Herbalism, Citizen Science, and Ancestral Knowledge

Apr 6, 2026

Rebecca Lazarou, PhD candidate, herbalist and activist who documents ancestral medicinal plant knowledge. She discusses preserving at-risk Cypriot ethnobotany and using citizen-science tools to safeguard traditions. Conversations cover home herbalism workshops, reconnecting people with plant medicines, community gardens, and practical steps to revive lost cultural and botanical wisdom.

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INSIGHT

Plants Communicate Through Chemistry And Relationship

Plant relationships are experiential and non-verbal, combining chemistry and a felt connection.
Dennis McKenna emphasizes that plants communicate via chemistry while also expressing an inherent intelligence felt through direct interaction.

ANECDOTE

Psychedelics And Books Shaped A Career

Dennis McKenna traced his career to psychedelic experiences and early exposure to ethnopharmacology texts.
A copy of The Teachings of Don Juan and the 1967 ESPD conference book catalyzed his scientific and indigenous-interest pathway.

INSIGHT

Plants Use Chemicals As Ecosystem Messages

Plants act as chemical signalers, producing compounds that modulate other organisms.
Dennis explains plants substitute biosynthesis for behavior, making molecules that interact with receptors across ecosystems.

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Join Dennis McKenna in this insightful conversation with Rebecca Lazarou as they explore the urgent need to preserve ancestral medicinal plant knowledge, the role of ethnopharmacology, and how traditional herbal wisdom can be protected for future generations. Rebecca shares the story behind her PhD research on Cypriot medicinal plants and her mission to document at-risk ethnobotanical knowledge before it disappears. They also discuss citizen science, cultural heritage, biodiversity, and the connection between science and traditional healing.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to unforeseen circumstances the activities for Rebecca's event in London has now shifted. The date and location will be the same, and it will still be a highly educational event but it will now be a more intimate home herbalism medicine making workshop. Participants will learn all about medicinal plants, the medical system, and will be making their own teas to take home with herbs focused on mental health and stress. Rebecca will also talk about ethnobotany, have a herbal tea bar, and all proceeds still go towards supporting her research.

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Rebecca Lazarou’s work is an ecology of different disciplines spanning across medical science, ethnopharmacology, herbalism, holistic healthcare, cannabis and psychedelics. She is also an activist, writer, speaker and herbal formulator.

She is currently a PhD candidate at Kew Gardens and UCL School of Pharmacy with a focus on ethnopharmacology and herbal medicines. She was the science and managing editor for the ESPD55 volume, is currently co-editor for education charity Herbal Reality and founded Laz The Plant Scientist to bring quality, sustainably sourced herbal medicines and education to people.

She is passionate about democratizing knowledge, and rekindling ethnobotany and herbalism from being marginalised disciplines to part of common knowledge again.

Ultimately her aim is to help nurture our relationship with nature through natural medicines, and support our species return back to Earth centred living. She is devoted to science to demystify these topics, but equally I am committed to rekindling the magic, awe and healing we find on our precious Earth.

You can read more about her work at rebeccalazarou.com

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