The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications

The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications by Christian Ratsch (Author), Albert Hofmann (Foreward) (Author). The most complete information to the botany, history, distribution, and cultivation of all recognized psychoactive vegetation • Examines 414 psychoactive crops and similar resources • Explores how the usage of psychoactive vegetation in a culturally sanctioned context can produce necessary insights into the nature of reality • Incorporates 797 color pictures and 645 black-and-white illustrations

In the traditions of each culture, vegetation had been highly valued for their nourishing, healing, and transformative properties. The most powerful crops--those known to transport the human thoughts into different dimensions of awareness--have traditionally been considered sacred. In The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Crops Christian R䴳ch main points the botany, history, distribution, cultivation, and guidance and dosage of greater than four hundred psychoactive plants. He discusses their ritual and medicinal utilization, cultural artifacts made from these vegetation, and artworks that both represent or had been impressed via them.


The writer begins with 168 of the most well known psychoactives--such as cannabis, datura, and papaver--then gifts 133 lesser recognized components as well as additional vegetation known as “felony highs,” vegetation identified handiest from mythological contexts and literature, and plant merchandise that include substances similar to ayahuasca, incense, and soma. The textual content is lavishly illustrated with 797 color images--many of which might be from the writer’s extensive fieldwork around the globe--appearing the folks, ceremonies, and artwork associated with the ritual use of the arena’s sacred psychoactives.

This review shall be short and to the point. There's no larger single ebook on psychoactive vegetation than this book. Ratsch has done an excellent job. His ebook is mind-bogglingly thorough and exhaustive. It beats "Pharmacotheon" (Ott), "Plants of the Gods" (Ratch, Hofmann and Schultes) or every other e book I have ever noticed that attempts to be a whole source of information of psychoactive plants. I have been waiting for a guide like this for years. I do not think this ebook might have the option to be out-done for decades. At easiest, we will most effective hope to look books that will be one thing like supplimentary information compared to this book.

If you wish to have the entire information on psychoactive vegetation that you can most likely get in one book, that is the one and it is definately definitely worth the admittedly huge price tag. I might not be stunned if this e book will be sold for many masses of greenbacks if and when it's bought out. Allow's wish it's reprinted for an extended, lengthy time.

This is a massive heavy ebook with tons and heaps of serious info. Its superb how a selection of vegetation and plant extracts are covered. Not handiest does it supply just right common knowledge at the chemical compounds which can be present in the entire various vegetation nevertheless it also provides a pleasant amount of historical past data on all the more than a few cultures that experience made use of the ones plants via out the ages. This book is a welcome boost to my private library. :) 

The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications

Christian Ratsch (Author), Albert Hofmann (Foreward) (Author)

944 pages

Park Street Press (April 25, 2005)

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