Delving deep into the world of psychoactive plants, including ayahuasca, Pharmako/Gnosis serves as a comprehensive and standalone guide.
Celebrated by readers as a modern classic, this is a must-have for anyone interested in the science, history, and lore of psychoactive substances.In this third and final volume of the Pharmako trilogy, Dale Pendell embarks on a captivating journey through the botanical and cultural landscapes of a diverse array of mind-altering "teachers." From plant-based psychedelic substances to their synthetic derivatives, Pendell illuminates each with an erudition and playful wit uniquely his own.
He delves into the worlds of traditional use and modern interpretations of substances such as:
- Amanita muscaria
- Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi)
- Blowfish/Puffer Fish (Tetradontidae)
- Bufo alvarius
- Iboga (Tabernanthe iboga)
- Jurema (Mimosa hostilis)
- Ketamine
- Kratom (Mitragynia speciosa)
- Mescal Bean (Sophora secundiflora)
- Morning Glory (Ipomoea, Rivea spp.)
- Peyote
- Psilocybe (Teonanacatl)
- San Pedro Cactus
- Tropane alkaloids
- Peganum harmala
Pharmako/Gnosis offers more than a mere historical or pharmacological background of these substances. Pendell delves into the nuances of each substance's effect on consciousness with a poetic finesse, bringing to life our profound and intricate relationship with these potent compounds. He approaches the topic with genuine curiosity, acknowledging the transformative power these substances wield over individuals, societies, and cultures. The narrative, enriched by a wealth of quotations from acclaimed writers, is as intoxicating as the substances it explores, brewing a unique literary concoction.
Taking the reader beyond the confines of traditional scientific discourse, Pendell's distinctive narrative style weaves in personal experiences, anecdotal evidence, and a profound sense of the sacred, resulting in a reading experience that is as deeply engaging as it is informative.
***This paperback edition has a new introduction by the author and updated content.
This is the third and final volume of North Atlantic Books' updated paperback edition of Dale Pendell's Pharmako trilogy, an encyclopedic study of the history and uses of psychoactive plants and related synthetics first published between 1995 and 2005. The books form an interrelated suite of works that provide the reader with a unique, reliable, and often personal immersion in this medically, culturally, and spiritually fascinating subject. All three books are beautifully designed and illustrated, and are written with unparalleled authority, erudition, playfulness, and range.
Pharmako/Gnosis: Plant Teachers and the Poison Path includes a new introduction by the author and as in previous editions focuses on plant-based and derivative psychedelic "teachers" (including ayahuasca, peyote, LSD, and DMT) and on the "poison path" of substances such as belladonna, ketamine, and ibogaine. Each substance is explored in detail, not only with information on its history, pharmacology, preparation, and cultural and esoteric correspondences, but also the subtleties of each plant's effect on consciousness in a way that only poets can do.The whole concoction is sprinkled with abundant quotations from famous writers, creating a literary brew as intoxicating as its subject.
The Pharmako series includes the predecessor volumes Pharmako/Poeia (which covers tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, opiates, salvia divinorum, and other substances) and Pharmako/Dynamis (focusing on stimulants and empathogens).
“Essential reading, a modern classic.”
—Stephen Silberman,
Wired magazine
“The poet of plants . . . Pendell may be America’s answer to Blake, Coleridge,
and Wordsworth. . . .”
—Emily Green,
Los Angeles Times “Whereas all other drug encyclopaediaists are accompanied by excessive slyness, the seemingly free verse of Dale Pendell is constrained by compulsive accuracy, to paraphrase Zarathustra’s
Hom Yost, by the (scruples) that drive forth truth.”
—David Flattery, author of
Haoma and Harmaline “A beat alchemist working textual DJ decks.”
—Erik Davis,
Bookforum 
