Testimonials from past speakers and supporters

“EGA successfully organises unique events that provide a space for people who care about medicinal plants and psychoactive substances to come together. EGA events are very safe, dedicated to sharing research and expert perspectives, and significantly contribute to harm reduction and improving community health and wellbeing.”

— Associate Professor Monica Barratt

  • “EGA provides an invaluable platform for science, conservation, and community exchange. Its work in harm reduction—such as helping people safely identify fungi to avoid misidentification risks—plays an essential role in public education and environmental stewardship.”

    Dr Alison Pouliot

    Ecologist, Author, Photographer

    https://alisonpouliot.com/

  • “EGA’s commitment to education and community engagement plays a vital role in promoting environmental awareness and action. By facilitating events like the Garden States Conference, EGA inspires individuals to incorporate sustainable practices into their lives.”

    Dr David Holmgren

    Co-originator of the permaculture concept, Environmental Designer

    https://holmgren.com.au

  • “EGA gatherings provide a unique venue for education and exchange regarding the role of plants and fungi in human culture, health, and history. There is a strong emphasis on the medical role of entheogens currently being investigated by researchers in world-leading Australian institutions”

    David Cameron

    Botanist

  • "EGA is unique in Australia for its serious and well-informed focus on ethnobotany. It gathers chemists, pharmacologists, clinicians, artists, musicians, and ethnobotanists making up some of the most informed participants I have met. It’s important that an organisation is dedicated to countering decades of misinformation with quality research and mature discussion"

    Dennis J. McKenna, Ph.D.
    www.mckenna.academy

  • The Garden States Conference embodies a profound commitment to environmental conservation, ethnobotanical education, and deep ecological principles. EGA not only promotes biodiversity but also nurtures a societal shift towards recognising the intrinsic value of all forms of life. Each time I attend, I leave feeling inspired, supported, and hopeful about the future of environmental stewardship and plant conservation

    John Seed OAM

    Founder and Director, Rainforest Information Centre

    www.rainforestinformationcentre.org/john_seed

  • The EGA symposium inspired me to undertake Australia’s first psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy trial for terminally ill people, leading to significant advances in mental health clinical trials. The continued exploration of entheogenic plants holds immense promise for treating difficult mental health conditions

    Dr Margaret Ross PsyD MAPS FCCLP

    Senior Clinical Psychologist, St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

  • PRISM is a direct consequence of EGA, established immediately following the seminal EGA Symposium in 2010. Over 20 years, I have consistently been impressed by the quality of EGA events, their community focus, and their commitment to responsible researc

    Dr Martin Williams, PhD

    www.prism.org.au

  • “EGA has served as a critical platform for fostering responsible, science-driven discussions. By supporting EGA, we ensure that discussions around important topics remain grounded in scientific integrity and cultural responsibility”.

    Dr Stephen Bright, PhD (Clin Psych)

    Senior Lecturer at ECU, WA Assistant Commissioner for Alcohol and other Drugs

  • "Entheogenesis Australis is the only organisation of its kind in Australia and has been a vital part of the ongoing conversation about the health benefits of entheogenic plants and fungi. Many current research projects in Australia owe much to the community-building at EGA events."

    Caine Barlow, MSc

    Professional Mycologist, Co-founder of The Entheome Foundation

  • Entheogenesis Australis is a unique gathering celebrating research and community. Anyone with an interest in discussing the therapeutic benefits of ethnobotanical plants and psychedelics to address the social and cultural issues that face our world today would benefit from attending EGA

    Rick Doblin

    Executive Director, MAPS
    www.maps.org

  • I have had the pleasure of attending several EGA conferences as an invited speaker and have learned more from the open frank discussion than from many formal medical equivalents. I would have no hesitation in recommending the EGA Conferences as unique learning and networking experiences, with unprecedented access to the elders of the entheogenic community in Australia

    Dr David Caldicott

  • "The EGA conferences are the only ones in Australia systematically focusing on psychedelics, a group of substances often left in the 'too hard' basket. EGA runs well-organised and fascinating conferences, highlighting the legitimate therapeutic potential of these substances"

    Dr. Alex Wodak AM

  • "While at EGA, hidden away like a jewel in the Australian bush, my admiration only increased for what the organisers had achieved. After attending conferences around the world, I found the audience at EGA amongst the most curious and educated I have encountered. It is definitely one of the best entheogenic conferences in the world"

    James Oroc

  • "PRISM’s story is just one of many success stories that have flowed directly from the dedicated work of EGA’s volunteers over the last 20+ years. EGA gatherings have achieved world acclaim and are regularly attended by international luminaries. I continue to attend EGA events, sometimes as a volunteer, and am consistently impressed by the professionalism, integrity, and organisational excellence of the team behind them."​

    Major Steve McDonald (Retired)

    Managing Director, The Trustee for Aadii Mesh Foundation; Co-founder, Psychedelic Research in Science & Medicine (PRISM)

  • "EGA events are unique in bringing together a melting pot of perspectives in an engaging, educational format accessible for both scientific and lay people. They provide a forum for the communication of unusual ideas in an intellectually rigorous context, generating positive community outcomes. EGA has been a highly professional, uniquely educational, and impactful event in my experience."

    Vince Polito

  • "I have attended several EGA events, which provide clinicians working in psychiatry and related fields with crucial access to up-to-date information and research from both the biological and social sciences. EGA events offer an important opportunity for professional networking and learning within a respectful and civilized atmosphere, attracting high-profile domestic and international speakers across anthropology, sociology, medicine, ecology, and biology. I applaud your organisation's support of this renowned, reputable, and significant academic event."

    Dr. Symon Beck
    BMed MD, Master of Medicine (Psychiatry)

  • The events organised by Entheogenesis Australis have played an instrumental role in the developments of Australasian psychedelic research, creating an opportunity for academics from multiple disciplines to congregate and discuss the science, philosophy, and ethnobotany of psychoactive substances. The events run by this organisation are highly professional and make a valuable contribution to progress in Australasian philosophy, psychiatry, and related fields."

    Dr Chris Letheby

    Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, The University of Western Australia

  • "Entheogenesis conferences provide an extremely important platform for researchers in medical, social, botanical, and mycological sciences. They are unique in their ability to attract citizen-scientists and non-scientists alike, allowing the dissemination of critical harm-minimisation information around drug use and medicine to a much wider audience. These events have consistently maintained an atmosphere of safety and professionalism."

    Ema Corro

    President, Mycommunity Applied Mycology Inc.; Director, Moorabool Mushroom Festival

  • "EGA has played a vital role in fostering education and collaboration, helping practitioners stay informed and engaged with the latest developments in ethnobotany and plant-based wellness. These gatherings are thoughtfully curated, with presentations from researchers, educators, and healthcare professionals committed to responsible and ethical plant medicine practices."

    Nicole Tracy

    Naturopath & Herbal Medicine Practitioner, Nurtured by Nature

  • "EGA is unique. Academic rigour, citizen science, clinical practice, entrepreneurship, activism, Indigenous traditions and underground cultures come together at their events in a mix that can't be found anywhere else. In my experience, what sets EGA conferences apart is that they create settings that allow participants from different backgrounds and with wildly different viewpoints to interact and even disagree, yet the safety, respectfulness and inclusivity of the space is never in doubt."

    Samuel Douglas

    Psychedelic Content Writer and Psychedelic Nonprofit advocate
    www.psychedelicoverground.com

  • "EGA events have gained significant international recognition as world-class ethnobotanical conferences. This reputation has been earned through their commitment to scientific integrity, cultural respect, and educational excellence"

    Billy Lawrence

    BPharmSci (Hons), BN – Registered Nurse & Medical Student

  • "We had a wonderful time—an amazing setting, great folks, and the questions and discussions were very high level".

    Erik Davis & Jennifer Dumpert

    Authors and Researchers