbal-2df0ifn7xz   5-HT2A Receptors: https://en.wikipedia.org//wiki/5-HT2A_receptor   ESPD55 Website: https://espd55.com/   Stephen Harrod Buhner: https://www.stephenharrodbuhner.com/books/   Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower's Guide: https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushroom-Growers-Handbook-Enthusiasts-ebook/dp/B00BOE16V8