Shamans, plants, and spirits: Health and disease in the Plantocene

People in Poland who use psychoactive plants like ayahuasca, psilocybin mushrooms, and mescaline-containing cacti for healing and personal growth describe health and disease through holistic, plant-centered frameworks rather than conventional biomedical models. Based on interviews and online discussions, the paper introduces the concept of the "Plantocene" to explore how these plants are viewed as agentive beings that communicate with humans and influence planetary futures. Ethical concerns arise when attributing ultimate agency to the Plants or appropriating them as "Slavic" or "global," which can legitimize extraction from indigenous communities and deepen global inequalities.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences and perspectives of people from Poland who engage with psychoactive plants, referred to by me as the Plants, such as ayahuasca, psilocybin mushrooms, and mescaline-containing cacti-for healing and personal growth. Based on fourteen in-depth interviews and analysis of online discussions, the paper examines how my interlocutors conceptualize health, disease, and healing through their encounters with the Plants. The research highlights the shift from conventional biomedical paradigms to holistic, plant-centered approaches in which the Plants are seen as agentive beings capable of communicating with humans. The concept of the “Plantocene” is introduced as a speculative framework, suggesting that plant agency influences human behavior and planetary futures. The paper considers the ethical concerns that arise from attributing ultimate agency to the Plants, and from appropriating plants as “Slavic” or “global.” Such narratives legitimize “drawing” from the Plants and indigenous communities without acknowledging their rights, and may silence and deepen existing global inequalities.