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                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549



                                 SCHEDULE 13D/A

                    Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                                (Amendment No. 2)

                                 ---------------

                          SHAMAN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
                                (Name of Issuer)

                                  COMMON STOCK
                         (Title of Class of Securities)

                                    819319 10
                                 (CUSIP Number)

     William D. Savoy                       Lucas D. Schenck
     505 Union Station                      Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC
     505 Fifth Avenue, Suite 900            1111 Third Avenue, Suite 3400
     Seattle, Washington  98104             Seattle, Washington  98101
     (206) 342-2000                         (206) 447-4400

          (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Persons Authorized to
                       Receive Notices and Communications)

                                December 31, 2000
             (Date of Event which Requires Filing of This Statement)

                                 ---------------

If the filing person has previously  filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report
the  acquisition  that is the subject of this  Schedule  13D, and is filing this
schedule  because  of  Sections  13d-1(e),  13d-1(f)  or  13nd-1(g),  check  the
following box. |_|

Note:  Schedules  filed in paper format shall include a signed original and five
copies of the  schedule  including  all  exhibits.  See Section  13d-7 for other
parties to whom copies are to be sent.

*The  remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting  person's
initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and
for  any  subsequent   amendment   containing   information  which  would  alter
disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed
to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of
1934 ("Act") or otherwise  subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act
but  shall be  subject  to all other  provisions  of the Act  (however,  see the
Notes).


-------------------------                         ------------------------------
CUSIP NO. 819319 10                 13D                Page 2 of 8 Pages
-------------------------                         ------------------------------

-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   1     NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
         S.S. OR I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON

              Vulcan Ventures Incorporated
-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   2     CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*        (a) [_]
                                                                  (b) [_]

-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   3     SEC USE ONLY

-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   4     SOURCE OF FUNDS*

              WC
-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   5     CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO
         ITEMS 2(d) or 2(E)

-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   6     CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

              State of Washington
-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
               ----- -----------------------------------------------------------
                 7    SOLE VOTING POWER

 NUMBER OF                 -0- shares
  SHARES       ----- -----------------------------------------------------------
BENEFICIALLY     8    SHARED VOTING POWER
  OWNED BY
    EACH                   7,411,841 shares (1)
 REPORTING     ----- -----------------------------------------------------------
   PERSON        9    SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
    WITH
                           -0- shares
               ----- -----------------------------------------------------------
                 10    SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER

                           7,411,841 shares (1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   11    AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON

              7,411,841 shares (1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   12    CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   13    PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)

              7.6%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   14    TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*

              CO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
(1) Directly owned by Vulcan  Ventures  Incorporated.  Paul G. Allen is the sole
shareholder  of Vulcan  Ventures  Incorporated  and may be deemed to have shared
voting and dispositive power with respect to such shares.

                      *SEE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE FILLING OUT!



-------------------------                         ------------------------------
CUSIP NO. 819319 10                 13D                Page 3 of 8 Pages
-------------------------                         ------------------------------

-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   1     NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
         S.S. OR I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON

              Paul G. Allen
-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   2     CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*        (a) [_]
                                                                  (b) [_]

-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   3     SEC USE ONLY


-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   4     SOURCE OF FUNDS*

              AF
-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   5     CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO
         ITEMS 2(d) or 2(E)

-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
   6     CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

              United States of America
-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    ----- ------------------------------------------------------
 NUMBER OF SHARES     7    SOLE VOTING POWER
BENEFICIALLY OWNED
       BY                       -0- shares
      EACH          ----- ------------------------------------------------------
 REPORTING PERSON     8    SHARED VOTING POWER
      WITH
                                7,411,841 shares (1)
                    ----- ------------------------------------------------------
                      9    SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER

                                -0- shares
                    ----- ------------------------------------------------------
                      10   SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER

                                7,411,841 shares (1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   11    AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON

              7,411,841 shares (1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   12    CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   13    PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)

              7.6%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   14    TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*

              IN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
(1) Directly owned by Vulcan  Ventures  Incorporated.  Paul G. Allen is the sole
shareholder  of Vulcan  Ventures  Incorporated  and may be deemed to have shared
voting and dispositive power with respect to such shares.

                      *SEE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE FILLING OUT!



Item 1.  Security and Issuer
------   -------------------

     This statement relates to the common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the
"Common Stock"), of Shaman  Pharmaceuticals,  Inc., a Delaware  corporation (the
"Issuer").

Item 2.  Identity and Background
-------  -----------------------

     The persons filing this statement are Vulcan Ventures Incorporated ("Vulcan
Ventures") and Paul G. Allen. Vulcan Ventures is a Washington  corporation whose
principal business is investing in various companies.  Paul G. Allen is its sole
shareholder.  The  principal  office of Vulcan  Ventures is located at 505 Union
Station, 505 Fifth Avenue,  Suite 900, Seattle,  Washington 98104. All of Vulcan
Ventures'  executive  officers and  directors  are U.S.  citizens.  Their names,
business addresses and principal occupations are as follows:

     Paul G. Allen, Vulcan Ventures  Incorporated,  505 Union Station, 505 Fifth
Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle,  Washington 98104. Mr. Allen is Chairman,  President
and sole  shareholder of Vulcan Ventures and a Director and sole  shareholder of
Vulcan Northwest Inc.

     William D. Savoy,  Vulcan Northwest  Incorporated,  505 Union Station,  505
Fifth Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle,  Washington 98104. Mr. Savoy is Vice President
and a Director of Vulcan Ventures and Chairman and President of Vulcan Northwest
Inc.

     Bert E. Kolde,  Digeo  Broadband,  Inc.,  12131 113th Avenue NE, Suite 203,
Kirkland,  WA 98034.  Mr. Kolde is a Senior Vice  President of Digeo  Broadband,
Inc., Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and a Director of Vulcan Ventures and
a Vice President of Vulcan Northwest Inc.

     Jo Allen  Patton,  Vulcan  Northwest  Inc.,  505 Union  Station,  505 Fifth
Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle,  Washington 98104. Ms. Patton is Vice Chairman and a
Vice President of Vulcan Ventures and Vulcan Northwest Inc.

     During the last five years, Mr. Allen and Vulcan Ventures have not, nor, to
the best knowledge of Vulcan  Ventures,  has any other person named in this Item
2, been  convicted in a criminal  proceeding  (excluding  traffic  violations or
similar  misdemeanors)  or been a party to a civil  proceeding  of a judicial or
administrative body of competent  jurisdiction as a result of which he is or was
subject to a judgment,  decree or final order enjoining future violations of, or
prohibiting or mandating activities subject to, federal or state securities laws
or finding any violation with respect to such laws.

Item 3:  Source and Amount of Funds or Other Consideration
-------  -------------------------------------------------

     Vulcan Ventures funded its purchases of the Issuer's capital stock from its
own  working  capital.  None of the  funds  used  to  purchase  such  securities
consisted of funds or other consideration borrowed or otherwise obtained for the
purpose of acquiring, holding, trading or voting the shares of common stock.

Item 4.  Purpose of Transaction
-------  ----------------------

     Vulcan  Ventures and Mr. Allen  acquired  the  securities  reported in this
statement for  investment  purposes.  Vulcan  Ventures or Mr. Allen may purchase
additional  shares  of common  stock  from time to time,  depending  on  various
factors,  including,  without  limitation,  the price of the common stock, stock
market conditions and the business prospects of the Issuer.  Vulcan Ventures and
Mr.  Allen may also  determine  to  dispose  of some or all of their  beneficial
holdings  of the  Issuer's  securities.  They  reserve  the right to increase or
decrease their holdings on such terms and at such times as they may decide.

     Except as set forth in this  statement,  Vulcan Ventures and Mr. Allen have
no  present  plan  or  proposal  that  relates  to or  would  result  in (i) the
acquisition  by any  person  of  additional  securities  of the  Issuer,  or the
disposition  of  securities  of the  Issuer;  (ii)  an  extraordinary  corporate
transaction, such as a merger, reorganization,  liquidation, or sale or transfer
of a material amount of assets involving the Issuer or any of its  subsidiaries,
(iii) any change in the Issuer's present Board of Directors or management,  (iv)
any material change in the Issuer's present capitalization or dividend policy or
any other material change in the Issuer's business or corporate  structure,  (v)
any change in the Issuer's  charter or by-laws or other  actions that may impede
the  acquisition  of control of the Issuer by any  person,

                                  Page 4 of 8



(vi) any change that would result in the Issuer's common stock becoming eligible
for  termination  of  its  registration  pursuant  to  Section  12(g)(4)  of the
Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or to cease to be authorized to be
quoted in Nasdaq, or (vii) any similar action.

Item 5.  Interest in Securities of the Issuer
-------  ------------------------------------

     As of the date hereof, Vulcan Ventures owns of record and beneficially, (i)
20,000  shares of the Issuer's  Series C Preferred  Stock,  par value $0.001 per
share  ("Series C Stock"),  (ii) warrants to purchase  258,323  shares of Common
Stock (the  "Warrants"),  and (iii)  7,153,518  shares of the Common  Stock (the
"Common  Shares"),  including  946,858 shares paid as a dividend on the Series C
Stock on June 1, 2000 and  2,788,506  shares  paid as a dividend on the Series C
Stock on November 30,  2000.  In addition,  assuming  exercise of the  Warrants,
Vulcan Ventures may be deemed to own  beneficially an additional  258,323 shares
of Common Stock.  Such shares  represent  approximately  7.6% of the outstanding
Common  Stock of the Issuer.  This  percentage  amount is based upon  97,413,049
shares of Common Stock as reported on the  Company's  Quarterly  Report filed on
form 10Q with the SEC on November 15, 2000 for the period  ending  September 30,
2000.

     As the sole  shareholder  of Vulcan  Ventures,  Mr. Allen shares voting and
dispositive  power with Vulcan Ventures over the shares of the Issuer's  capital
stock  owned  by  Vulcan  Ventures.  Therefore,  Mr.  Allen  may be  deemed  the
beneficial owner of such shares.

     To the best knowledge of Vulcan  Ventures and Mr. Allen,  none of the other
parties named in Item 2 owns any of the Issuer's common stock.

     Except as set forth in this  statement,  Vulcan Ventures and Mr. Allen have
not, nor, to the knowledge of Vulcan Ventures has any of its executive officers,
directors or  controlling  persons,  effected any  transactions  in the Issuer's
common stock during the past sixty days.

Item 6. Contracts, Arrangements, Understandings or Relationships with Respect to
        Securities of the Issuer.
        ------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Except as set forth in this statement, Vulcan Ventures and Mr. Allen do not
have,  nor,  to the  knowledge  of  Vulcan  Ventures  does any of the  executive
officers,  directors  or  controlling  persons  of  Vulcan  Ventures  have,  any
contracts,  arrangements,  understandings or relationships  (legal or otherwise)
with any person with respect to any  securities  of the Issuer,  finder's  fees,
joint ventures, loan or option agreements, puts or calls, guarantees of profits,
division of profits or loss, or the giving or withholding of proxies.

Item 7.  Material To Be Filed as Exhibits.
-------  ---------------------------------

         Exhibit           Description
         -------           -----------

           99.1            Joint Filing Agreement

                                  Page 5 of 8



                                   SIGNATURES

     After  reasonable  inquiry and to the best of my  knowledge  and belief,  I
certify that the information  set forth in this statement is true,  complete and
correct.

                                   VULCAN VENTURES INCORPORATED



     February 12, 2001             By: /s/ William D. Savoy
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                       William D. Savoy, Vice President


     February 12, 2001                                   *
                                   ---------------------------------------------
                                   Paul G. Allen


                                  *By: /s/ William D. Savoy
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                   William D. Savoy  as  Attorney-in  Fact  for
                                   Paul G. Allen pursuant to a Power of Attorney
                                   filed   on   August  30,  1999,   with   the
                                   Schedule 13G of Vulcan Ventures Incorporated
                                   and Paul G. Allen for Pathogenesis, Inc. and
                                   incorporated herein by reference.


                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

        Exhibit        Description
        -------        -----------

         99.1          Joint Filing Agreement

                                   Page 7 of 8



                                  EXHIBIT 99.1

                             Joint Filing Agreement
                             ----------------------


     We, the  signatories of the statement to which this Joint Filing  Agreement
is attached,  hereby  agree that such  statement  is filed,  and any  amendments
thereto filed by either or both of us will be filed, on behalf of each of us.

     Dated: February 12, 2001.

                                   VULCAN VENTURES INCORPORATED



                                   By: /s/ William D. Savoy
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                       William D. Savoy, Vice President


                                                        *
                                   ---------------------------------------------
                                   Paul G. Allen


                                  *By: /s/ William D. Savoy
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                   William D. Savoy  as  Attorney-in  Fact  for
                                   Paul G. Allen pursuant to a Power of Attorney
                                   filed   on   August  30,  1999,   with   the
                                   Schedule 13G of Vulcan Ventures Incorporated
                                   and Paul G. Allen for Pathogenesis, Inc. and
                                   incorporated herein by reference.