Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge a Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution

“”Deserves to be the modern classic on mind-altering drugs and hallucinogens.””- The Washington Post Ethnobotanist Terence Mckenna, hailed by Tom Robbins as “”the most important-and most entertaining-visionary scholar in America,”” explores humanity’s symbiotic relationship withspirits, tobacco, marijuana, opium,psilocybin,and more, from prehistoric times to today. Why, as a species, are humans so fascinated by altered states of consciousness? Can altered states reveal something to us about our origins and our place in nature? In Food of the Gods , Terence McKenna’s research on man’s ancient relationship with chemicals opens a doorway to the divine, and perhaps a solution for saving our troubled world. McKenna provides a revisionist look at the historical role of drugs in the East and the West, from ancient spice, sugar, and rum trades to marijuana, cocaine, synthetics, and even television-illustrating the human desire for the “”food of the gods”” and the powerful potential to replace abuse of illegal drugs with a shamanic understanding, insistence on community, reverence for nature, and increased self-awareness. —- ISBN: 9780553371307 | ISBN10: 0553371304 | ISBN-13: 978-0553371307