Product Description

World-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist Christian Ratsch provides the latest scientific updates to this classic work on psychoactive flora by two eminent researchers. * Numerous new and rare color photographs complement the completely revised and updated text. * Explores the uses of hallucinogenic plants in shamanic rituals throughout the world. * Cross-referenced by plant, illness, preparation, season of collection, and chemical constituents. * First edition sold 33,000 copies.

Three scientific titans join forces to completely revise the classic text on the ritual uses of psychoactive plants. They provide a fascinating testimony of these "plants of the gods," tracing their uses throughout the world and their significance in shaping culture and history. In the traditions of every culture, plants have been highly valued for their nourishing, healing, and transformative properties. The most powerful of those plants, which are known to transport the human mind into other dimensions of consciousness, have always been regarded as sacred. The authors detail the uses of hallucinogens in sacred shamanic rites while providing lucid explanations of the biochemistry of these plants and the cultural prayers, songs, and dances associated with them. The text is lavishly illustrated with 400 rare photographs of plants, people, ceremonies, and art related to the ritual use of the world's sacred psychoactive flora.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42949 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Dr. Mark Plotkin, Conservation International
An extraordinary blend of botany, ethnobotany, chemistry, history, mythology, and art. A visual, spiritual, and intellectual feast, Plants of the Gods is the best book ever written on hallucinogenic plants and it was written by the two most knowledgeable people on the planet.

Whole Earth Review
Richard Evans Schultes has been the nexus of almost everything interesting and supportive concerned with economic and cultural uses of plants. Plants of the Gods gives precise and illuminating portraits of the many peoples of the Earth who pay homage to and gain insights with the aid of psychedelic plants: an exquisite, thoroughly scholarly book.

Shaman's Drum
This superbly illustrated, encyclopedic volume provides a much needed, well-balanced scientific perspective on the use of hallucinogenic plants. Richard Evans Schultes, the worlds most eminent ethnobotanist, and Albert Hofmann, the former research director at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, emphasize the need for continued education about both the potential benefits and the inherent dangers involved in the use of hallucinogens.

Customer Reviews

Great reference work on entheogens
Plants Of The Gods is a comprehensive reference work on psychoactive plants. It provides a definition of plant hallucinogens and information on phytochemical research on sacred plants, geography of usage and botanical range, the chemical structures of these substances and the use of hallucinogens in medicine.

The plant species discussed include the Amanita (Fly Agaric) mushroom, Atropa (Deadly Nightshade), Yellow and Black Henbane, Mandrake, Cannabis Ergot, Datura, Iboga, Yopo beans, Ayahuasca, Yage, Brugmansia, Peyote, the San Pedro cactus, the Morning Glory plus what the authors term “the little flowers of the gods” which include the various types of Psilocybe mushroom.

The text is enhanced by a wonderful variety of colour and black & white photographs, illustrations and quite impressive paintings. The section Overview Of Plant Use consists of tables listing every plant’s common name, botanical name, historical ethnography, context and purpose of usage, preparation and the chemical composition and effects.

Plants Of The Gods is a great and detailed investigation of entheogenic plants from around the world. This valuable reference book concludes with a bibliography and index.

An excellent source to get an overview of ethnobotanicals.
This book is a great resourse for people interested in ethnobotanicals. The illustrations are excellent. The reference to the cultural context in which these plants are used helps the reader understand a bit more about how these plants are used but not abused. There is one error I noted. The captions denoting the structures for iso-LSD and lysergic acid hydroxyethylamine should be interchanged.

useful but mainly for people in mexico!
This book contains lots of useful ! and informative information although it does tend to repeat itself at various points. Most of the book tends to concentrate on mexico and Central/Sth America giving first hand reports from shamen, anthropologists and using accounts from early European explorers. (Priests so your really going to get a all round view). The European info is terrible, scetchy and not at all well researched no mention of scottish mead, mushroom brews or anything. If you live in Sth America great but Europeans we'll have to write our own book. See you in the Dam !!