PLANTS OF THE GODS BY RICHARD EVANS SCHULTES, ALBERT HOFMANN & CHRISTIAN RÄTSCH: A BOOK REVIEW BY JUAN CAMILO RODRÍGUEZ MARTÍNEZ

 

Originally published in 1979, the book Plants of the Gods has become a classic of psychedelic and scientific literature. Masterfully written by Albert Hofmann and Richard Evans Schultes, the first edition was a resounding publishing success around the world that would eventually sell out all its copies and become a legendary best-seller translated to many languages all around the world. 

In 2001 a new revised and expanded edition was released by the authors with the collaboration of eminent psychedelic plants authority Christian Rätsch.



The book is a journey around the world and its different cultures. It wonderfully exposes the use of hallucinogenic plants and mushrooms in various ritual contexts for spiritual purposes. Many curious facts are scattered around the pages of this wonderful book. There is a certain species of Petunias that are used in Ecuador as ritual hallucinogens and the reader is surprised to learn of the existence of a mushroom of the genus Boletus with visionary properties. The large number of cactus species with entheogenic properties is something that does not stop drawing attention among many other curiosities exposed in the pages of the book. 

LSD is the most potent hallucinogen according to the authors.

Pure ethnobotany.

The respect presented by ancestral cultures to the plants of the gods is to be admired. The use in religious contexts with spiritual purposes under the most rigorous taboos is a constant in the manipulation of these plants and mushrooms. They are the gifts of the gods to a humanity that needs to heal. The number of medicinal uses of many of these plants in addition to their ritual hallucinogenic use is surprising. The Peyote excels at this. The pages dedicated to plants such as marijuana, and mushrooms such as Claviceps purpurea from which LSD is extracted, and the psilocybin-producing mushroom rituals practiced in Mexico are full of curious data in addition to the rigorous scientific information that makes this book a reference text, which can be read as a reference encyclopedia. 

The references to different indigenous cultures present in the territory of Colombia are numerous. The Muiscas are great protagonists in the pages of this book among other tribes. 

Current scientists are surprised by the great display of wisdom demonstrated by indigenous cultures whose extraction processes applied to hallucinogenic preparations from plants demonstrates knowledge that matches the advances in current chemistry. The indigenous shamans of the Amazon are specialists in scientific taxonomy.  The Semen from the Sun chapter is a great example of this. The different hallucinogenic preparations made from the Virola trees are a great example of how specialized the shamans of the Amazon can be. 

I cannot stop recommending you this wonderful book, masterfully written and one of the monumental works of scientific literature that has not ceased to inspire scientific research throughout all these years and has established itself as one of the best scientific books published in history. 

The advances of science do not stop and the possible new edition of this work with all the pertinent updates to our times should not be ruled out.

The texts are accompanied by beautiful images that make reading something very enjoyable. The book is easy to read. Written for scientists and amateurs interested in the subject.

Highly recommended. 

Special Thanks to Donnie Lewis in the USA.