The Greek word pharmakon, the paradoxical root of many medicine-related English words, is sometimes roughly translated as “drug,” in the sense of both “remedy” and “poison.” This duality illuminates much of the contemporary pursuit of bodily and mental health, in which treatments such as psychedelic therapy and alternative medicine are increasingly common in lieu of, or to supplement, a purely medication-based approach to healing and well-being. In a way, the word pharmakon opens the door to a question: To what extent do any healing practices, ingredients, and compounds actually affect us?