Plant Spirit Medicine, Part 1: Shamanism and Plant Communication

“Nature is alive and talking to us. This is not a metaphor.”

-Terence McKenna

Plant spirit medicine is a concept that can be a bit difficult to pin down. For one thing, it goes by many names—from plant spirit healing to shamanic herbalism—and the term someone uses often depends on who their teachers have been. On top of the multiple monikers, there are also a wide variety of practices and traditions that fit under the umbrella of plant spirit medicine.

For some, plant spirit medicine is a structured healing modality with official trainings and protocols. Those within the psychedelic community may think of it in terms of healing experiences with a handful of powerful psychoactives. For others, it’s about learning to commune and communicate with plant spirits for guidance and healing.

In this blog series, we’ll dive into various manifestations of plant spirit medicine, including how to build relationships with plants through intention and ritual. But first, let’s get to the root of what the myriad expressions of plant spirit medicine have in common: shamanism.

Shamanism

Plant spirit medicine is a facet of the ancient practice of shamanism. The term “shaman” is thought to originate from the indigenous Evenks of Siberia and has become the dominant term for practitioners from many different traditions across the world (Kilham, 2014).

Shamanism is characterized by practices that allow the shaman to enter into altered states of consciousness in order to contact spiritual realms for purposes of healing, divination, transformation, and the restoration of balance (Espinoza, 2014). In essence, a shaman is someone who serves as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, who possesses healing knowledge, and who is held with respect in traditional societies (Kilham, 2014).

Shamanic practices date back tens of thousands of years to the Paleolithic era, and shamanism is still very much alive today in many traditional and indigenous cultures throughout the world (Kilham, 2014). It is also experiencing a resurgence of interest from people who were not born into these traditions. For those who feel alienated by secular, modern society and/or disconnected from conventional, patriarchal religious models, shamanism can provide spiritual experiences of a direct and personal nature.

Shamanism also fills another gaping void in the modern experience: connection with nature. This brings us back to the plants. In shamanic traditions, plants are recognized as having their own unique spirit or consciousness. One translation of the word shaman is “one who sees in the dark” (Ingerman, n.d., para. 2), and shamans are those who can walk between worlds and ally with nature spirits, including plants. In this way, plants have long been appealed to for aid in our human lives.

I find the shamanic worldview especially inspiring for how it fosters spiritual ecology: living things have a spirit, including the Earth, which isn’t simply the soil we live on and take for granted, but rather a living, conscious entity. This paints a portrait of nature that is very different from the dominant paradigm within industrialized cultures. Instead of seeing nature as a resource to exploit, it becomes a sentient being to honor and commune with. In this way, shamanic practices help us tap into gifts of the Earth that are much more valuable than any commodity.

Plant Communication

Why would shamans (or those interested in shamanic practices) want to communicate with plants? One reason is to learn how to use plants medicinally—directly from the plants themselves.

According to herbalist and author Stephen Harrod Buhner (1998), “Within all indigenous cultures, plants are considered to possess intelligence, awareness, and a soul. They are experienced as being able to speak with human beings and convey information about how they may be used as medicine” (p. 6).

A shaman will communicate with a plant directly to learn how to work with that plant for healing. In the Western model, conventional wisdom holds that herbal medicine was developed by a system of trial-and-error. Yet in the shamanic model, our ancestors considered plants teachers and guides, and developed herbalism under the direct tutelage of botanical beings.

As an example, let’s consider ayahuasca, the psychedelic brew that is recognized as a powerful teacher and healer within indigenous Amazonian traditions. It is the only psychedelic agent in the world that requires the combination of two plants, the vine we call ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi), and the shrub chakruna (Psychotria viridis). The biodiversity of the Amazonian jungle is immense; it is home to over 10,000 vines and many more leafy plants. As medicine hunter Chris Kilham (2014) points out, “The odds of selecting these two plants from all the others is a multi-billion to one long shot. Here, the so called trial-and-error theory dissolves like sugar in water” (p. 44).

So, how can we explain the advent of ayahuasca? The shamans maintain that it was the plant spirits themselves who originally communicated this knowledge to humankind (Kilham, 2014). As someone who has traveled to Peru and benefited from the immense training and wisdom of Shipibo shamans, I’m inclined to believe them. The plants offered a gift, and the shamans were tuned in enough to receive it.

Applications in Herbalism

Ayahuasca is only one example of a vast body of herbal knowledge that has been discovered and developed throughout human history. For those who may not take that particular example seriously, let’s consider the broader implications. Our ancestors used plant medicines to survive. This means that shamanism—and the ability to talk to plants—has long been a means of human survival. This remains true today for many people worldwide who rely upon traditional practitioners as the primary source of healthcare (Jauregui et al., 2011).

Many modern, Western herbalists also report experiences in which they have felt guided toward a particular plant. David Winston (2019), a well-respected clinical herbalist, tells the story of a difficult case with a client who suffered from chronic degenerative kidney disease. Despite conventional treatments and herbal preparations, her health continued to decline.

One day, he found himself outdoors thinking about his client, when he spotted the nettle plants in his yard shaking wildly, although there was no breeze or animal nearby. As Winston (2019) tells it, “Looking at these plants, I heard a voice in my head (yes, I know how this sounds!) saying ‘I can help her’ (p. 289). The nettle plant guided him to make a preparation of its seeds:

At this point the seeds (the plants had large clusters of almost fully ripe seeds) sort of softly rustled and I heard, “Not my leaves, my seeds.” I was dumbfounded. First, I had never had a plant “speak” to me and second, I had never heard of using nettle seed for medicine (Winston, 2019, p. 289).

He made a ceremonial offering to the plant, harvested the seeds, and made a tincture. This he gave to the woman, who recovered to such an extent that she did not need dialysis; in fact, she lived to be 88 years old and did not die of kidney disease.

Winston tells this story almost apologetically; it was not something he’d intended or expected to happen, but a spontaneous moment of plant communication. Luckily for his client, he was open to the message.

Beyond the Physical

Plant spirit medicine can be understood as a shamanic approach to working with plants, understanding them as conscious beings that can become our teachers and allies.

Here, we’ve looked at herbalism through this lens, and discovered the role of shamanism in the development and application of herbal medicine. But the healing potential of plants moves beyond the physical and into the realms of mental, emotional, and spiritual healing.

As Eliot Cowan (1995) says in his seminal book, Plant Spirit Medicine, “Plant spirit medicine is the shaman’s way with plants. It recognizes that plants have spirits, and that spirit is the strongest medicine. Spirit can heal the deepest reaches of the heart and soul” (p. 4).

By this way of thinking, we don’t necessarily need the physical substance of a plant in order to experience its medicine on many levels. All we need is an open heart and a little practice cultivating relationships with plant spirits.

In Part 2 of this series on plant spirit medicine, we dive into cultivating relationships with plants in an intentional, reciprocal way for healing, personal growth, and self-care.

References

Buhner, S.H. (1998). Sacred and herbal healing beers. Siris Books.

Cowan, E. (1995). Plant spirit medicine. Swan Raven & Co.

Espinoza, Y. (2014). Sexual healing with Amazonian plant teachers: A heuristic inquiry of women’s spiritual-erotic awakenings. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 23(1), 109-120. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2013.861060

Ingerman, S. (n.d.). Shamanism: Healing of individuals and the planet. https://www.sandraingerman.com/abstractonshamanism.html

Jauregui, X., Clavo, Z., Jovel, E., & Pardo-de-Santayana, M. (2011). “Plantas con madre”: Plants that teach and guide in the shamanic initiation process in the East-Central Peruvian Amazon. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 134, 739-752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2011.01.042

Kilham, C. (2014). The ayahuasca test pilots handbook: The essential guide to ayahuasce journeying. North Atlantic Books.

Winston, D., & Maimes, S. (2019). Adaptogens: Herbs for strength, stamina, and stress relief (2nd ed.). Healing Arts Press.