Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Perspective.......2007-09-21

I can't give 5 stars to this book because I know the history of Terence McKenna and his drug use. That said the book does pose interesting answers to age old questions.

"What was the fruit in the garden of Eden?"

"Why did our brains grow larger in ratio to our body weight than any animals in a relatively short amount of time?"

"Why is caffeine an acceptable drug to use daily? Should it be?"

I think people who read this should know it's an opinion given with historical facts to make his opinion seem like scientific and historical fact.

For instance he references what drugs were in use in certain cultures at what times then equates their overall temperament in historical events to the widespread use of those drugs. His claims may or may not have merit, we'll never know but it is an opinion none the less.

That said it is a very interesting read that is hard to put down. Attention keeping, he has one of a kind theories on lesser known early civilizations that could use a second look.

I was sorry to hear his library and personal notes burned up in a fire in early 2007, adding just more mystery to this one of a kind author.

Stoned Apes.......2007-07-31

I seriously was astounded by this book. Great historical knowledge on all sorts of drug and plant use from primates to Bush administration. McKenna really goes in depth about the evolution of language and consciousness. His theory that primates found psilocybin containing mushrooms growing in cow dung in the grasslands of Africa. Is represented quite well. He believes we may have literally "eaten our way to a higher conscious". McKenna really makes the war on drugs look like an absolute joke. He is subtly condescending of close minded politics yet brilliant and charming in informing readers of the power and potential of consciousness expanding drugs if taken properly.

Great Book.......2007-05-13

This book is very good if you are into evolution, shamanism, and the human life. I recommend everyone should read this book. You might get a new insight about life.

AMAZING BOOK!.......2007-02-04

I enjoyed this book and every single last bit of information with it! The information in here I highly agree with and realize is something that we as a nation need to start being a part of. We have learned from the 60's, but it was still a wonderful time. We can take that and modernize it, maybe even improve on some things. But first-we need to end the war on drugs. Overall-this book was great, I highly recommend it, one will learn so much.

An in depth look into Mr. McKenna's view of the mind of modern man........2007-01-11

I really did enjoy the honest and straightforward approach of Mr. McKenna's writing on the subject.

Average customer rating:

Well worth the read

Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca

Manufacturer: Park Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1594770530
Release Date: 2005-12-03

Book Description

A compilation of writings on the chemical, biological, psychological, and experiential dimensions of Ayahuasca

â€¢ Includes 24 firsthand accounts of Ayahuasca experiences and resulting life changes, including contributions from J. C. Callaway, Charles S. Grob, and Dennis J. McKenna

â€¢ Discusses the medical and psychological applications of Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic Amazonian plant mixture that has been used for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years by native Indian and mestizo shamans in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador for healing and divination. Many Western-trained physicians and psychologists have acknowledged that this substance can allow access to spiritual dimensions of consciousness, even mystical experiences indistinguishable from classic religious mysticism.

In Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca Ralph Metzner, a pioneer in the study of consciousness, has assembled a group of authoritative contributors who provide an exploration of the chemical, biological, psychological, and experiential dimensions of ayahuasca. He begins with more than 20 firsthand accounts from Westerners who have used ayahuasca and then presents the history, psychology, and chemistry of ayahuasca from leading scholars in the field of psychoactive research. He concludes with his own findings on ayahuasca, including its applications in medicine and psychology, and compares the worldview revealed by ayahuasca visions to that of Western cultures.

Customer Reviews:

Well worth the read.......2006-01-27

Ralph Metzner's book Ayahuasca: Human Consciousness and the Spirits of Nature (1st edition) and Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca (2nd edition) is an excellent overview of modern conceptions of Ayahuasca and where and how they originated.

The book starts off with a brief history of the available data on this most powerful of entheogens. Next Metzner delves into modern trip reports of the experience by mostly well-to-do professionals, doctors, psychiatrists, etc. In this section, the book does tend to get a little fluffy and new agey in its descriptions. Here, too, I was disappointed that he did not offer/include indigenous descriptions of the experience.

While at first this book had difficulty drawing me in, it wasn't until the end of the trip reports section, probably around page 150, that a startling story, so identical to one of my own, really grabbed my attention into the book as a whole. The stories previous to this one were also similar to my own, as I have seen the snakes, etc., myself, however the other stories often didn't draw me in as this one in particular had as it twisted around my soul like a boa.

About 2/3 into the book it becomes clear why Metzner has chosen these particular stories. He uses the stories to show a sort of universal archetypal imagery found within the experiences as well as using them to show the overall personal benefits and healings gained by each individual's direct experiences with the sacred brew. He makes especially clear the importance of "la purga" or the purge, which are the effects of Ayahuasca to cause vomiting to cleanse the body and soul. However, I questioned if this was done while possibly omitting negative reports, not of trips, but of Kanaima related issues (see Dr. Neil Whitehead). Though I must admit that my own numerous experiences were indeed along the same lines of self-recognition and self-responsibility laid out in the work.

Next Metzner calls on the famed Dr. Dennis McKenna to break down the chemistry and history of Ayahuasca, as McKenna with his brother Terence were pioneers in the research on DMT and Ayahuasca. Next Metzner calls on Dr. Charles Grob and Dr. J.C. Callaway to give an excellent (yet self limited) history on Ayahuasca from its studies to its effects on human psychological behavior, drug addiction, etc. Finally he ends the book with a well thought out and in some places admittedly speculative conclusion on the possibilities to the fulfilling of human consciousness on a Gaian or global scale.

Not the most profound read, but well worth the read. I'd give it a strong 4.5 star. A necessary addition to any ethnopharmacological library. However, I should mention that the best material is said to be The Antipodes of the Mind : Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience by Dr. Benny Shanon. I will point out that I have not had the chance to read Shanon's book yet, but it has come highly recommended by many leading experts in the field and is on the top of my to read list. Shanon is published by Oxford.

Licit and Illicit Drugs; The Consumers Union Report on Narcotics, Stimulants, Depressants, Inhalants, Hallucinogens, and Marijuana - Including Caffei

Average customer rating:

Great Book
Everyone should read this book
Why isn't this in every DARE room in America?
The Best Book on Drugs, Hands down
I read it when it was first published, haven't forgotten it.

Licit and Illicit Drugs; The Consumers Union Report on Narcotics, Stimulants, Depressants, Inhalants, Hallucinogens, and Marijuana - Including Caffei
Edward M. Brecher
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Substance Abuse | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0316153400

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-02-08

I read this book in the early '80s. I say that it helped me survive my period of drug experimentation. Now as a father I don't endorse the use of drugs but I do recommend this book so that the reader could make an informed choice.

Everyone should read this book.......2003-05-13

Even though this book is nearly 30 years old, everything it says about the drug problem is still relevant today.

This publication outlined a clear-cut set of recommendations that if adhered to, today's drug problems would have become a long forgotten memory.

This book is a must for the collection.

Why isn't this in every DARE room in America?.......2002-03-31

I went through alot of 'Drug Education'. I thought I knew something. I didn't. I learned more in one night from this book than I did in 18 years of being a youth in the Drug War. Read this cover to cover and now try to get everyone I know to read it.

The Best Book on Drugs, Hands down.......2000-12-23

This is, without a doubt, the best, most comprehensive, objective book on drugs I have ever seen, & I've seen lots. It covers the history of social, political, & scientific developments in its entirety, up to the early seventies. It isn't dated at all, since almost all the trends from the past are still present today. As with all Consumers Union Reports, it draws from an enormous wealth of information (the notes to the book are forty pages alone), & while it's certainly a scholarly book, it is completely readable to the common layman. I absolutely feel this book should be required reading, not just for lawmakers & workers in drug-counselling or -prevention fields, but also for teachers in the education system & even students. At a time in America when 19 billion dollars is spent each year on drug prevention, yet it's estimated that there are 80 million drug users (not to mention half the high school population at least trying drugs), this is necessary reading. If you've ever seen any books on drugs, you know how biased most of them can be, & how rampant misinformation is. This book is simply the best, most informative path you can travel for the truth about drugs. The fact that it's out of print is just disgraceful, but don't let that stop you from reading it - do a booksearch, or check the auctions or zShops since it comes up occasionally. & let me just add, look at the other reviews for this book: everybody agrees it's the best, everybody gave it 5 stars, & it isn't even in print anymore! Obviously, this is an important book, & one you should see.

I read it when it was first published, haven't forgotten it........1998-12-10

Outstanding book by, as I remember, a panel of distinguished medical researchers. I read it when it first came out, when I was about 17, and it made a deep impression. Can't locate my parents' copy. Consumer Union doesn't seem to know it ever existed. I strongly second the other reviewers. It should be required reading for every member of Congress, to start, and it ought to be republished with additional chapters addressing the past 25 years (not that it's a bit out of date as it stands).

The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching

Average customer rating:

Nice!
MYSTICISM STRUCTURALLY DEMONSTRATED
"laborious theory".
pseudo-science for seared minds
CYBERETHNOPHARMACOLOGICALLY FLAWLESS!

The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching
Terence Mckenna
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Shamanism | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0062506358

Book Description

A thoroughly revised edition of the much-sought-after early work by Terence and Dennis McKenna that looks at shamanism, altered states of consciousness, and the organic unity of the King Wen sequence of the I Ching.

Customer Reviews:

Nice!.......2007-05-27

The beggining of this book is too technical and sometimes hard to understand for people who doesnt know much about neuroscience,etnobiology and chemistry.However,the rest of the book is very interesting,specially the part about the relation between the Tao The Ching and time.

MYSTICISM STRUCTURALLY DEMONSTRATED.......2007-01-02

the book is a true gem of cognitive philosophy. there is an energy and excitment in its reading. the mckennas demonstrate a tour de force of the lucid mind(mond).

"laborious theory"........2006-05-29

Ploughing through "the Invisible Landscape" was quite a chore. I can appreciate the effort they went to with this but has little appeal for me. I should probably have started with one of their other works. I am not sure I want to do a lengthy review. The long and short of it is it has three parts:::
First part covers the nature of memory, and the accessing of it in terms of human brain chemistry. That psychedelics might amplify its ability to access memory, reaching beyond that of day-to-day; to yester-year, to pre-natal, to previous incarnation even...?
Second part really briefly covers the brothers experience in the Amazon with some psychedelics - I found this contribution seriously lacking - like perhaps they were embarrassed to mention it even.
Third part delves into the I-Ching, the conversion of it into a time-wave, which indicates with its dips and peaks the impact of events in terms of "novelty". This culminates in the most novel event coinciding with an end of time per the Mayan calendar?
Um. Yeah. The whole book in six lines. The emphasis is in spelling out in seriously uninteresting terms how the conclusions were arrived at in parts one and three. Because these conclusions would be quite hard to pin down normally, the detail involved in explaining how they were arrived at is quite, um, what's a nice word for it; lengthy? The book does flirt with Shamanism, which is a pity really - I think the read would have proven more worthwhile if the ideas in it were translated into where they impact/ have impacted in this and other practices/ traditions...
I guess it is a good book in terms of explaining how the "far-reaching" ideas were arrived at, but I for one would have appreciated it being punted more as laborious theory and not as a must read...

pseudo-science for seared minds.......2004-08-20

The authors present some interesting theories here, but fail to answer the most important question underlying the propagation of any new theory: 'so what?' In other words, why should we care if the universe is holographic, and more importantly, why should we care if it's all going to end one day? Few people today, including even fundamentalist Christians, believe either we or the universe will last forever. The discovery of the existence of dinosaurs in the early 19th century put an end to all notions of the permanence of species, and toppled religion from its cosmological place of primacy. Impermanence of our earth and the human race is now accepted by both secularists and the religiously inclined alike.

As a piece of very baroque art, this is an interesting read. If the authors could have stepped back and created a frame of relevance for the whole, this might have become a truly influential book.

As it turns out, it has merely become an entertainment for those who enjoy the recreational use of psychedelics. Judging from the number of spelling and grammar errors in the rave Amazon reviews for this book here, one wonders just how critically such readers can evaluate McKenna's theories.

McKenna's 'time wave zero' theory was so complex no one could understand it but him, which left him high and dry with anyone skeptical of the theory, and left him surrounded by all followers and no questioners: a recipe for the negation of real inquiry in the end.

CYBERETHNOPHARMACOLOGICALLY FLAWLESS!.......2003-09-12

This book is in short, in my opinion is the best book to read if your interested in the more technical aspect of hallucinogens, hard to grapple with theories of reality, and mathematical bliss on subjects which have no previous advent to! Terence and Dennis Mckenna are the foremost spokesmen's on the Psychedelic experience, Terence Mckenna being more philosophical in his understandings, and Dennis Mckenna, being a ethnobotanist, and neurobiologist, presents work on models of drug activity that should be redefining this field! They Thoroughly cover Psychedelic's in the shamanic sense, cover their trip to the amazon and the understanding that came out of that applied to these hard to conceive theories such as the King Wen Sequence as a Quantified Modular Hierarchy, and Temporal Hierarchy and Cosmology (I-Ching) Which leads me to my second rave, Terence's Timewave Zero Theory, coinsiding with the mayan calander endate, with all the mathematics in order to support his theory, its compelling what's come out of that since. Dennis and Terence are artists with complex words and ideas, presenting them into painfully easy forms of causation

"The total unity of an event can only be understood with reference to the totality of process, that is, to the whole of nature. Thus, in this view a way is cleared not only for the implicit reference to past events to be found in the formulation of scientific laws but for our own psychological unity of memory, immediate realization, and anticipation"

In a way not imposing change, but merely the vantage point on science, is that science has polarities and dogmas inherient in their own practices, and terence skillfully shows these with ease. This book perhaps to complex in chemistry, math and radical yet supported ideas for the average reader, yet i think a must read for those who have an interest in either the Mind, Hallucinogens, I Ching, Science, Mathematics, Temporal Resonance, Epistomolgy, Quantum Physics, and many others realting to these!

Average customer rating:

Psychedelic experience as story-telling

Armchair Tripping!

Tripping: A Bit Unreal, But Great

Must reading for all Spiritual explorers

mandatory reading for passage through an absurd time

Tripping: An Anthology of True-Life Psychedelic Adventures

Manufacturer: Penguin Compass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140195742
Release Date: 2000-10-31

Book Description

The psychedelic experience has been both demonized and mythologized, but what is it really like to trip?

TRIPPING: An Anthology of True-Life Psychedelic Adventures, the first major compilation of personal testimonies about psychedelic experiences, contains narratives by 50 people of various nationalities and walks of life about their most unforgettable altered states -- from the heavenly to the horrific. In gripping, often suspenseful tales suffused with a high sense of adventure, TRIPPING liberates the psychedelic experience from the closet of social stigma as well as from the mists of Sixties counter-cultural idealism.

Relating the harrowing straits and exhilarating peaks of the psychedelic inner odyssey are many accomplished writers, including former Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow, war photographer Tim Page, Beat poet Anne Waldman, science fiction writer Robert Charles Wilson, thriller writer Steven Martin Cohen, Ecstasy expert Bruce Eisner, and phenomonologist Paul Devereux.

Most of the narratives, however, come from “ordinary” people from Sydney to Belfast to San Francisco, for whom their anonymity brings out an intensely personal, confessional dimension. The stories, edited mostly from taped interviews by journalist Charles Hayes, enable readers to either “trip” vicariously or compare notes on their own experiences.

Specially featured is a lengthy conversation with the late Terence McKenna, the man who many believe inherited Tim Leary's mantle as the leading spokesman for psychedelics from the late Seventies until his death in April 2000. A veteran of myriad "heroic doses," McKenna discusses some of his own trips for the first time, as well as a range of issues, including his own provocative brand of eschatology, politics, and anthropology, at the center of which is an abiding faith in the power of psychedelic drugs.

TRIPPING's balanced, objective perspective portrays both positive and negative impacts of psychedelic experiences, depicting both the tolls and the rewards of such chemically-induced excursions from reality. Types of episodes run the gamut from encounters with godhead and alien or discarnate entities; out-of-body experiences, freak-outs, flashbacks, psychosis (momentary and otherwise), and acts or events of apparent magic or miracle. The trips described were catalyzed not just by classic psychedelics such as LSD, but by a wide array of psychotropics, from the sacred plants of indigenous peoples to the latest synthetic “smart drugs.”

Some sample plotlines

At a summer festival, a man on LSD believes he's attending the final celebration of the gods and that his mission is to mate with his chosen one before the entire tribe moves on to a higher sphere at the climax of the “orgasm death dance."

A young man eats some peyote buttons on a hike in the Grand Canyon, and stumbles upon a near-death experience.

A group of army buddies test the limits of their bodies' endurance during an acid session by a campfire.

The ministrations of the "shining ones", astral beings accessed during an LSD trip, lure a college student to higher realms of consciousness.

A psychedelic ingested at the notorious Altamont concert of 1969 triggers a bizarre odyssey through the San Francisco city jail and mental health system for a fellow who believes he's an angelic revolutionary.

After a déjà vu of enlightenment during which he begins speaking in tongues, a tripper plummets into the flipside of that experience in an episode of horrific eternal recurrence that revisits him in flashbacks.

A wooden carving of Christ speaks out loud to a seminary student during a church service, reshaping her theology and the depth of her faith.

The narratives in TRIPPING are placed in larger contexts by Hayes's essays, which include a synopsis of the history and culture of psychedelics from the ancient Greek mystery rites to today's Ecstasy-fueled rave events; an exposition on the kinetics of tripping (what can go right and wrong on a trip), including basic medical and psychological background; and a concise index of psychedelic substances.

The illustrations in TRIPPING are provided by renowned visionary artist Alex Grey and four computer graphics masters.

You can contact the author at Trippingtales@aol.com and at his website.

Customer Reviews:

Psychedelic experience as story-telling.......2004-11-16

This book contains an amazing interview with Terence McKenna, which took place toward the end of his life, that is worth the price of the book.

Tripping is the best story-telling approach to the psychedelic encounter that I have read or experienced. I have always felt that all story-telling festivals need a psychedelic tent, because these extreme experiences are some of the best stories human beings can tell. Through the psychedelic medium human beings still tell stories of meeting gods and demons, travelling to new fantastic worlds, and taking mythic and perilous journeys.

Even though these stories are about the experiences of a number of travellers, Hayes has expertly rewritten their accounts through a single narrative voice. This gives the book continuity it otherwise might have lacked.

Bruce Eisner's story about taking too much LSD at Burning Man is hilarious. Very well done.

Armchair Tripping!.......2001-11-14

This anthology of true life psychadelic experiences, from LSD and Ecstacy to peyote and ayahuasca, is an entertaining, enlightening trip into the world of mind altering drugs, which probably is too honest and unbiased for the liking of authorities who wish to erase drugs from society. Its candid and honest perspective is a refreshing change from the constant message that drugs are bad and must be obliterated. In Tripping, both euphoric and terrifying experiences are related, as well the use of entheogens, drugs used for spiritual purposes. Tripping neither encourages or discourages drug use, it simply lays the facts out straight. Although every trip differs, there are themes that turn up frequently, such as a higher understanding of self and life, of enlightenment, and sometimes of complete disorientation and panic. I'd highly reccomend Tripping to anyone interested in hallucinogenics and tripping.

Tripping: A Bit Unreal, But Great.......2001-09-09

Tripping must be the best compendium of accounts of entheogenic and recreational drug use ever produced. The accounts give the reader the most vivid sense possible of what the tripping experiences are like without actually using the drugs. It deviates a bit from realism, however, insofar as almost all the authors seem intelligent, literate, and can actually write, and write well! In the real world, most druggies unfortunately are pretty dumb. Nevertheless, I found the book riveting and a delight to read.

Must reading for all Spiritual explorers.......2001-06-12

Excellent source of information! Anyone who is considering exploring the depths of the mind will benefit from these trip reports and well written material. Begins with an informative history of tripping and describes the basic features of what one might expect in a trip. This is done in an easy to understand style for people of all walks of life, very much like the trip reporters themselves. These extraordinary reports are a thorough and complete recollection of events that took place before, during and after the trips, giving the reader a good idea for the set and setting of each situation. This helps people to learn more about how and why we respond in different ways and with this knowledge we can possibly prevent disasters from taking place through responsible use. Being that the reports came from the actual people and not a clinic, it gives us the chance to look at them through the eyes of the experiencers and not just observers. The interview with Terence Mckenna is enlightening and insightful. Also some really cool psychedelic art in various locations in the book to enjoy between reports.

mandatory reading for passage through an absurd time.......2001-01-01

Tripping, the book, is a collection of brief but compact, and often intense explorations of the meaning of Being. Here is the classic mid-journey text that has outgrown the initial amazement of psychedelic enlargement but still retains the open endedness that much remains to be learned. Tripping, the experience, is presented without gloss as the unpredictable state of consciousness that may be kissed by the angels, interrogated by the demons, or simply incredibly weird. Some experimenters record life changing moments of psychic integration and movement to a higher plane, as a lifelong clarification, others describe the possibility of sinking into the *schlomuss*, or state of spiritual desperation. A worthy and honest book such as this one should make us concerned to know which circumstances are most likely to promote change of great value, and which may lead in another direction. The author himself, to his great credit, begins the narrratives with a questioning note much like this. As Tripping will be a heavily referred to text in the upcoming Mind States II conference, readers should also consider The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq , a moderately difficult but highly important work that might have been titled UnTripping. I read Hayes and Houellebecq side by side, a couple of narratives from Tripping, then a chapter of Elementary Particles. The combined experience is not easy to absorb intellectually, but once all has settled, the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts. If I had to make one recommendation , it would be to read these books together and treat them as a single masterpiece that no sigle mind could have imagined.

Hallucinogens: A Reader (New Consciousness Reader)

Average customer rating:

excellent
essential

Hallucinogens: A Reader (New Consciousness Reader)
Charles S. Grob
Manufacturer: Tarcher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

ASIN: 1585421669
Release Date: 2002-07-03

Book Description

It's been forty years since Timothy Leary sat beside a swimming pool in Cuernavaca, Mexico, ingested several grams of the genus Stropharia cubensis, and experienced a dazzling display of visions that led him to herald the dawning of a New Age. And yet, from the counterculture movement of the 1960s, through the War on Drugs, to this very day, the world at large has viewed hallucinogens not as a gift but as a threat to society.

In Hallucinogens, Charles Grob surveys recent writings from such important thinkers as Terence McKenna, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil, illustrating that a reevaluation of the social worth of hallucinogens-used intelligently-is greatly in order.

Customer Reviews:

excellent.......2006-11-23

A very unique collection of essays. Everything from individual experiences to Kabbalist usage of psychedelics. This isn't your "normal" drug book, it is extremely informative. This book, coupled with "Psychoactive Sacramentals" is a real contribution to any library on drugs or the psychedelic experience.

essential.......2002-09-12

a beautifully designed and conceived work that lays out some of the more important articles ever written on the subject of Westerners' interpretations on the meanings of psychoactives.

The reader is easily entertained and enriched by well-informed, educated voices who take it one step further by offering philosophical insights into the experiences - not just a
play-by-play of what happens.

The voices, while varied in education levels and mindsets, magically interweave, creating a theme decidedly organic and profound.

One of the nice things about this work is the reader's ability to pick up the reading just about anywhere and glean instant nuggets of enlightenment that shall brighten many days.

The world could use more works like this.

Customer Reviews:

Classic, But Not What I had Expected.......2007-01-29

This is more of a entertainment read, a starting point, or an introduction. It doesn't include very detailed information on specific topics and lacks any pictures or color which would be great.

its ok.......2006-07-25

the book had a lot of useful growing tips but without pictures can tend to be a bit useless if you have no prior knowledge on the plants. it is pretty helpful if you also have other books that you can reference to

a waste of paper.......2006-05-12

totally disapointed in this book. Lacking in anything but VERY basic information.

The title should have the words "pocket guide" in it........1999-11-09

The book is much smaller than I had expected. It is full of small blurbs about various legal hallucinogens that can be grown in the home (a very short list of supplier is given in the bibliography). Each blurb gives enough information to describe the plant, it's habitat, and how to cultivate it in the home. The book doesn't go into common problems in cultivation (diseases, pests, etc), however.

A good starting point for those interested in the subject of legal home grown hallucinogens, but when you find something that interests you, buy a book specific to that plant.

Average customer rating:

Comprehensive, and then some.....

Excellent source of information on plant hallucinogens

Excellent book worth seeking out.

The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens
Richard Evans Schultes
Manufacturer: Charles C. Thomas Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Pain Medicine | Pharmacology | Medicine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0398038635

Book Description

By Richard Evans Schultes, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Albert Hofmann, Basel, Switzerland. With Forewords by I. Newton Kugelmass and Henrich Kluver. The Second Edition of this book encompasses all of the advances that have been made in this field since publication of the original text. Newly discovered hallucinogenic plants have been incorporated into the discussions along with new information on some well-known drugs. The authors continue to focus on the botany and chemistry of hallucinogens, although they also consider ethnobotanical, historical, pharmacological and psychological aspects. Initial chapters delineate definition, botanical distribution, and structural types of hallucinogenic plants. Plants of known, possible and dubious hallucinogenic potential are then covered in separate sections. The bibliography for this new edition has been enlarged to accommodate all of the recent activity in botanical and chemical investigation of psychoactive plants. Readers will also appreciate the excellent illustrations that accompany the text.

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive, and then some............2006-02-07

Weighing in at just over 400 pages, this seminal work by Drs. Schultes and Hofmann is the definitive guide to hallucinogenic plant compounds. Detailed information is included about plant classification, chemical properties, and historical background concerning use. Although written in an academic tone, a book like this can't help but be interesting. Nevertheless, due to its overwhelming amount of information (and the expense and difficulty required to actually obtain a copy), it's probably best left to the most obsessed and/or diligent of psychonauts. For a less technical and more layman-friendly read, try Schultes/Hofmann's other book, Plants of the Gods.

Excellent source of information on plant hallucinogens.......2000-03-31

This book is a very extensive source of information about plant hallucinogens. It gives historical backgrounds on the plants used as hallucinogens. It also gives very extensive informaton about the molecules that are responsible for their hallucinogenic activity. It covers the molecular structures and their abundance in the plant sources. There is also information about how the plants are used as ethnobotanicals. I would suggest obtaining this book to anyone interested in ethnobotanicals.

Excellent book worth seeking out........1999-10-20

This book is an excellent source of information on the chemistry behind ethnobotanicals. It covers a vast amount of material and the lenghty reference section is worth the trouble of locating this book.

Hallucinogens and Shamanism (Galaxy Books)

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One of the few excellent sources for this subject
Good topics, drab writing
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Hallucinogens and Shamanism (Galaxy Books)

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195016491

Customer Reviews:

One of the few excellent sources for this subject.......2006-07-09

It is high time (ahem) this collection of writings receive the praise it is due. Offerings on this subject have proliferated in recent decades, but far too many of them have little to offer those seeking genuine knowledge and understanding. Here, packed in one volume, is an assortment of excellent articles exploring various aspects of how hallucinogenic plants and fungi figure in ritual uses across culture. This is a work of anthropology, not lightweight stuff for those who want to beat their own drum playing "New Age shaman" (instead of learn about shamanism as an aspect of other cultures to which such practices actually belong). Later in his career, Harner abandoned this type of scholarly work and went with a more commercialized route that was far less interesting (unless, again, you want to become a Harner Core Method ® Shaman yourself). But this volume amply testifies that in his early career Harner did some excellent work, such as his field studies among the Shuar Indians (popularly known as the Jivaro), whose culture is steeped in shamanism and applications of hallucinogenic plants. (Incidental irony: many of the Shuar shamans state that they took up their practice in order to get rich!)

One of the most fascinating and informative pieces in this book is Harner's article on the use of belladonna and related plants by peasant herbalists accused of witchcraft in mediaeval Europe. The evidence he presents is strong and persuasive, but watch out! It tends to demolish more fashionable and ideologically polarizing interpretations of history, such as (a) there were no "witches," the very idea is preposterous, the whole notion just a paranoid projection from the hysterical imaginations of superstitious people in a pre-scientific age; (b) witches were real, and Evil!, worshippers of Satan, even if they didn't exactly fly on broomsticks; and (c) witches were real and Good!, noble practitioners of an ancient pagan goddess-worship religion. No, its all much more interesting than any of that, turns out.

The selections in this volume are generally well written, although in the scholarly-academic sense, i.e., with the intention of informing, not merely entertaining, the reader. A favorite, unique highlight herein is "The Mushrooms of Language," which astutely interprets Mazatec Indian customs concerning psilocybin mushrooms. The final section of the book raises an interesting question, of the extent to which experiences with hallucinogenic drugs may tap into something beyond cultural soft-wiring of perception, although none of the evidence offered could be described as conclusive, only suggestive.

This book came out in the early 1970's, before the discussion and exploration of this subject got derailed by the "Castaneda effect" and similar "New Agey" influences. It is founded not upon exploitation and sensationalism, but intellectually open-minded curiosity and a desire to explore and learn with feet planted firmly on the ground. "Hallucinogens and Shamanism" is baby without dirty bathwater, and as such is highly recommended for those with serious interest.

Good topics, drab writing.......2000-03-23

Despite the fact that I am absolutly facinated with Shamanism (more so Ethnobotany than the new age stuff) I found this work to be more of a textbook in the school sense and at times really dragged on. I do recommend this work for the content. Getting through the content can be a little arduous though

Entheogens: Professional Listing.......1999-04-29

"Hallucinogens and Shamanism" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy" http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

Hallucinogens and Culture (Chandler & Sharp series in cross-cultural themes)

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Hallucinogens and Culture (Chandler & Sharp series in cross-cultural themes)
Peter T. Furst
Manufacturer: Chandler & Sharp Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0883165171

Customer Reviews:

Entheogens: Professional Listing.......1999-05-03

"Hallucinogens and Culture" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chresotmathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

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