Pharmako/Dynamis: Stimulating Plants, Potions, & Herbcraft

by Dale Pendell

"Dale Pendell reactivates the ancient connection between the bardic poet and the shaman."—Terence McKenna In Pharmako/Dynamis, Dale Pendell continues his exploration of psychoactive plants begun in Pharmako/Poeia. Pharmacognosy is the study of the composition, production, use, and history of drugs of natural origin. Pendell covers these topics and more in this volume, charting a voyage around the world of plant teachers. Through poetry, chemistry, and a generous sprinkling of arcane lore, Pendell weaves and twists the many threads of tradition into a singularly bewitching brew. Pendell's voyage is a true circumnavigation. It divulges what Gary Synder called "dangerous knowledge" that is a formidable weapon against "even more dangerous ignorance." Dale Pendell is a poet, software engineer, and longtime student of ethnobotany. His poetry has appeared in many journals, and he was the founding editor of KUKSU: Journal of Backcountry Writing. He has led workshops on ethnobotany and ethnopoetics for the Naropa Institute and the Botanical Preservation Corps.

Genres: Plants, Nonfiction, Drugs, Herbs, Spirituality, History, Nature

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Dale Pendell is the author of the award-winning Pharmako trilogy, a literary history of psychoactive plants.
He reads and distills the literature of pharmacology and neuroscience, of ethnobotany and anthropology, of mythology and political economics as they intersect with the direct experience of human psychoactive use.

He and his wife Laura currently reside in California.

Reviews

[danni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assigned textbook for my "Drugs and the Brain" course at UC Berkeley. One of the most memorable assigned readings ;)

[Angela Natividad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. It’s chemistry combined with poetry, folklore, history, anthropology, politics. The end notes are always worth reading. I particularly liked the comparison of our culture’s oil addiction to any garden-variety speed addiction: “Every speed junkie uses until it is gone. That’s what we’ll do, I’m afraid.”

[lisa_emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another knockout from Pendell, this time on stimulants. It is a good place to start in understanding the caffeine wars and the sociological aftermaths of cultivating plants for capitalism. Pendell touches on many layers of our relationships with "special plants" and thier chemical derivatives.

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pharmako/ Dynamis: Stimulating Plants, Potions & Herbcraft by Dale Pendell (North Atlantic Books 2010) (615.321) (3864).

This is part of a three-volume treatise on plant and animal drugs or substances which are “active” in the pharmacological (psychoactive) sense. Most of these (but not all) are derived from natural plant and animal matter. These volumes are written for readers with an interest in psychonautics rather than for those with an interest in applied Western pharmacology and medicine. All three volumes combine poetry, visual art, modern chemical formulae and analyses, and esoteric writings and literature, both traditional and modern.

Pharmako/ Dynamis: Stimulating Plants, Potions & Herbcraft catalogs substances referred to as “stimulants.” Here are the substances described in detail in this volume: coffee/caffeine (Coffea arabica), tea (Camellia sinensis), chocolate (Theobroma cacao), “The Black Drink” (Ilex vomitoria aka Yaupon) and Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis), kola nuts (Cola nitida), betel nuts (Areca catechu), Ma huang or Mormon Tea (Ephedra sinica), khat (Catha edulis), amphetamine, coca (Erythroxylum coca), nutmeg and mace (Myristica fragrans), ecstasy (MDMA), and GHB (Gamma hydroxybutyrate).

This is a fascinating book, and it is part of an extremely beguiling set.

I purchased a used PB copy in like-new condition from Amazon for $10.23 on 8/28/23.

My rating: 7.5/10, finished 9/8/23 (3864).

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

[Mercedes Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The same captivating blend of history, botany, poetry, mythology, anecdote, lore, and whimsy as the first book in this series, albeit with far fewer references to magic, I don't think I will ever tire of reading Dale Pendell's accounts of the interactions between plants and people.

[Vanni Santoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si conclude qui la leggendaria trilogia di Pendell, con quello che è il terzo volume sia in originale che nella traduzione italiana (gli altri due sono usciti infatti invertiti). Inutile aggiungere che il livello è sempre altissimo.

[Gard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as book 1 and 3 in the series, but still worth reading.

[Paul Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A work of great reach and bristling with ideas.

[?0?0?0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars only due to my liking the other two books in this trilogy more - especially "Pharmako/Poeia".
All three are excellent.

[Diego González · Rating 5 out of 5]

These beautiful tomes deal with the wonders, dangers, and possibilities of the most powerful chemists on earth, plants and fungi. Coming at the topic from an approach not unlike The Botany of Desire (maybe plants are far more aware than we give them credit), Mr. Pendell writes elegies to plant teachers that tie in everything from chemistry, astrology, poetry, prose, history, music and mythology. Though dealing with many dangerous "allies" (as Mr. Pedell calls his subjects), these books do not condone rampant misuse of potent concoctions, but instead offer level-headed yet inspired advice on navigating the dangerous waters of nature and its curiosities.

This second volume deals with many of the plant stimulants, from tea and coffee to yerba mate, khat and ma huang.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of coffee and cocoa alone makes this book fascinating and well worth purchasing. Pendell is the ultimate scribe of the vegetable kingdom's psychoactive members. Essential for any gardener, visionary or lover of good writing.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic!

[Zoe M · Rating 5 out of 5]

worth it for the history of cacao in aztec culture. definitely written by a white american man who says some weird stuff sometimes, but overall, it's fascinating.

[Davinsky R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive in depth and fact-based substance use history!