Christian R Tsch

Richard Evans Schultes (1915-2001) is widely recognized as the founder of modern ethnobotany. His extensive research focused on how indigenous communities, particularly in the Americas, utilize plants. A significant part of his work involved the study of entheogenic, or hallucinogenic, plants, with a particular emphasis on his investigations in Mexico and the Amazon rainforest. These studies often involved long-term collaborations with chemists.

Schultes was also an influential educator at Harvard University, where his charismatic teaching style inspired many students and colleagues. His legacy includes not only his scientific contributions but also his role in shaping public understanding of plants and their sacred, healing, and psychoactive properties. His seminal work, "The Plants of the Gods," co-authored with Albert Hofmann, remains a key text in the field.

Born in Boston in 1915, Richard Evans Schultes' fascination with South American rainforests began in childhood, sparked by reading about the explorations of Richard Spruce. He pursued biology at Harvard University, where his interest shifted from medicine to botany under the mentorship of Oakes Ames. Schultes' early academic work included a thesis on the ritual use of peyote among the Kiowa people and doctoral research on the identity of Mexican hallucinogenic mushrooms (Psilocybe genus) and morning glories (ololiuqui).

During World War II, Schultes' research was redirected to finding wild rubber species. Following this, he embarked on extensive fieldwork in the Amazon, living among indigenous communities and earning their respect. He was among the first to document the destruction of the rainforest and the plight of its native inhabitants. Schultes collected over thirty thousand plant specimens, many new to Western science, and identified the sources of crucial substances like curare, a muscle relaxant used in surgery. He also conducted early academic investigations into ayahuasca, identifying key plant components like Psychotria viridis and Diplopterys cabrerana, which contain DMT.

Schultes held significant academic positions at Harvard, including curator and professor, where his lectures on economic botany were renowned for their detail and engaging demonstrations of plant uses. He influenced a generation of researchers and writers interested in psychoactive plants and self-discovery, though he maintained a critical stance towards some figures in the psychedelic movement. His personal hero was the naturalist Richard Spruce, and Schultes himself became a celebrated figure, receiving numerous awards and inspiring a Colombian film, "Embrace of the Serpent."