The BEST episodes of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia

Every episode of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia!

Hamilton is fascinated by drugs. Join him on an inedible journey as he investigates the history, chemistry, and social impact of the world's most extraordinary mind-altering substances.

Last Updated: 3/23/2026Network: VICE TV (US)Status: Ended

8.80

51 votes

#1 - The Psychedelic Toad

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/28/2017

Hamilton embarks on a quest to answer the most important question in ethnoherpetological history and along the way, he finds the power of love.

Watch Now:Amazon

8.70

43 votes

#2 - A Clandestine Chemist's Tale

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/2/2018

Hamilton meets an unsung hero of the psychedelic underground and hears a tragic tale of MDMA synthesis and chemiluminescence.

8.55

42 votes

#3 - Ketamine: Realms and Realities

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/26/2017

Hamilton heads to India to see industrial Ketamine synthesis, and speak with therapists and luminaries in an attempt to understand the role of dissociative anesthetics in society.

8.48

25 votes

#4 - Synthetic Toad Venom Machine

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/4/2021

Haunted by past mistakes, Hamilton embarks on a journey to correct an error in his reporting and identifies the origin of an international toad venom smoking phenomenon.

8.46

52 votes

#5 - Wizards of DMT

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/19/2017

Hamilton travels across North America to study how and why DMT exists in the environment and the laboratory.

Watch Now:Amazon

8.38

48 votes

#6 - Peyote: The Divine Messenger

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/5/2017

From the greenhouses of Thai cactophiles to the Tamaulipan thornscrub, Hamilton traces the history of peyote with the help of a Native American peyotist.

Watch Now:Amazon

Shepherdess: The Story of Salvia Divinorium

8.37

78 votes

#7 - Shepherdess: The Story of Salvia Divinorium

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/9/2016

From the heavenly cloud forests of Oaxaca to a viral video of Miley Cyrus, Hamilton investigates the inconspicuous yet extraordinary psychedelic plant Salvia divinorum.

Watch Now:Apple TV

8.34

70 votes

#8 - The Lazy Lizard School of Hedonism

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/7/2016

In our last episode, we meet with famed LSD chemist Casey Hardison in the Nevada desert and embark on a road trip to visit an unsung hero of psychedelic history - Darrell Lemaire.

Watch Now:Amazon Apple TV

8.31

70 votes

#9 - Magic Mushrooms in Mexico

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/16/2016

From the Aztec empire to the underground laboratory, Hamilton explores magic mushrooms with the help of shamans, clandestine growers, and ethnomycologists.

Watch Now:Apple TV

8.26

47 votes

#10 - Fish N' Trips

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/30/2016

Hamilton embarks on an aquatic adventure to Reunion Island and Madagascar to investigate ichthyoallyeinotoxism and a twisted history of hallucinogenic fish.

Watch Now:Apple TV

8.24

37 votes

#11 - A Fungal Fairy Tale

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/9/2018

Hamilton ascends the Carpathian Mountains, microscope in hand, to learn how Europeans use Amanita muscaria, and uncovers the chemistry behind a mushroom-inspired pharmaceutical.

Watch Now:Amazon

8.17

47 votes

#12 - Kratom: The Forbidden Leaf

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/12/2017

Hamilton investigates the pharmacology and traditional uses of Kratom, a Thai tree with opioid-containing leaves.

7.90

30 votes

#13 - The Cactus Apprentice

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/16/2018

Deep in the Andean highlands of Peru, Hamilton becomes the apprentice of a local shaman, learning how to use the night-blooming San Pedro cactus as a medicine.

7.79

78 votes

#14 - A Positive PCP Story

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/2/2016

Hamilton travels across the USA meeting with addicts, dealers, and chemists to trace the history of PCP from its pharmaceutical origins to its escape onto the streets.

Watch Now:Apple TV

7.78

27 votes

#15 - Ultra LSD

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/8/2021

With the precise structure of LSD's molecular target identified, Hamilton discusses the new era of psychedelic research and meets pioneers of the field.

7.76

90 votes

#16 - The Story of the South African Quaalude

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/26/2016

South Africa is the last place on earth Quaaludes can still be found. Hamilton travels there to study the drug and finds a dark history of medical experimentation.

Watch Now:Apple TV

7.72

29 votes

#17 - A Positive Methamphetamine Story

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/11/2021

From X-ray crystallography to vesicular dopamine release, Hamilton travels the country visiting meth labs to understand the process behind a great American folk art.

7.68

22 votes

#18 - Xenon: the Perfect Anesthetic?

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/18/2021

Hamilton traces the multibillion year history of nitrous oxide on Earth and follows the strangest noble gas to the Czech Republic.

Watch Now:Apple TV

7.68

25 votes

#19 - Bufotenine: In Search of Hataj

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/1/2021

Succumbing to viewer requests, Hamilton journeys to South America to understand the legend of Bufotenine, the world's oldest psychedelic.

Watch Now:Apple TV

7.58

26 votes

#20 - Synthetic Ibogaine: Natural Tramadol

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/25/2021

After revealing a scientific mystery around Tramadol-addicted cows in West Africa, Hamilton follows a Gabonese opiate addict to a psychedelic ritual.

Watch Now:Amazon