Christian Rätsch

He discusses their ritual and medicinal usage, cultural artefacts made from these plants, and works of art that either represent or have been inspired by them. The author begins with 168 of the most well-known psychoactives—such as cannabis, datura, and papaver—then presents 133 lesser-known substances. Additionally, he covers plants known as "legal highs," plants known only from mythological contexts and...

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...

The culmination of more than 30 years of cultural, anthropological, and scientific research, this encyclopaedia examines the botany, pharmacology, history, preparation, dosage, and practical use of more than 400 erotically stimulating substances from antiquity to the present day. From plants and animals that enhance fertility and virility, like celery, snails, or oysters, to substances that induce arousal, like ephedra, opium,...