Is Coca the Secret to Unlocking the Plant Codex?

Babe, wake up! A new edition of The Drop In by DoubleBlind Mag is here, and it’s loaded with independent journalism about psychedelics you won’t find anywhere else.

Today’s lead story is about the Beneficial Plant Research Association coming out of decades of dormancy to revive research into the coca plant. Not as a vehicle for Big Pharma to commercialize, but as a means of ecological preservation in a time of climate crisis, while centering the Indigenous communities who’ve worked with the plant for millennia. You’ll also find stories on consuming psychedelics for chronic health conditions, everything you need to know about LSA, and the difference between lab-made and natural psilocybin…and what might be lost when we isolate a single alkaloid.

Keep an eye out for more stories this week about lady acid chemists from the ‘60s and how to harness the genius of psychedelics to tackle society’s most complex issues.

With gratitude,

Mary Carreón
Senior Editor

The BPRA Is Reframing How We Think About Plant Medicine

By reviving coca research, the Beneficial Plant Research Association is challenging the psychedelic notion of “plant medicine” and rooting its work in Indigenous-led ecological care.

In psychedelic circles, the phrase “plant medicine” tends to evoke images of ayahuasca, mushrooms, huachuma, or iboga. But outside that sphere — in the world of botanists, herbalists, integrated physicians, and traditional healers — plant medicine means something broader, deeper, and far less trendy. It refers to all plants that support human health and well-being, from lemon balm to coca leaves. But coca — and the Indigenous cultures long rooted in its use — have been criminalized and subjected to cultural erasure, making it difficult to study in a meaningful and respectful way. With a mission to bring the first comprehensive data about coca to scientific literature, the Beneficial Plant Research Association (BPRA) is emerging from decades of dormancy to study the plant in a way that’s rooted in ecological preservation and Indigenous leadership.

"Coca was the foundation [on which the] BPRA was founded in 1979. It was the main focus of the founders," says Laura Ash, the director of operations of the BPRA and a clinical herbalist of nearly three decades. "The focus was to understand the full medicinal value of the whole coca leaf, but our vision is to study many other beneficial plants as well.”

The goal, Ash tells us, isn’t a pharma play. It’s about combating cultural erasure through the preservation of the land and its species. Currently, Indigenous communities safeguard substantial portions of the world's remaining biodiversity. Some say it’s as high as 80%, while others claim it's closer to 40%. Regardless, the role of Indigenous communities in conserving biodiversity is well-founded and supported by substantial evidence.

“Our focus is to be able to work with Indigenous and local communities that are stewarding the land appropriately and focusing on their own biodiversity preservation,” Ash tells DoubleBlind over the phone. “The research and preservation efforts that will be with them are aimed at supporting their documentation, as well as the conservation of the areas where their plants are sourced, which is generally in the wild.”

One of the soul-crushing realities of the psychedelic movement 2.0 is that most research on consciousness-altering plants isn’t about disseminating information for posterity or mass healing. It’s about pharmaceutical product development and securing patents to make billions of dollars, often at the expense of Indigenous knowledge, land, and culture. Ash says the BPRA prioritizes Indigenous consent, leadership, and reciprocity — all of which are typically not even afterthoughts to the money-obsessed biotech bros frothing over the next magic molecule.

"Free, prior informed consent happens first with any [Indigenous] community that we're working with, and then they lead the projects," Ash says. "They are leading it, and they can say no at any time... all of that is put in place before we move forward on any research."

The work is slow, requires patience, and is rooted in trust, rather than operating at the pace of Western capitalism, Ash tells us. "Working with Indigenous and local communities is really not a given that they will say yes, and appropriately so if they decide not to. We have a really strong background in supporting the communities on the ground in these regions, though, and we're really proud of that."

The BPRA was founded by a group of all-star plant experts. Dr. Andrew Weil, an internationally recognized expert on medicinal plants, and Tim Plowman, an ethnobotanist specializing in coca studies, brought the project to life in 1979 and successfully recruited legendary chemists Albert Hofmann and Alexander Shulgin to serve as scientific advisors on its board. But shortly after its inception, the BPRA shuttered due to the Reagan administration’s aggressive drug war campaign.

Hoping to ride the recent wave of psychedelic research and decriminalization efforts, Dennis McKenna — a renowned ethnopharmacologist who is also on the board — and Dr. Weil, figured now is the time to act. They're reviving the project with a sense of freedom that may not have existed decades ago, regardless of the Reagans.

"The psychedelic movement is actually allowing research on [plants like] coca to even happen," Ash says. "So this is where Dr. Weil said, 'Hey, maybe there's an opportunity for us to do this work from 1979 that we never got off the ground because the war on drugs was happening.'"

Ash explains that researching the entire plant is crucial for preserving the knowledge of Indigenous communities and collecting reliable data. That mission takes on added urgency in the face of ecological collapse. "Every two years, we're losing [plant] medicine in the Amazon because of environmental degradation," Ash says. "That means the time to act, respectfully and collaboratively, is now."

Through its research, the BPRA is hoping to dismantle the misinformation surrounding coca, and clear up decades of confusion about a plant whose legacy has been distorted by extraction, criminalization, politics, and fear. "There's one alkaloid in the whole coca plant that [makes] cocaine," says Ash. "The whole plant, as far as we know, helps with digestive issues, everything from supporting you if you have constipation or increasing loose stools. It also helps with altitude sickness and so much more."

The distinction between the isolated compound and the living plant speaks to a larger shift BPRA is trying to catalyze, one that harkens back to the notion of plant medicine and why the psychedelic field needs to broaden its definition. In a culture where plants are often reduced to their chemical constituents, the BPRA’s mission serves as a reminder of something older and more whole.

"We are dedicated to looking at plants as keystone species,” Ash says. “They support the ecosystems and sequester carbon. They are often overlooked, but they are actually the foundation of life."

Can Psychedelics Help Us Creatively Solve Humanity’s Biggest Problems?

This Friday, we’re publishing a story about the kind of insight that doesn’t come from effort alone, but from dissolving into the problem itself. From the origins of life to the mechanics of genius, scientists are revisiting a long-abandoned question: Can altered states help us crack the code of the world’s most intractable challenges? 

We get to the bleeding heart of the matter in our Friday feature this week, which is truly another epic story you don’t want to miss. Update your subscription here to get the story first.

DoubleBlind Digs

Here are today’s recommendations to help you live more psychedelically… 

LISTEN: Alexandra Plesner from Psychedelics Design podcast recently chatted with David Good — our brilliant creative director at DoubleBlind Magazine and design professor at Pratt Institute — about the electric crossroads of psychedelics, culture, and visual storytelling. With a portfolio that spans the Museum of Sex to the Center for Optimal Living, Good brings a sharp eye and a visionary edge to every conversation. Listen to the episode here.

WATCH: A woman utilizes ancient beekeeping traditions to cultivate honey in the mountains of North Macedonia. In the documentary Honeyland, Haditze Muratova lives in harmony with her bees and the land, caring for her ailing mother, and selling wild honey in the city. Her guiding principle is simple: take half, leave half for the bees. But when new neighbors arrive with noise, livestock, and a disregard for Muratova’s wisdom, that delicate balance begins to unravel, revealing a powerful tale of environmental stewardship, survival, and the quiet cost of human greed. Find it on Apple+ here.

READ: In Dr. Fun Guy’s Passport to Kingdom Fungi, scientist and social media star Dr. Gordon Walker takes readers on a richly illustrated journey through the mysterious world of mushrooms. From fungal biology and evolution to foraging tips and ID tricks, this vibrant guide is both an accessible primer and a love letter to the fungal kingdom, perfect for curious beginners and seasoned mycophiles alike. Buy the book here!

ATTEND: Learn how to extract and analyze plant compounds in this accessible intro to botanical chemistry — no lab coat required. Proceeds support the historic Shulgin Farm, with sliding-scale tickets and scholarships available. Learn more here.

LEARN: Step into the quantum realm where psychedelics meet physics. On May 12 in Portland, join visionary scientists, artists, and thinkers for a mind-bending panel exploring consciousness, reality, and the strange overlaps between quantum theory and psychedelic experience. Tickets $20 in person, $10 live stream, no prior physics degree required. Learn more here.