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Plants of the Gods

Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers
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( 1,442 ratings, 57 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Plants of the Gods explores the fascinating history and cultural significance of psychoactive plants used in sacred rituals and healing practices across different cultures. The book delves into the relationships between people and these plants, covering their role in traditions, medicine, and spirituality. It offers an insightful look into how these plants have shaped cultural and spiritual practices throughout human history.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This fascinating exploration might appeal to you if you're intrigued by the historical and cultural roles of psychoactive plants within various societies. If you're interested in the intersection of nature, spirituality, and traditional medicine, this book offers insightful information on how different cultures have used these powerful plants throughout history.

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World-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist Christian Ratsch provides the latest scientific updates to this classic work on psychoactive flora by two eminent researchers.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

World-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist Christian Rätsch provides the latest scientific updates to this classic work on psychoactive flora by two eminent researchers.

Numerous new and rare colour photographs complement the completely revised and updated text. The book explores the uses of hallucinogenic plants in shamanic rituals throughout the world. It is cross-referenced by plant, illness, preparation, season of collection, and chemical constituents.

The 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.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Plants of the Gods receives high praise for its comprehensive and beautifully illustrated exploration of hallucinogenic plants. It is celebrated for its well-balanced scientific perspective on the cultural and economic significance of these plants, highlighting their fundamental role in human history. The authors, including renowned figures like Richard Evans Schultes, provide meticulously researched content that is both fascinating and accessible, offering insights into the benefits and dangers of hallucinogen use.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780892819799

Publisher: Inner Traditions Bear and Company

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 November 2001

Country: United States

Imprint: Healing Arts Press

Edition: 2nd Edition, Second Edition

Illustration: 400 color and b&w illustrations

Contributors:

  • Revised by Christian Ratsch

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 197.0mm

Height: 267.0mm

Weight: 853g

Pages: 208

About the Author

Christian Rtsch, Ph.D., is a world-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist who specializes in the shamanic uses of plants for spiritual as well as medicinal purposes. He studied Mesoamerican languages and cultures and anthropology at the University of Hamburg and spent, altogether, three years of fieldwork among the Lacandone Indians in Chiapas, Mexico, being the only European fluent in their language. He then received a fellowship from the German academic service for foreign research, the Deutsche Akademische Auslandsdienst (DAAD), to realize his doctoral thesis on healing spells and incantations of the Lacandone-Maya at the University of Hamburg, Germany. In addition to his work in Mexico, his numerous fieldworks have included research in Thailand, Bali, the Seychelles, as well as a long-term study (18 years) on shamanism in Nepal combined with expeditions to Korea and the Peruvian and Colombian Amazon. He also was a scientific anthropological advisor for expeditions organized by German magazines such as GEOand Spektrum der Wissenschaften(Spectrum of Sciences). Before becoming a full-time author and internationally renowned lecturer, Rtsch worked as professor of anthropology at the University of Bremen and served as consultant advisor for many German museums. Because of his extensive collection of shells, fossils, artifacts, and entheopharmacological items, he has had numerous museum expositions on these topics. He is the author of numerous articles and more than 40 books, including Plants of Love, Gateway to Inner Space, Marijuana Medicine,and The Dictionary of Sacred and Magical Plants.He is also coauthor of Plants of the Gods, Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayasand Witchcraft Medicineand is editor of the Yearbook of Ethnomedicine and the Study of Consciousness.A former member of the board of advisors of the European College for the Study of Consciousness (ECSC) and former president of the Association of Ethnomedicine, he lives in Hamburg, Germany.

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