By Christian Rätsch. In this epic and exhaustive work, world-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist Christian Rätsch details the botany, history, distribution, cultivation, and preparation and dosage of more than 400 psychoactive plants. He discusses their ritual and medicinal usage, cultural artifacts made from these plants, and works of art that either represent or have been inspired by them.

The author begins with full monographs on 168 of the most well-known psychoactives—such as Cannabis, Datura, and Papaver—then presents minor monographs on 135 lesser known plants. He also explores plants used by indigenous people that have not yet been identified by modern botanists as well as plants and psychoactive substances known only from mythological contexts and literature, such as ephemeron, kykeon, and soma. He offers a thorough discussion (including 20 full monographs) of psychoactive fungi, referred to in ancient times as the “food of the gods” and used by shamans in many cultures for entry to the spirit world. Dr. Rätsch concludes with an analysis of the chemical constituents responsible for plants’ psychoactive powers. 944 pages, harcover, with 645 black-and-white illustrations and 797 color photographs.