Piante maestre. Ayahuasca, tabacco e la ricerca della conoscenza

by Jeremy Narby, Giorgio Samorini (Preface), Luca Fusco (Translator)

"La dose fa il veleno", dice un vecchio adagio, ricordandoci che le sostanze hanno il potenziale per guarire o nuocere, a seconda del loro uso. Sebbene la medicina occidentale tratti il tabacco come una droga dannosa che crea dipendenza, è considerato un medicinale dagli indigeni della foresta pluviale amazzonica e insieme all'ayahuasca, rientra tra i trattamenti progettati per curare il corpo, stimolare la mente e ispirare l'anima con visioni. In questo testo, l'antropologo Jeremy Narby e il guaritore tradizionale Rafael Chanchari Pizuri aprono un dialogo interculturale che esplora le somiglianze tra ayahuasca e tabacco, il ruolo di queste piante nelle culture indigene e le verità nascoste che rivelano sulla natura. Giustapponendo e sintetizzando due visioni del mondo, invitano i lettori in un viaggio attraverso l'antropologia, la botanica e la biochimica, sollevando domande allettanti sulla relazione tra scienza e altri modalità di conoscenza.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Audiobook, Spirituality, Plants, Herbs

143 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Jeremy Narby is an anthropologist and writer. Narby grew up in Canada and Switzerland, studied history at the University of Canterbury, and received a doctorate in anthropology from Stanford University. Narby spent several years living with the Ashaninca in the Peruvian Amazon cataloging indigenous uses of rainforest resources to help combat ecological destruction. Narby has written multiple books, as well as sponsored an expedition to the rainforest for biologists and other scientists to examine indigenous knowledge systems and the utility of Ayahuasca in gaining knowledge. Since 1989, Narby has been working as the Amazonian projects director for the Swiss NGO, Nouvelle Planète.- wiki

Reviews

[Nicholas · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 / 5 Stars
// Mediocre

[Riley Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve heard mixed things about Narby’s work (such as the Cosmic Serpent) but was eager to give this book a try. This was a really nice, quick little read on the shamanic use of tobacco and ayahuasca. Narby partnered with an indigenous healer to provide both the scientific and spiritual perspective behind these plant medicines. I’m not sure in the end that Narby really provided an adequate level of detail on the science side, but I really appreciated the indigenous side and in particular the thoughts on the mother and spirits of plants.

[John Ogham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plant Teachers is written in semi-dialogic form between an anthropologist Jeremy Narbin and traditional healer Rafael Chanchari Pizuri around two plants: tobacco and ayuhuasca. Pizuri gets one section on tobacco, describing it from his side, often in his own words mixed with other stories and background provided; Narbin, the rep of science, gets another. The same format applies for ahuyuasca followed by a brief conclusion.

Pros: It offers a new indigenous perspective on the centrality of tobacco in American medicine and ritual. Narbin does an admirable effort to let Pizuri speak for himself, rather than attempting to rationalize his own at-times unusual views, such as the idea that his father-in-law died because he transformed into a jaguar and was shot by locals defending their cattle. During the science section, he refers back to high-quality studies to back up his claims. This also helped ground what could easily be a soaring trip to woo-woo land in the more concrete, precise, and nuanced land of research.

Cons: It's 77 pages long of actual text. Had I known that, I might've reconsidered buying the book. Worse, those 77 pages are all broth and no meat. Just about every topic's covered in such a low-res way that I felt frustrated for much of it. What, for example, are the sacharuna (forest people)? He tells us that tobacco gives its consumers the power, but why? And then, finally, his conclusion was somewhat tautological. Indigenous people's views are complementary to the scientific, rationalistic view, but then he justifies it on the rationalists own pragmatic terms.

I'd suggest this book for people eager to devour any information on the topic of indigenous ritual and medicinal practices or for people with a particular interest in tobacco in indigenous ritual and medicinal life. For people looking for a high-res look at the conflicts and overlaps of indigenous and scientific thinking or deeper insight into either perspective, I'd suggest look elsewhere.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read. I picked it up just reading plant teachers, I didn’t look at the whole title. This book focuses on tobacco. If I would have known it focused on tobacco I would not have picked it up and read it. However, that’s my reading theme of the year, read some books I normally wouldn’t read. So in for a penny, in for a pound. I am a former smoker with COPD living in tobacco farmer country. I have strong feelings about tobacco. This book showed me their is another view of tobacco. Another reading theme I am seeing this year, natural food, plants and medicines might be a little better for you than the intense chemicals included in all processed items. Smoking natural tobacco and smoking cigarettes are two different things. The book discusses the indigenous view on tobacco giving it a persona, there is good and bad in all. I enjoyed reading the book, he shares lots of stories about his learning and travels about tobacco. The stories are mixed with with science and chemistry. He warns tobacco can be poisonous and dangerous and discuss many of the health risks. The book encourages you to learn not to use. Reading this book was very interesting and I did enjoy the reading.

[Mati 'Matimajczyta' · Rating 2 out of 5]

Książka jest bardzo złożona, widać, że autor zaangażował się w zbieranie informacji, ale wiele szczegółów powodowało, że momentami trafiłam na zagubiony wątek. Trochę nie podobała mi się forma przedstawiania roślin jako największego dobra na świecie i jak wielki mają one wpływ na wszystko wokół nas i w nas. Rozumiem ten punkt widzenia, bo z logicznego punktu widzenia to jest prawda. Jednakże, czasem wydawało się, że ten pogląd sięgał za głęboko i było to męczące. Mimo to, krótko mówiąc, książka jest ciekawa.
ENG 2/5
The book is very complex, it's evident that the author put a lot of effort into gathering information, but many details sometimes led to losing the thread. I wasn't particularly fond of the way plants were presented as the greatest good in the world and how much influence they have on everything around us and within us. I understand this perspective because logically, it's true. However, sometimes it felt like this viewpoint delved too deeply and it was exhausting. Nonetheless, in short, the book is interesting.

[Aslı · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now, I feel ripped off with this book.

Having read and loved The Cosmic Serpent some years before, I was very excited to get my hands on this one.

I chose to read it just after I finished a plant dieta with Tobacco, mind you. So, I have an intimate relationship with both of the plants that are covered in this book. I think I was just hoping to validate some of my experience, especially with Tobacco.

What I found instead was the (very short) thoughts of (very few) natives. It wasn't any more comprehensive than what the locals here tells me in passing. I appreciated the scientific part some, but again, I could just google that? Also, each paragraph is taken from somewhere else, some of which I already read.

It's already a very short book, and adding insult to the injury, half of it is just bibliography. I read this book on Amazon Kindle, and I paid £10.99 for the "privilege", making the mere 50-ish pages of it the most expensive quoted content I ever spent my money on.

I'm quite annoyed at that.

[B. Adriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about the relationship between tobacco and ayahuasca (herb from the Amazon) develops from a conversation between the anthropologist author Jeremy Narby and a Peruvian healer Rafael Chanchari Pizuri.
Many people are drawn to experience with ayahuasca. But it would be best to be careful from whom you are getting the herb and the right person to administer it. One surprise from the book is to learn that tobacco is such an important plant for healing, even more than any other herb; it is like a base healing plant. But it has to be the right one, administered in the right dosage by a knowledgeable person. I started reading the e-book and ended up listening to the audio version; both are good, but I enjoyed the audiobook better.

[Darren Faber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a quick read, but is the most complete collection I've seen so far of the scientific research behind Tobacco and Ayahuasca to date, combined with the experience of the authors and an experienced indigenous practitioner. While I would love to have a wider range of opinion and experience from indigenous practitioners of different cultures, tribes, countries, etc., this book is definitely the best representation and bridge between the Western scientific way of thinking and the language and use of these two medicines from an indigenous perspective that I've seen so far.

[Vickie Van Vliet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short read on the uses of Ayahuasca and Tobacco. The author Jeremy Narby covers both the traditional ecological use and Western scientific uses for both plants. He does a beautiful job of explaining how the two ways of knowing coincide. As a budding ethnobotanist, it was fascinating to read how the two plants relate to each other, both in culture and biology. Overall, the book was a nice introduction to Narby's work and an easy introduction to both plants.

[TheDivineReset · Rating 5 out of 5]

so much information about plant medicines. i, a westerner, would never have been able to learn the wealth of information he provides in the book without his writing. im incredibly grateful for this resource.

this is a must read to read before doing ayahuasca.


i hope he writes a book about cannabis- i heard him mention wanting to in an interview

[Aurelio Guerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book, the idea of presenting native amazonian beliefs and modern science together made a lot of sense on this topic. Unfortunately the book is very light on information on the subject. Some top-of-the-head rambling ideas from an interview of Rafael Chanchari combined with some hurried research on the chemistry of Tobacco and Ayahuasca plants.

[Angelo Montinovo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for anyone interested in natives cultures, ethnopharmacology as well as tobacco users or seekers of new ideas. Well written dialogue between science and Amazon native cultures. Highly suggested.

[Margarete Maneker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciated learning more about tobacco as medicine and the cross-cultural dialogue between anthropologist & Indigenous shaman. Science and spirituality coincide here in a way that I found respectful and curious.

[Cosmonaut · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars. The interviews in themselves are valuable, I learned new perspectives on tobacco, but all in all this book presents a very narrow and contested view on the topic. As an introductory book not very recommended.

[Theresa Jump · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Good.

[John Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enlightening book.

[Matias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and brief review of tobbaco and ayahuasca according to science and the vision of a shawi's ayahuasquero.

[cypher · Rating 1 out of 5]

learning about what various cultures do with these drugs is ok, but promoting taking these drugs is not...unfortunately, this book did too much of that. DNF, i got too angry.

[bryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little book.