About Chris Kilham
Christopher S. Kilham
Medicine Hunter
medicinehunter.com
@medicinehunter
“Part David Attenborough, part Indiana Jones (Chris Kilham) scoured remote jungles and highlands for three decades for plants, oils and extracts that can heal.” - The New York Times
Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter, author, yogi and educator. The founder of Medicine Hunter Inc., Chris has conducted medicinal plant research in over 45 countries. Chris works with companies to develop and popularize traditional plant-based food and medicinal products into market successes. These include kava, maca, rhodiola, schisandra, tamanu oil, cat’s claw, dragon’s blood, ayahuasca, and hundreds of other plants. Chris also works to bridge worlds, regularly sharing information about other cultures through presentations and media.
Chris is the author of fifteen books, including The Ayahuasca Test Pilots Handbook, The Five Tibetans, Hot Plants, Psyche Delicacies, Tales from the Medicine Trail and Kava, Medicine Hunting in Paradise. His latest book, The Lotus and The Bud: Cannabis, Consciousness, and Yoga Practice, which provides an in-depth guide to blending the practice of yoga with cannabis.
As a guest expert on TV in U.S. and international markets, Chris Kilham advocates for traditional botanical medicines, including psychoactive and psychedelic plant medicines such as cannabis and ayahuasca. He has appeared on over 1500 radio programs and more than 500 TV programs worldwide, with features in The New York Times, ABC News Nightline, Newsweek, CNN, The Dr. Oz Show, NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, ABC 20/20, Psychology Today, Outside Magazine, Playboy, VICE, Business Insider, Oprah & Friends, Woman’s World, and many others. He has additionally appeared on PBS, CNBC Power Lunch, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, Chelsea Handler's “Chelsea Does”, and The Preachers. As a TV expert and guest he speaks about medicine hunting, traditional botanical medicines, nutraceuticals, psychoactive plants, environmental and cultural preservation, yoga and meditation, and other related topics for a broad and diverse variety of audiences.
For 21 years, Chris conducted medicinal plant research for Naturex of Avignon, France, one of the leading botanical extraction companies in the world. On their behalf, he headed new botanical discovery, helped to develop sustainability programs, and developed videos, presentations and communication programs about medicinal plants. He is widely known throughout the botanical, natural health and sustainability sectors for his global explorations.
In the course of this work, Chris has traveled over 4 million miles and has spent thousands of days and nights away from home. He has fire-walked in the South Pacific, been made a chief, enjoyed a diplomatic post for three years, has made good friends all over the globe, roamed rainforests and mountains, made best friends with a prince, dined with prime ministers, embarked on ceremonial journeys with shamans, and explored wild places, from deserts to rivers.
“I have gone where few go, seen what few seen, and participated in some highly unusual and memorable scenes,” says Chris. “I have also gotten malaria, contracted numerous tropical diseases, gotten parasites and nerve damage, been chased by pirates, had guns pointed at me, and collected burns, bites, stings, cuts, abrasions, infections, injuries, dysentery. I have broken down in virtually every type of transportation, including a plane. All of this has added texture to this work.”
An avid body surfer and adventure traveler, Chris lives and works in Massachusetts with his wife, cultural activist Zoe Helene. Chris and Zoe travel the globe on Medicine Hunter expeditions and work together to promote plant medicines, environmental protection and cultural preservation.
