Episode
#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
Description
Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants | Brought to you by Headspace easy-to-use app with guided meditations, Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, and Wealthfront automated investing. More on all three below.Michael Pollan (@michaelpollan) is the author of eight books, including How to Change Your Mind, Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and The Botany of Desire, all of which were New York Times bestsellers. A longtime contributor to The New York Times Magazine, Pollan teaches writing at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley. In 2010, Time magazine named him one of the one hundred most influential people in the world. His newest book is This Is Your Mind on Plants. Please enjoy!*This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,’ and they currently oversee $20 billion of assets for their clients. It takes about three minutes to sign up, and then Wealthfront will build you a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs based on your risk appetite and manage it for you at an incredibly low cost. Smart investing should not feel like a rollercoaster ride. Let the professionals do the work for you. Go to Wealthfront.com/Tim and open a Wealthfront account today, and you’ll get your first $5,000 managed for free, for life. Wealthfront will automate your investments for the long term. Get started today at Wealthfront.com/Tim.*This episode is also brought to you by Headspace! Headspace is your daily dose of mindfulness in the form of guided meditations in an easy-to-use app. Whatever the situation, Headspace can help you feel better. Overwhelmed? Headspace has a 3-minute SOS meditation for you. Need some help falling asleep? Headspace has wind-down sessions their members swear by. And for parents, Headspace even has morning meditations you can do with your kids. Headspace’s approach to mindfulness can reduce stress, improve sleep, boost focus, and increase your overall sense of well-being.Go to Headspace.com/Tim for a FREE one-month trial with access to Headspace’s full library of meditations for every situation.*This episode is also brought to you by Eight Sleep! Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover is the easiest and fastest way to sleep at the perfect temperature. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking to offer the most advanced (and user-friendly) solution on the market. Simply add the Pod Pro Cover to your current mattress and start sleeping as cool as 55°F or as hot as 110°F. It also splits your bed in half, so your partner can choose a totally different temperature.And now, my dear listeners—that’s you—can get $250 off the Pod Pro Cover. Simply go to EightSleep.com/Tim or use code TIM. *If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapters
An advertisement for 8 Sleep is featured in the podcast, offering a product that claims to help users fall asleep faster and get more restful sleep.
00:00 - 03:57 (03:57)
Summary
An advertisement for 8 Sleep is featured in the podcast, offering a product that claims to help users fall asleep faster and get more restful sleep. The podcast also mentions Headspace and how mindfulness can improve sleep and overall well-being.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast discusses Charles Wang's journey from selling potatoes to becoming a real estate mogul and buying farms from farmers who wanted to get out of the business.
03:57 - 09:49 (05:52)
Summary
The podcast discusses Charles Wang's journey from selling potatoes to becoming a real estate mogul and buying farms from farmers who wanted to get out of the business. The host also shares her childhood gardening experience and how it shaped her engagement with the natural world.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Michael Pollan discusses his interest in psychoactive plants and how it led him to examine our symbiotic relationship with them in his book "The Botany of Desire".
09:49 - 15:00 (05:10)
Summary
Michael Pollan discusses his interest in psychoactive plants and how it led him to examine our symbiotic relationship with them in his book "The Botany of Desire".
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast covers some personal stories of plant engagement and the lessons learnt from them, including a researcher at Hopkins who was once the world's leading researcher on caffeine, and an experiment that suggests one can never truly understand their relationship with a drug or substance unless they stand back and look at it.
15:00 - 18:37 (03:37)
Summary
The podcast covers some personal stories of plant engagement and the lessons learnt from them, including a researcher at Hopkins who was once the world's leading researcher on caffeine, and an experiment that suggests one can never truly understand their relationship with a drug or substance unless they stand back and look at it.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
This episode discusses how Purdue Pharma aggressively marketed OxyContin as a safe and non-addictive opiate, leading to the opiate crisis, while the US government implemented the drug war, leading to mass incarceration.
18:37 - 27:38 (09:01)
Summary
This episode discusses how Purdue Pharma aggressively marketed OxyContin as a safe and non-addictive opiate, leading to the opiate crisis, while the US government implemented the drug war, leading to mass incarceration. The biggest public health crisis during this period involved legal drugs, not illegal drugs.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The host shares their experience of growing opium poppies and the legalities surrounding it, including the possession of seeds and growing the actual poppy.
27:39 - 33:48 (06:09)
Summary
The host shares their experience of growing opium poppies and the legalities surrounding it, including the possession of seeds and growing the actual poppy.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The host recounts how he found a purple floppy drive in his old Connecticut house which led him to hire a prominent first amendment lawyer, Victor Kovner, to represent him with a unique contract that not only defends him but pays his wife a salary during the whole proceedings.
33:48 - 41:03 (07:14)
Summary
The host recounts how he found a purple floppy drive in his old Connecticut house which led him to hire a prominent first amendment lawyer, Victor Kovner, to represent him with a unique contract that not only defends him but pays his wife a salary during the whole proceedings.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Author Michael Pollan explains why the scheduling of opiates and cannabis as illegal is an artifact of politics and how regulation and information are crucial for public health in the drug market.
41:03 - 50:04 (09:01)
Summary
Author Michael Pollan explains why the scheduling of opiates and cannabis as illegal is an artifact of politics and how regulation and information are crucial for public health in the drug market.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, expressed positive remarks on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in a public discussion, highlighting the significant change in attitude towards the substance in recent years.
50:04 - 56:30 (06:25)
Summary
Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, expressed positive remarks on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in a public discussion, highlighting the significant change in attitude towards the substance in recent years.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The writer plays a crucial role in capturing the essence of the psychedelic experience and finding their place within the story.
56:30 - 1:03:19 (06:48)
Summary
The writer plays a crucial role in capturing the essence of the psychedelic experience and finding their place within the story. The perspective of an average reader can bring a fresh perspective to the topic.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
This podcast episode discusses the ethics of using peyote as a non-native person and suggests the use of San Pedro, another type of cactus from South America that is easier to grow and obtain.
1:03:20 - 1:12:09 (08:49)
Summary
This podcast episode discusses the ethics of using peyote as a non-native person and suggests the use of San Pedro, another type of cactus from South America that is easier to grow and obtain.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Journey Colab, a new startup, is hoping to work with mescaline and has a system of reciprocity with Native American communities.
1:12:09 - 1:23:43 (11:33)
Summary
Journey Colab, a new startup, is hoping to work with mescaline and has a system of reciprocity with Native American communities. While it's known to be helpful with physical healing, there may be potential for mescaline to aid with addiction as well.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The Berkeley Center for Psychedelic Science is focusing on basic science, understanding brain mechanisms involved in the psychedelic experience, a grant for journalism, and a public education initiative, to help move the field forward in the future.
1:23:43 - 1:36:48 (13:04)
Summary
The Berkeley Center for Psychedelic Science is focusing on basic science, understanding brain mechanisms involved in the psychedelic experience, a grant for journalism, and a public education initiative, to help move the field forward in the future.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
England did not have any coffee-growing colonies, they had tea-growing colonies.
1:36:50 - 1:45:39 (08:49)
Summary
England did not have any coffee-growing colonies, they had tea-growing colonies. However, coffee still became a big fad with one coffee house for every 150 Londoners. Tea eventually took over due to colonial politics and imperialism, with countries like Amsterdam having success with coffee.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast discusses organic and raised bed gardening, mentioning the books "Square Foot Gardening" and "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" as useful references.
1:45:40 - 1:55:52 (10:12)
Summary
The podcast discusses organic and raised bed gardening, mentioning the books "Square Foot Gardening" and "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" as useful references.
Episode#520: Michael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Headpace is a meditation app providing guided meditations tailored to your schedule, anytime and anywhere.
1:55:53 - 2:01:30 (05:37)
Summary
Headpace is a meditation app providing guided meditations tailored to your schedule, anytime and anywhere. It claims to reduce stress, improve sleep, boost focus and increase overall wellbeing backed by 25 published studies on its benefits.