{"product_id":"the-encyclopedia-of-psychoactive-plants-ethnopharmacology-and-its-applications-9780892819782","title":"The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications","description":"The most comprehensive guide to the botany, history, distribution, and cultivation of all known psychoactive plants \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- Examines 414 psychoactive plants and related substances \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- Explores how using psychoactive plants in a culturally sanctioned context can produce important insights into the nature of reality \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- Contains 797 color photographs and 645 black-and-white illustrations \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the traditions of every culture, plants have been highly valued for their nourishing, healing, and transformative properties. The most powerful plants--those known to transport the human mind into other dimensions of consciousness--have traditionally been regarded as sacred. In \u003ci\u003eThe Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants\u003c\/i\u003e Christian R tsch 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 168 of the most well-known psychoactives--such as cannabis, datura, and papaver--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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChristian Rätsch, Ph.D. (1957 - 2022), was a world-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist who specialized 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 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 \u003ci\u003eGEO\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSpektrum der Wissenschaften\u003c\/i\u003e (Spectrum of Sciences). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBefore becoming a full-time author and internationally renowned lecturer, Rätsch 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 had numerous museum expositions on these topics. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe is the author of numerous articles and more than 40 books, including \u003ci\u003ePlants of Love\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGateway to Inner Space\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMarijuana Medicine\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Dictionary of Sacred and Magical Plants\u003c\/i\u003e. He is also coauthor of \u003ci\u003ePlants of the Gods\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eShamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eWitchcraft Medicine\u003c\/i\u003e and was editor of the \u003ci\u003eYearbook of Ethnomedicine and the Study of Consciousness\u003c\/i\u003e. 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 lived in Hamburg, Germany.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Park Street Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50614638575890,"sku":"9780892819782","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_42ca71ed-99d5-4a45-86a4-030fabe6fa85.jpg?v=1732454450","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-encyclopedia-of-psychoactive-plants-ethnopharmacology-and-its-applications-9780892819782","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}