Teo's Book List

[Teotzlcoatl]

Ethnobotany/Entheogen Related Books-

*Aldous Huxley's works especially "The Doors of Perception"

*Food of the Gods by Mckenna

*Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers by Richard Evans Schultes, Albert Hofmann, and Christian Rätsch

*The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications by Christian Ratsch

*Pharmacotheon: Ethnogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History by Jonathan Ott

*Trout's Notes (All Works)

*Ethnobotany: The Evolution of a Discipline- Richard Evans Schultes

*Mad Jesus: The Final Testament of a Huichol Messiah from Northwest Mexico- Timothy Knab

*Peyote and Other Psychoactive Cacti- Adam G.

*Fruit Hunters- Adam Gollner

*The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching by Terence Mckenna

*The Archaic Revival by T. Mckenna

*True Hallucinations: Being an Account of the Author's Extraordinary Adventures in the Devil's Paradis by Terence Mckenna

*The Yage Letters by William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg

*Snu’s Garden of Eden

Ethnobotany: The Evolution of a Discipline by Richard Evans Schultes

Trout's Notes on San Pedro Part A & B (As well as Mr.Trout's other works)

A Cactus Oddessy

Sacremental and Medicinal Cacti by M. S. Smith

Food of the Gods By T. Mckenna (As well as Mr.Mckenna's other works)

Peyote and other Psychoactive Cacti by Adam

Cactus Coloring Book by Stefen Bernath

Botany of Desire by Micheal Pollan

A Cactus Odyssey

Pihkal & Tihkal by Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin

Cactus Lexicon (Next Edition)

DMT- The Spirit Molecule by Rick Strassman

Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants by Christian Ratsch

One River by Wade Davis (As well as Mr.Davis's other works)

Plants of the Gods by Richard Evans Schultes (As well as Mr.Schultes's other works)

Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda

Pharmacotheon- Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History by Jonathan Ott (As well as Mr.Ott's other works)

Philosophy/Spirituality-

The Universe in a Single Atom by the Dalia Lama

Zen and the Mind

Karma Sutra

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones

The G.O.D. Experiments

Tales from the Tao by Solala Towler

Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

Taoism by Wong

Friedrich Nietzsche's works

Carl Jung's works

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Tibetan Book of the Living & Dying

Edited July 3, 2011 by Teotzlcoatl

[Teotzlcoatl]

'tis far from complete... I'll slowly work on it, please suggest more essential ethnobotany/entheogen books!

[obtuse]

hi teotz, nice list.

are these books you own, or a list of books worth having?

please suggest more essential ethnobotany/entheogen books!

The problem i am facing, and have faced, is that ethnobotany, is a very cross disciplinary field.

-> books on shamanism which is a huge tangent that is a field of study in its own right.

"shamanism" by Mircea Eliade

-> books on mythology which is also a huge tangent, and a field of study in its own right.

"primitive mythology", "oriental mythology", "occidental mythology", "creative mythology" by Joseph Campbell. also look into his unfinished "historical atlas of world mythology" series, the last part including a lot about beliefs around yage use in amazonian tribes.

the list can go on ad infinitum,

Cheers, Obtuse.

Edited June 29, 2011 by obtuse

[solomon]

The Great Cacti: Ethnobotany and Biogeography - David Yeltman. I think you would like this one Teotz.

[shortly]

I dont know about essential but

The great cacti ethnobotany and biogeography: is a good read, stunning photography, a bit light on with the south american species.

Gentry's Rio Mayo Plants

The Tropical Deciduous Forest and Environs of Northwest Mexico: full on interesting factoids on fascinating plants that unfortunately i'll probable never see.

Where the Desert Meets the Sea: yes i am a bit of a fan of Yetmans work.

Cacti: Biology and Uses: good info but a very dry read.

Palm Trees of the Amazon And Their Uses: Very readable, great book if you love palms.

Eating and Healing: Traditional Food as Medicine: not quite as good as i'd hoped but still enjoyable.

People's Plants: A Guide to Useful Plants of Southern Africa: My favorite book at the moment, well written & stunning photography

[obtuse]

Sacremental and Medicinal Cacti by M. S. Smith

didnt realise there was such a book, tell me more.

Cheers, Obtuse.

[Quill]

Garden of Eden - Snu Voogelbreinder

I got this today and fuck me it looks awesome. Invaluable. A must

[obtuse]

For Ethnobotany Dale Pendell's trilogy:

Pharmako/poeia, Pharmakodynamis, and Pharmakognosis

Cheers, Obtuse.

[obtuse]

Oh, and also how could i forget:

The Shulgin Index, Volume One: Psychedelic Phenethylamines and related compounds

By none other than,

Alexander Shulgin, Tania Manning, and Paul F. Daley,

An awesome, essential addition to your collection.

Cheers, Obtuse.

[etherealdrifter]

Cheers Obtuse

edit>excellent reads,especially the latter

Edited June 29, 2011 by etherealdrifter

[rivada]

From a cyberpunk author is the fantasy Pollen, by Jeff Noon. People sneezing to death ;)

[synchromesh]

You already have that one, obtuse? Ha ha, what a legend.

[entropymancer]

I made this post on another forum, but it fits well here. Essentially my list of excellent literature on psychoactive plants:

General References (books covering many plants)

 

• The Chemistry of Common Life by James F.W. Johnston (1855; many revised editions were published in the following years)
  While Johnston's work was not explicitly a treatment of drug chemistry, it contained several chapters on "The Beverages We Infuse" (Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate), as well as on "The Narcotics We Indulge In" (datura, fly agaric, coca, betel, cannabis, opium, hops, and tobacco) which make it worth consideration as a historic book of drug lore. [Available online (see next post)]
  
• Die narkotischen Genußittel und der Mensch by Baron Ernst von Bibra (1855)
  I own the English translation, Plant Intoxicants (1994) which is nicely annotated with Technical Notes by Jonathan Ott. Bibra covers: coffee, tea, mate, huarana, chocolate, khat, the fly agaric, datura, coca, opium, hashish, tobacco, and betel... not a bad spread for over 150 years ago. [Original German edition available online]
  
• The Seven Sisters of Sleep by Mordecai Cubitt Cooke (1860)
  Excellent early review of the seven best-known psychoactive plants in the Victorian era: tobacco, opium, cannabis, betel nut, coca, datura, and fly agaric. Cooke's attitude towards altered states is refreshingly positive considering the social mores of his era.[Available online]
  
• Phantastica by Louis Lewin (1924)
  Translated to English in 1931 from the 2nd German Edition (1827), can be readily found in used book stores thanks to a 1998 repriny by Park Street Press/Healing Arts Press (who reprinted Seven Sisters of Sleep and translated Die narkotischen Genußittel und der Mensch around the same time). This is basically Lewin's magnum opus on psychoactives (having previously published monographs on several of the plants discussed in the book). In this book, the well-known German pharmacologist covers opium and morphine (and some related opiates), coca and cocaine, peyotl, cannabis, the fly agaric, Solanaceous deleriants, ayahuasca, alcohol, kava, betel, khat, coffee, mate, tea, kola nut, guarana, cacao, tobacco, and a few other various and sundry plants and chemicals.
  
• Narcotic Plants by William Emboden, Jr. (1972)
  I own the revised 2nd Edition (1979). It's a near-exclusively botanical treatment of the psychoactive plants, interspersed with the occasional graphic plate depicting the plant's context in indigenous use (generally either paraphernalia or ancient artwork). An excellent source for botanical information, but not a whole lot beyond that.
  
• Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens by Richard Evans Schultes and Albert Hofmann (1973)
  Revised 2nd Edition published 1980. This one's definitely on my wish list; for now I just have a photocopy of chapter 4 (the main meat of the book, pp. 32-316) and the bibliography (pp. 369-409). Until Ott's Pharmacotheon, this was the definitive volume on the visionary plant drugs. Unfortunately the work lacks a Table of Contents. The "Plants of Hallucinogenic Use" whose chemistry and ethnobotanical backgrounds are discussed include: ergot, fly agarics, psilocybian mushrooms, cannabis, nutmeg, Virola spp., Anadenanthera spp., jurema, mescal beans, ayahuasca, the psychoactive phenethylamine-containing cacti, iboga, the bindweeds (Ipomoea, Turbina, and Argyria), Salvia divinorum, the Solanaceous deleriants, Justicia pectoralis, Psychotria viridis, and a few miscellaneous others.
  
• Hallucinogens and Culture by Peter T. Furst (1976)
  I haven't finished reading this one yet, so I can't give it a proper review... but so far I like it. Has a particular emphasis on cultural roles that the plants fulfill. Covers: Tobacco, cannabis, nutmeg, eboka and ibogaine, morning glories and LSD, psilocybian mushrooms, the fly agaric, peyotl, datura, and hallucinogenic snuffs.
  
• Psychedelics Encyclopedia by Peter Stafford (with technical editor Jeremy Bigwood) ( 1978 )
  (2nd Edition 1983; 3rd Edition 1992)
  I was hesitant to include this one, since it's generally inferior to the other contemporary references. This volume is primarily noteworthy for its inclusion of preparation methods for the substances discussed, though the dosage advice is somewhat spurious. It is otherwise fairly unremarkable; informative, well-organized, but lacking in adequate citations or bibliography and containing little information that couldn't be found in Schultes & Hofmann's Botany and Chemistry for example. Primary subjects covered are: LSD, the lysergic acid amides, ergot, and bindweeds; peyotl, mescaline, and san pedro; cannabis; psilocybian mushrooms; nutmeg, MDA, and MDMA; DMT, DET, and DPT; ayahuasca and harmaline; iboga and ibogaine; fly agarics and panther caps. Subjects given cursory treatment include: Solanaceous deleriants, yohimbe, kava, and ketamine.
  
• Plants of the Gods by Richard Evans Schultes and Albert Hofmann (1979)
  (Revised and expanded edition coauthored by Christian Rätsch printed in 2001)
  Much less informationally dense than Botany and Chemistry, but full of color photographs and other graphics. Sort of the 'coffee-table book' guide to the sacred psychoactive plants.
  
• PiHKAL (1991) and TiHKAL (1997) by Sasha and Ann Shulgin
  While the books aren't focused on psychoactive plants, some of the chemicals covered in Part II of each book occur in some of our favorite plants, and Sasha is quick to refer to these plants whenever and wherever they're relevant.
  
• Pharmacotheon by Jonathan Ott (1993)
  (2nd Edition, 1996)
  Truly a masterwork. This is one book I would never like to be without; unfortunately it's out of print but you might be able to track down a pdf if you can't find a hard copy of it. It's very thoroughly cited, treating the material in a lucidly direct and engaging fashion, informed by personal experience with the substances. Primary subjects are: mescaline and the cacti of which it's a constituent; lysergic acid amides and the morning glories (Convolvulaceae) and Ergot fungus in which it occurs; South American snuffs, particularly cohoba and epéna; β-carbolines, ayahuasca, and rue; the psilocybian mushrooms, psilocybin, psilocin, and baeocystine; and ibotenic acid, muscimol, and the fly agarics. Compounds given only a very cursory treatment include: calamus root and the asarones; atropine, hyoscyamine, scopolamine, and the Solanaceous deleriants; ibogaine and voacangine; nicotine, Tobacco spp., and pituri; kava and the kavapyrones; Salvia divinorum and salvinorin A; and Cannabis spp. and tetrahydrocannabinols. Very thorough bibliography. Defined scope of the work is the "entheogens".
  
• Pharmako/Poeia (1995), Pharmako/Dynamis (2002), and Pharmako/Gnosis (2005) by Dale Pendell
  A very poetic trilogy covering the "poison path", with one volume on the inebriants (/Poeia), one volume on the stimulants (/Dynamis), and one volume on the visionary compounds (/Gnosis). Not a great source for thorough histories, dates, facts, etc... but I absolutely love Pendell's visceral approach. It beautifully captures the essence of the experience in the poetry of his monographs (and engaging interludes that evolve the poetic narrative). Pharmako/Poeia covers: tobacco, pituri, alcohol, absinthe, opium, kava, Salvia divinorum, cannabis, and a few sundry others. Pharmako/Dynamis covers: coffee, tea, chocolate, mate & guayusa, guarana, kola, betel, Ephedra spp., khat, amphetamine, coca, nutmeg, MDMA, and GHB. Pharmako/Gnosis covers: morning glories, psilocybian mushrooms, LSD, mescal beans, peyotl, Trichocereus spp., ayahuasca, jurema, syrian rue, Bufo alvarius, DMT, tropanes and the Solanaceous deleriants, ketamine, the fly agaric, and iboga.
  
• Enzyklopädie der psychoaktiven Pflanzen by Christian Rätsch ( 1998 )
  (Translated to English as Enclyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants (2005)
  Truly encyclopedic in scope, it covers 414 psychoactive plants. Depth of information is not tremendous (and there are factual errors here and there), covering a smattering of chemistry and ethnography, but each monograph is concluded with a bibliography through which to find further source material. Overall, a great volume.
  

 

Collections

These books don't really belong in the general reference section, but they aren't specific to a particular plant either. Each one covers a range of plants with contributions from several writers in the related fields.

 

• Flesh of the Gods edited by Peter T. Furst (1972)
  Particularly covers tobacco, ayahuasca, san pedro, peyotl, fly agaric mushrooms (through the lens of Wasson's soma hypothesis), cannabis, and eboka (iboga). Authors include Emboden, Furst, La Barre, Reichel-Dolmatoff, Schultes, and Wasson.
  
• The Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs edited by Daniel Efron, Bo Holmstedt, and Nathan S. Kline (1967)
  This volume is a collection of papers from a symposium on psychoactive plants from January 1967 (sponsored by NIMH). It particularly covered kava, nutmeg, South American snuffs, ayahuasca, and the fly agaric. It includes contributions from Richard Evans Schultes, Sasha Shulgin, Gordon Wasson, and a number of other good names in ethno/psychopharmacology. [Available online]
  

 

Books covering particular plants

Entheogenic Snuffs

 

• Ritual enemas and snuffs in the Americas by Peter A.G.M. de Smet (1985)
  This was on my wish list until I discovered the publisher is allowing it to be downloaded for free since it's been out of print so long. So far it looks like everything I'd hoped for and more. Rich in information with thorough citations (I'm a sucker for a nice thorough bibliography employed to good effect). The section on enemas covers Anadenanthera seeds, ayahuasca, brugmansia, datura, guayusa, peyotl, and tobacco. The section on snuffs covers calamus, Anadenanthera seeds, ayahuasca, cannabis, datura, coca, guayusa, Justicia pectoralis, tobacco, and Virola. [Available online]
  
• Shamanic Snuffs and Entheogenic Errhines by Jonathan Ott (2001)
  A rare book indeed, and stylistically not my favorite of Ott's offerings; at times he lets himself diverge into wordplay almost enough to lose the thread of his points. Still, very dense on information (thoroughly cited as always), and a good reference to check no matter what plant you're researching... it's surprising how many plants have been used in relation to snuffing practices. Unfortunately only 1026 copies were ever printed, so even when you find a used one it costs several hundred dollars (it retailed for $120, already a hefty price for a 160 page volume)... PM me if you're having difficulty finding a copy, I may be able to help.
  
• Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America Constantino Manuel Torres and David B. Repke (2006)
  An outstanding book covering the history (and archaeology), chemistry, and ethnography of traditional use for Anadenanthera colubrina and A. peregrina seeds (both smoked and as a snuff). I've got a soft spot for the seeds, and this is an excellent treatment of them.
  

 

Methylxanthine Plants (Cacao, coffee, guarana, mate, tea, etc.)

 

• All About Coffee by William Ukers (1922)
  A very good source on the history of coffee. The writing isn't terribly engaging, but the depth of information is great. [Available online]
  
• The Cacahuatl Eater: Ruminations of an Unabashed Chocolate Addict by Jonathan Ott (1985)
  Highly entertaining book about chocolate. A divergence from Ott's typical academic approach, you can tell that chocolate is something Ott really enjoys. Apparently some people thought that Ott's central thesis (that cacao is psychoactive) was controversial... guess they haven't had good cacao .
  
• Caffeine Blues: Wake up the the Hidden Dangers of America's #1 Drug Stephen A. Cherninske ( 1998 )
  Not exactly up to the caliber of the other literature here, but it's a great guide to the literature on the health effects of caffeine. I don't exactly agree with the book's thesis (that caffeine is a dangerous drug and everyone should stop using it), but I do think it's worth noticing the studies, particularly on the actual efficacy of coffee at enhancing work output (used daily, it's really next to nothing), and that people should be mindful of how it effects them so that they can alter their pattern of use to suit the effects they want to obtain from it.
  
• The World of Caffeine Bennett Alan Weinberg and Bonnie K. Bealer (2001)
  Again, I'm hesitant to include this one. I decided to include it because its account of the social history of tea, coffee, and cacao is excellent, particularly during the era when they were first introduced to Europe and began to spread between countries and each gained particular following in different countries. Its endnotes and bibliography are also fairly decent, though as I checked into their sources I began to notice occasional errors (mostly sloppy ones, like dates being incorrectly transcribed).
  

 

Cannabis

Frankly I haven't found any comprehensive references on cannabis that really impress me. Nothing with much wow-factor... it seems bizarre, considering I can find that sort of thing for plants like kava and cebil that are comparatively so much more obscure than cannabis. Surely I must be missing something. Anyone got any good cannabis references?

 

• The Hasheesh Eater by Fitz Hugh Ludlow (1857)
  Historically, Ludlow's book helped to spark some public interest in cannabis, and his descriptions of its effects are interesting... been years since I've read this one though. [Available online]
  

 

Coca

 

• History of Coca, "the Divine Plant of the Incas" by W. Golden Mortimer (1901)
  A charming book on the coca leaf and its history. While its emphasis is a little too heavy on Peru (largely ignoring the other nations in which it has traditionally been used), it's a great historical source on the period of the conquest of Peru and the decades that followed, quoting extensively from early Spanish writers. It also is an excellent source in tracing coca's re-emergence into European consciousness in the 19th century, albeit with a sometimes naïve eye. Mortimer was friendly with Mariani, and was dismissive of the notion that pure cocaine could have any significant addictive tendencies; whether neglecting the late-19th century sources that had already begun to indicate otherwise was his own editorial hand or Mariani's influence, I do not know. And although he tends to diverge into tangents that bear only minimally on coca (such as the then-current medical understanding of nutrition, or plant biochemistry, etc.), and more is know known on the precise chemical composition and pharmacology of cocaine, I've yet to find a modern source that's as engaging as this one. [Available online]
  

 

Ayahuasca

 

• Ayahuasca Analogues by Jonathan Ott (1994)
  Just the sort of crunchy informative book that you can expect from Ott. And less exorbitantly priced than his rarer books, used copies generally running less than $100 despite being out of print in English (I think it's still in print in Spanish though). This is the single most exhaustive reference on ayahuasca that I've found. Invaluable reading material.
  
• Trout's Notes on Ayahuasca & Ayahuasca Alkaloids by Keeper of the Trout (1998)
  (2nd Edition 2004 as Ayahuasca: Alkaloids, Plants & Analogs)
  Not quite as dense and exhaustive as Ott's book, but a valuable source nevertheless. [Available online]
  
• Singing to the Plants by Stephan Beyer (2009)
  A very thorough guide to mestizo shamanism in South America, particularly modes of healing learned or applied through the use of ayahuasca (though it touches on other plants as well). It should appeal to the casually-interested reader, but contains extensive footnotes and a comprehensive bibliography that should satisfy the more scholarly reader. The book gives good attention to pharmacology, botany, and other practical considerations, but is especially unique in its in-depth treatment of the syncretic use of the plants for healing in the parts of the Amazon that are becoming more urban.
  

 

Fly Agaric

 

• Mushrooms, Russia and History by R. Gordon Wasson and Valentina Pavlovna Wasson (1957)
  A classic text, elucidating the various lines of reasoning that led them to postulate a period in the past where there was a pervasive religion or worship centered around mushrooms. Includes a summary of the literature of the fly agaric eating cultural groups in Siberia. It culminates with their expedition to Mexico where they are the first Europeans ever known to consume the psilocybin-containing mushrooms employed by indigenous people there. Only 500 copies were ever printed, so little hope of acquiring a hard copy. [Available online]
  
• Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality by R. Gordon Wasson ( 1968 )
  Another classic, wherein Wasson lays out in detail his arguments for the identification of the Aryan Soma as a psychedelic drug, specifically the fly agaric mushroom. While I don't personally tend to agree with this identification (for one thing, while the literature certainly casts soma as psychoactive, it's not unambiguously psychedelic... for another, psychedelic is hardly the word I'd use to describe the experience of the fly agaric), the book is still a great source of information, and it restructured the academic discourse on soma and opened the floodgates on speculation about its identity.
  

 

Syrian Rue

 

• Haoma and Harmaline: The Botanical Identity of the Indo-Iranian Sacred Hallucinogen "Soma" and its Legacy in Religion, Language, and Middle Eastern Folklore by David Stophlet Flattery and Martin Schwartz (1989)
  Another book on the soma mystery, in this case examining haoma (linguistically identical to the Vedic soma from the Iranian branch of the Aryans. Again, I don't agree with the main thesis (I don't believe Syrian rue was the original soma), but the book is still a useful resource. In addition to providing information on the cultural place of Peganum harmala in contemporary Iran, it also provides useful information in considering alternative candidates for soma (particularly Ephedra spp.). The low point of the book is when Flattery decides to treat the experience of Syrian rue as identical to that of an ayahuasca brew (complete with chacruna and several other psychoactive admixtures). [Available online]
  

 

Psilocybian Mushrooms

 

• Mushrooms, Russia and History by R. Gordon Wasson and Valentina Pavlovna Wasson (1957)
  [Yes, I know I put this under Fly Agaric literature too] A classic text, elucidating the various lines of reasoning that led them to postulate a period in the past where there was a pervasive religion or worship centered around mushrooms. It culminates with their expedition to Mexico where they are the first Europeans ever known to consume the psilocybin-containing mushrooms employed by indigenous people there. Only 500 copies were ever printed, so little hope of acquiring a hard copy. [Available online]
  
• Teonanácatl: Hallucinogenic Mushrooms of North America edited by Jonathan Ott and Jeremy Bigwood ( 1978 )
  This book was put together from papers presented at the Second International Conference on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms in 1977. Contributors include Ott, Schultes, Hofmann, Wasson, and Bigwood. Covers history, chemistry, description of the psilocybian mushrooms known to occur in North America at the time, and developments in cultivation. In addition to being a fine reference, its also a nice slice of history, a peek into a time when the four of the most eminent minds on psychoactive drugs had all turned their attention on the same substance. This also marked the time when mushrooms began to become widely available in western cultures through developments in cultivation of Psilocybe cubensis. Considering the relative rarity of this volume, I thought I'd got a great deal a few years ago when I got it for $30, but it looks like Amazon has several used copies in decent condition for only $10 or so right now!
  
• The Wondrous Mushroom: Mycolatry in Mesoamerica by R. Gordon. Wasson (1980)
  This one's on my wish list. I had started reading a borrowed copy at one point, and it seemed like a good retrospective on Wasson's researches on the psilocybian mushrooms over the previous couple of decades. Unfortunately things came up and I wasn't able to finish the book. Sooner or later I need to pick up a copy and finish reading the book.
  

 

Kava

 

• Kava - The Pacific Elixir: The Definitive Guide to its Ethnobotany, History, and Chemistry by Vincent Lebot, Mark David Merlin, and Lamont Lindstrom (1992)
  Republished 1997. It's everything it says in the title. If you're interested in kava, you'll want to read this book. Aside from the history (which I always find interesting), their use genetic and chemical analysis to identify classes of kava (chemotypes) and track its spread through the Pacific is very informative. Their thesis that Piper methysticum is actually a set of closely-related sterile cultivars of Piper wichmannii is pretty well bulletproof. And it's affordable; I picked up my copy for $5.
  

 

Substances that I haven't found any excellent books on, but would like to know about if they exist:

 

• Salvia divinorum
• Mescaline-containing cacti
  
• Psychoactive bindweeds (morning glory, ololiuqui, HBWR)
  
• Cannabis
  
• Betel
  
• Datura and Brugmansia

 

Edited July 3, 2011 by entropymancer

[entropymancer]

And on a related note: Thanks to the work of Google (on books.google.com) and Microsoft (who provides the resources for many of the books scanned at archive.org/details/texts), as well as some individual publishers, there are some great old references available for free reading and download.

General references covering a variety of substances

 

• Ritual enemas and snuffs in the Americas by Peter A.G.M. de Smet. 1985. The section on enemas covers includes Anadenanthera seeds, ayahuasca, brugmansia, datura, guayusa, peyotl, and tobacco. The section on snuffs covers calamus, Anadenanthera seeds, ayahuasca, cannabis, datura, coca, guayusa, Justicia pectoralis, tobacco, and Virola. The main pdf link is from the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies; the publisher also has it freely available, though it's split into six seperate files: pp. 1-18, pp. 19-72, pp. 73-120, pp. 121-132, pp. 133-178, pp. 179-280.
  
• The Chemistry of Common Life by James Johnston. 1854. The section on "The Narcotics We Indulge In" covers hops, opium poppies, cannabis, betel, kava, coca, fly agarics, and datura; "The Beverages We Infuse" covers tea, coffee, and cacao.
  
• The Seven Sisters of Sleep by Mordecai Cubitt Cooke. 1860. Covers tobacco, opium, hashish, betel, coca, datura and henbane, and fly agarics.
  
• Die narkotischen Genußmittel und der Mensch by Ernst von Bibra. 1855. Covers coffee, tea, mate, guarana, chocolate, khat, the fly agaric, datura, coca, opium, hashish, tobacco, and betel. This will only be useful if you can speak German. The book was translated to English and published in 1994 as Plant Intoxicants (with technical notes by Jonathan Ott) and is generally avaialble used for under $10.
  
• Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs, edited by Daniel Efron. 1967. This one is courtesy of Erowid. The symposium particularly covered kava, nutmeg, South American snuffs, ayahuasca, and the fly agaric. It includes contributions from Richard Evans Schultes, Sasha Shulgin, Gordon Wasson, and a number of other good names in ethno/psychopharmacology.
  

 

Sources covering particular substances

Ayahuasca

 

• Ayahuasca: alkaloids, plants & analogs by Keeper of the Trout. 1st edition 1998; this is the 2004 2nd edition. Not old, but the author has waived copyright on the text; hosted courtesy of Erowid.
  

 

Cannabis

 

• The Hasheesh Eater by Fitz Hugh Ludlow. 1857.
  

 

Coca

 

• History of Coca, "the Divine Plant of the Incas" by W. Golden Mortimer. 1901.
  
• Coca and Its Therapeutic Application by Angelo Mariani. 1892. Propaganda intended to sell his coca wine, tempered with some botany and history.
  

 

Coffee

 

• All About Coffee by William Ukers. 1922.
  
• Coffee: From Plantation to Cup by Francis Thurber. 1884.
  

 

Mushrooms

 

• Mushrooms, Russia, and History (Volume 1 and Volume 2) by R. Gordon Wasson and Valentina Wasson. 1957. Very rare book (only 500 copies ever printed), available courtesy of the New Alexandria Archive.
  

 

Opium

 

• Confessions of an English Opium Eater by Thomas DeQuincy. 1885.
  

 

Syrian Rue

 

• Haoma and Harmaline by David Stophlet Flattery and Martin Schwartz. 1989. Not available for download, but the full book is available for online reading. It has plenty of technical (and some factual) flaws, but is certainly a worthwhile reference.
  

 

Other noteworthy texts

 

• Harvard University's Botanical Museum Leaflets. The Missouri Botanical Museum Library has the entire series of these leaflets (from 1932-1986) available for reading and download. Wasson has articles in volumes 19, 20, 23, and 26. Hofmann has an excellent article in volume 20 detailing the chemistry of ololiuqui (Turbina corymbosa) to accompany Wasson's ethnographic report on the seeds in the same volume. Schultes has articles in a whole load of volumes, but the really crunchy articles are in volumes 4 (peyotl), 5 (peyotl), 7 (truly landmark, first english language article firmly establishing the Mexican entheogen teonanacatl as a Basidiomycete), 16, 18, 22, 23, and 28.
  

 

Travelogues and other early literature with historically relevant accounts

 

• Notes of a Botanist on the Amazon and Andes (Volume 1 and Volume 2) by Richard Spruce. 1908. Spruce was a pioneering ethnobotanist and a sort of personal hero of Schultes. This book records his explorations of South America from 1849-1864. Includes information on Anadenanthera snuffs, coca, and more.
  
• Natural and Moral History of the Indies by José de Acosta. Originally published 1590; this 1880 edition contains books 1-4 and is from the 1604 English translation by Edward Grimston; books 5-7 are available in html format. Acosta commented on the use of coca, cacao, ololiuhqui, and tobacco.
  
• Cuatro libros de la Naturaleza y virtudes de las plantas y animales de uso medicinal en la Nueva España by Francisco Hernández. Original in Latin composed late 16th century and published in 1628; this Spanish partial translation by Francisco Ximénez was originally published 1615. The book includes descriptions of ololiuhqui, tobacco (picietl), mushrooms (teonanácatl, teyhuinti), and chocolate (cacahuatl).
  
• Historia de las Indias de Nueva-España y islas de Tierra Firme (Volume 1 and Volume 2) by Diego Durán. Originally published 1587; this edition published 1880. No English translations are available for download that I've found (though it has been translated). Durán is an important early post-Conquest source who had a great deal of respect for the Aztec culture.
  
• The royal commentaries of Peru, Vol. 1 by Garcilaso de la Vega. Orginal published in Spanish in 1608; English translation 1688 by Paul Rycaut. Garcilaso's served under Pizarro, and his mother was a cousin of the Incan emperor Atahualpa, giving him a unique perspective on the early post-conquest period in Peru. He discusses coca (of which he owned a plantation) and tobacco. I haven't yet found a digital edition of the second volume.
  
• Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon by William Lewis Herndon. 1854. Report on an expedition undertaken at the direction of the US Navy. Comments on the indigenous use of coca, and comments some on tobacco (mostly from an economic standpoint).
  
• Historia Antigua de México by Francisco Javier Clavigero. Originally published 1780; this edition published 1868. No English edition found online. Contains a rare 18th-century reference to ololiuhqui seeds (which otherwise seem to have dropped entirely out of Spanish awareness in that century); the account appears to be an amalgamation of Acosta and Durán's 16th century descriptions of Aztec traditions.
  
• Das Nord- und Östliche Theil von Europa und Asia by Philipp Johann von Strahlenberg. 1730. Strahlenberg was a Swede taken as a prisoner of War after a defeat by Russians in 1709. He was taken to Siberia, where he remained for twelve years, during which time he undertook several journeys exploring and mapping the region. This publication contains a description of life among the Koryaks of the Kamchatka peninsula. Not only was this the first unambiguous European reference to the recreational use of fly agaric mushrooms, it also contained descriptions of the urine-drinking practices associated with the mushroom in that region.
  
• History of Kamtschatka, and the Kurilski Islands, With the Countries Adjacent by Steppan Krasheninnikov. Original published 1755 in Russian; this English translation by James Grieve published 1764. Another early account containing descriptions of fly agaric use.
  
• Beschreibung von dem lande Kamtschatka by Georg Wilhelm Steller. 1774. No English edition available online. Another early source with an account of fly agaric usage.
  
• Das Muscarin: Das giftige Alkaloid des Fliegenpilzes by Oswald Schmiedeberg and Richard Koppe. 1869. Not available in English. Account of the discovery of muscarine (not muscimol), isolated from fly agarics.
  
• Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Years 1799-1804 by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimè Bonpland Volume I, Volume II, and Volume III by Alexander von Humboldt. Original in French (1807); this English translation by Thomasina Ross (1852). Contains the first report on the use of yopo snuff. Humboldt and Bonpland also encountered guarana (Paullinia cupana) a species of Banisteriopsis and of Brugmansia, and Theobroma bicolor (a species related to the cacao tree).
  
• An historical relation of the island Ceylon, in the East-Indies by Robert Knox. 1681. An early English-language account describing betel-chewing practices.
  

 

Edited July 3, 2011 by entropymancer

[Marcel]

Fuck! What a list, entropymancer! I've been looking for a nice list like that for a while. Thanks a million!

Now. Out comes my credit card and my hunt begins!

[Teotzlcoatl]

May I add The Hummingbird's Journey to God: Perspectives on San Pedro; the Cactus of Vision, it seems to be one of the only books on "San Pedro" out there!

[entropymancer]

Fuck! What a list, entropymancer! I've been looking for a nice list like that for a while.

So had I! But since I found no such list forthcoming, I wrote my own. Suggestions of any other relevant books would be very much appreciated.

Teo, I notice you include Schultes' and Reichel-Dormatoff's Ethnobotany book on your list. Could you perhaps give us an overview of its contents? I'm working on acquiring a copy, but since I've blown my impulse-buy budget on Snu's book, I'd like a teaser.

Now. Out comes my credit card and my hunt begins!

 

Abe books (http://www.abebooks.com/) is a good place to start when looking for out-of-print texts. Also, never underestimate the power of inter-library loan. Even local libraries out in the boonies can borrow rare titles for you, either for free or for a very reasonable small surcharge.

Edited July 3, 2011 by entropymancer

[Zen Peddler]

Any Lovecraft?

[Marcel]

Abe books (http://www.abebooks.com/) is a good place to start when looking for out-of-print texts. Also, never underestimate the power of inter-library loan. Even local libraries out in the boonies can borrow rare titles for you, either for free or for a very reasonable small surcharge.

 

I'm a second-hand book dealer so I like the challenge of being able to acquire it for next to nothing, or for a trade. I'm a pervert like that.

And my terrible library fines are one of the reasons I got into book dealing in the first place...

[qualia]

i read this when i was in high school, had a fairly profound effect on me:

r. d. laing - the politics of experience (and the bird of paradise)

http://evans-experientialism.freewebspace.com/laing.htm

edit: found the whole of politics of experience

Edited July 4, 2011 by qualia