In this episode of Psychedelics Today, Joe Moore sits down with South African ethnobotanist and healer Jean-François Sobiecki to explore the rich and largely underrecognized world of African psychoactive plants. With over two decades of fieldwork and research, Jean-François sheds light on the traditional use of these plants in healing, divination, and spiritual practices across Southern Africa.
Topics covered include:
- Jean-François’s early inspirations and the ancestral roots of his herbal knowledge
- His discovery and documentation of 306 African psychoactive plant species
- The ritual use of Ubuwalu (dream-enhancing emetic infusions) and their role in personal transformation
- How vomiting, dietary restrictions, and sensory isolation are used as part of initiation processes
- Cross-cultural parallels between Southern African and Amazonian plant healing traditions
- The underexplored use of psychoactive plants to treat mental health conditions like schizophrenia and hysteria
- Ethical fieldwork, indigenous knowledge protection, and the dangers of overharvesting sacred plants
- Visions for healing and conservation gardens in Africa and the role these plants could play in global mental health
Jean-François shares moving stories of his 15-year mentorship with a Northern Sotho diviner and healer, Letti Ponnya, and how she introduced him to African “plant teacher” medicines. His message is clear: Africa has a deep, sophisticated, and scientifically underappreciated tradition of psychoactive plant use that deserves recognition, respect, and further study.
📘 Get the book: African Psychoactive Plants: Journeys in Phytoalchemy
🌐 Learn more at: phytoalchemy.co.za
📝 Related reading: ➡️ African Psychoactive Plants: Journeys in Phytoalchemy – Chacruna
