The UCF chapter of NORML, which works toward cannabis reform, invited herbalist Emily Ruff to talk with students about sacred plant medicine on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Sacred plants, such as cannabis, psilocybin mushrooms and peyote, are used ceremonially to explore the spiritual world. They are also considered sacred for the healing properties found within the plants.
“While these plants may bring about certain hallucinatory experiences, a lot of them don’t, and more broadly what they do is they help us connect with our God-like nature within,” Ruff said.
Ruff studied ethnobotany, philosophy and women’s studies at UCF. She graduated in 2005 and has since become the executive director at the Florida School of Holistic Living. Her research with plant healing has taken her to three continents where she studied with a variety of healers over the past decade.
She spoke about research that has been conducted by the U.S. Navy in relation to the human heart’s neuro-electrical response to something impeding that individual’s electromagnetic field. This research led to further discoveries about ancient societies who revered cannabis plants.
“They said that plants spoke to their hearts and gave them their wisdom,” Ruff said.
Ruff stressed many times that people need to respect plants more by pointing out that they, too, are living beings. She referenced a study from the University of Virginia showing that depressed individuals who sat in a garden with plants caused an increase in essential oil emission.
“That means when you’re depressed, plants are trying to make you happy,” she said.
“I definitely agree that plants have senses that we don’t acknowledge all the time, and that we should try to be more one-with-nature,” mechanical engineering major Brady Alter said.
The sacred plant medicine learning experience concluded with Ruff passing around a bag of fresh tobacco for each student to take a portion of. She wants them to ceremonially offer the tobacco to a plant.
But what they actually do with the tobacco is entirely up to them; she just asks that they offer a little prayer before, should they choose to smoke it.
