Dictionary of sacred and magical plants

Since time immemorial, certain plants have been hailed as magical because they have the capacity to change consciousness. Smoked, chewed, eaten, or inhaled, they allow direct experience of alternate realities which seem as real as our common one-and often a great deal more intense. Anthropologist Christian Ratsch explains the botanical classifications and pharmacology of many of these plants and examines their roles in different cultures. The result is a book that offers valuable insights into human encounters with altered states of consciousness.