3: Back to Root with Dee Mani & Kate Shemirani - Episode 33: Back to Root with Dee Mani & Kate Shemirani - Episode 3
UK Health Radio Podcast
Hosts Dee Mani and Kate Shemirani talk with medicine hunter Chris Kilham about plant medicine, indigenous wisdom, ethical trade and the risks and rewards of researching botanicals around the world. The conversation links global plant knowledge to personal healing journeys and wider environmental concerns.
47:19•12 Nov 2026
Back to Root: Medicine Hunter Chris Kilham on Plants, Peril and Real Healing
Episode Overview
- Plants are a major global source of medicine, with around 50,000 recognised medicinal species and extensive scientific research behind many of them.
- Indigenous communities hold rich, generational knowledge about herbs, with women often acting as primary keepers of herbal tradition.
- Ethical trade in botanicals can significantly reduce poverty, and fair pricing for growers is crucial to just supply chains.
- The line between medicine and poison is often the dose, making respectful, informed use of powerful plants essential.
- Environmental toxins and climate change threaten both human health and the long-term sustainability of key medicinal crops like coffee.
“Plants form the greatest pharmacy of medicines that are used around the world.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of plant medicine, global adventure and a fair bit of danger. This episode of Back to Root brings together hosts Dee Mani and Kate Shemirani with their guest, medicine hunter Chris Kilham, for a lively chat about how plants shape human health across the globe.
You’ll hear Chris explain his job in plain terms: “I work with indigenous people all over the world to help establish chains of trade,” focusing on botanicals like kava, maca, ginseng, schisandra, cat’s claw and acai. He stresses that “plants form the greatest pharmacy of medicines that are used around the world,” and points out that roughly 50,000 medicinal plants are known and widely studied. The conversation blends humour and hard reality.
Chris shares hair-raising stories of guns in his face, pirate chases and storms at sea, alongside deep respect for the communities he works with. He makes it clear that he’s no lone ranger; he travels with teams, aims to improve village income, and pushes companies to pay fair prices rather than keeping growers in poverty. A big focus is on how indigenous knowledge and modern science often say the same thing in different languages.
Examples like turmeric cooked in oil, coffee’s many active compounds and women’s historic role as herbal knowledge keepers all show how plant wisdom has been carried through generations. Kate and Dee connect this to their own cancer journeys, highlighting how food and herbs supported their health when they stepped away from conventional treatment.
The episode also touches on environmental toxins, climate change and the fragile state of our planet, while still finding room for jokes about strong coffee that “turns you upside down and shakes the change out of your pockets.” If you’re curious about plant-based approaches to health, global traditions and ethical trade, this conversation might prompt you to look at your morning herbs and coffee in a completely new way.
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