The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens

by Richard Evans Schultes

Definitive, masterful, wonderful coverage of the plant entheogens. Organized by botanical families, and well illustrated with drawings, photos, and chemical formulas. Much on ethnobotany, history, and chemistry as well. Many new intriguing species to explore; special chapters on possible new hallucinogens. Well referenced and indexed. Good match with Pharmacotheon, especially for great botanical illustrations. Highly recommended.

Genres: Biology, Chemistry, Science

267 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Richard Evans Schultes (SHULL-tees) (January 12, 1915 – April 10, 2001) may be considered the father of modern ethnobotany, for his studies of indigenous peoples' (especially the indigenous peoples of the Americas) uses of plants, including especially entheogenic or hallucinogenic plants (particularly in Mexico and the Amazon), for his lifelong collaborations with chemists, and for his charismatic influence as an educator at Harvard University on a number of students and colleagues who went on to write popular books and assume influential positions in museums, botanical gardens, and popular culture.

His book The Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers (1979), co-authored with chemist Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of LSD, is considered his greatest popular work: it has never been out of print and was revised into an expanded second edition, based on a German translation by Christian Rätsch (1998), in 2001.[1]

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars; likely more if I understood chemical and botanical terms more thoroughly. This book is very similar to the authors' other co-publication, Plants of the Gods, only this is much more focused on the botany and chemistry of plant medicines than the history and ethnography. Plants, with its copious illustrations and more layman approach is the more accessible of the two, though History and Botany does have many instructive photos and botanical illustrations.

[Bill Eichman · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the first books on the plant chemicals with psychedelic and psychoactive effects I read, in 1974 as a first term freshman at Penn State. It was in Patee Library, on the shelf near Peter Furst's "Flesh of the Gods", one of the first books ever to describe the making and use of yage or ayahuasca.

This book was a little dry, but the topic was fascinating.