The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications

In The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants, 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. This extraordinarily comprehensive guide begins with 168 of the most well-known psychoactives—such as cannabis, datura, and papaver—and then presents 133 lesser known substances, as well as additional plants known as “legal highs,” plants known only from mythological contexts and literature, and plant products that include substances such as ayahuasca, incense, and soma. The text is lavishly illustrated with 797 color photographs—many of which are from the author’s extensive fieldwork around the world—showing the people, ceremonies, and art related to the ritual use of the world’s sacred psychoactives.