Book Reviews About Drugs In General

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A Brief History of Drugs:
From the Stone Age to the Stoned Age

A good introduction to drugs and their effect on society. Starting about 3000 BC the book looks at most of the common drugs that have been used for medical, religious and recreational purposes.

Animals and Psychedelics:
The Natural World and the
Instinct to Alter Consciousness

Examines the use of psychedelic substances by animals and insects. Includes baboons, bees, birds, butterflies, caribou, elephants, felines, goats, house flies, koalas, moths, rats, reindeer, slugs, and snails.

The author suggests that the desire to experience altered states of consciousness is a natural drive shared by all living beings. This urge is not confined to humans.

Buzzed:
The Straight Facts About
the Most Used and Abused Drugs
from Alcohol to Ecstasy

An account of various drugs and their effects on the body, brain, and emotions. Also includes info about the addictive potential of the drugs discussed.

Includes alcohol, caffeine, ecstasy, hallucinogens, herbal drugs, inhalants, marijuana, nicotine, opiates, sedatives, steroids, stimulants, etc.

From Chocolate to Morphine:
Everything You Need to Know
About Mind-Altering Drugs

A well written book about the history of drugs and drug use with black and white illustrations throughout. About 3/4 of the book deals with the drugs themselves, the rest is a look at the relationship between people and drugs.

In a way that neither condemns nor condones drug use, the authors describe the likely effects of each drug and discuss precautions and alternatives, allowing readers to make informed and intelligent choices.

Covers a wide range of substances like stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, marijuana, solvents, PCP, ketamine, smart drugs, medical drugs, and more.

Illegal Drugs:
A Complete Guide to Their
History, Chemistry, Use and Abuse

Very good book about the history, sociology, legal and medical aspects of illegal (and some legal) drugs. Looks at all the popular illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc. Also investigates legal drugs like caffeine, alcohol and tobacco. And covers more obscure drugs like betel nuts and kava.

At about 500 (easy to understand) pages, the book contains a lot of text that might overwhelm the casual reader looking for basic info. This is more for someone with a serious interest in the subject or someone doing research.

Phantastica:
A Classic Survey on the
Use and Abuse of Mind-Altering Plants

The first book to bring non-judgmental scientific insights to the use of drugs around the world. Written in 1924, it provides detailed information on opium, cocaine, heroin, cannabis, peyote, alcohol, coffee, tobacco, and many more.

About the Author: Louis Lewin, M.D. (1850-1929) was the author of more than 200 major publications on the subject of pharmacology, including 12 books. He was the first researcher to study peyote with the Native Americans and the first to publish a monograph on kava. He directed a private laboratory in Berlin.

Pharmako

Pharmako is the prefix for a series of books about drugs. It combines historic, poetic, psychological, and scientific aspects of the drugs discussed.

Pharmako Poeia: Looks at alcohol, kava, marijuana, nitrous oxide, opium, salvia, tobacco, and other similar drugs.

Pharmako Dynamis: Looks at amphetamines, betel nut, chocolate, coca, coffee, cola, ecstasy, GHB, khat, tea, and other similar drugs.

Pharmako Gnosis: Looks at amanita muscaria, ayahuasca, DMT, ketamine, mescal bean, mescaline, morning glory, psilocybe mushrooms, the tryptamine family, and other similar drugs.

Pharmacotheon:
Entheogenic Drugs Their Plant Sources and Histories

Entheogenics are hallucinogenic drugs used in a religious or shamanic context. This book explorers just about all aspects of plants that early humans used for shamanic purposes.

A very good book for those with an advanced interest in entheogenic drugs. The author includes results of several self-experiments and offers an opinion on the issue of entheogenic use.

PIHKAL:
A Chemical Love Story

The first part of this 1000 page book contains autobiographical accounts of the authors life history and experiments with psychoactive drugs.

The second half is about synthesis, effects, dosages, etc of hundreds of compounds in the phenethylamine family (mescaline, ecstasy, DOM, etc). Get this if you have any interest in the synthesis or effects of nearly any mind expanding phenethylamine drug.

Plants of the Gods:
Their Sacred, Healing and Hallucinogenic Powers

Comprehensive reference work about psychoactive plants. Lists the plant's common name, botanical name, historical ethnography, purpose of use, preparation, chemical composition, and effects. Includes color and black and white photographs, illustrations, and paintings, a bibliography and index.

Plant species discussed include the Fly Agaric mushroom, Atropa (Deadly Nightshade), Yellow and Black Henbane, Mandrake, Cannabis, Ergot, Datura, Iboga, Yopo beans, Ayahuasca, Yage, Brugmansia, Peyote, San Pedro cactus, Morning Glory, Magic Mushrooms and more.

Psychedelics Encyclopedia

Draws from scientific research, personal accounts, and popular literature to document the properties attributed to psychedelic substances, their preparation and use, and the shifting social attitudes toward them over the past half-century.

Featured are the LSD family, marijuana, peyote, mescaline, mushrooms, MDA, yage, harmaline, ibogaine, DMT, DET, DPT, nootropics, and other psychoactive substances. Over 200 illustrations (black and white).

Shamanism And Tantra In The Himalayas

Primarily about shamanism and various plants used for spiritual and medical purposes in the countries (Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Tibet) that surround the Himalayan mountain range in Asia. Not a lot of info about tantra.

Easy to understand text with hundreds of color photos. Several dozen black and white illustrations. Besides pictures of the plants and people being discussed, the book includes some full page (color) images of Hindu and Buddhist artwork. Beautiful book over 300 pages.

The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants:
Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications

Very nice book and considering the subject matter, it's easy to understand. The botany, history, distribution, cultivation, preparation and dosage of more than 400 psychoactive plants. Over 900 pages with hundreds of black and white illustrations and full color photographs.

Information about almost every plant that has been used for medical, spiritual, or recreational purposes. Includes all the common and most of the less common plant drugs. This is the most thorough plant drug encyclopedia available at the present time.

The Encyclopaedia of Psychoactive Substances

Explores over 100 drugs, plants, and animals capable of altering mood and thought. Did you know there are species of hallucinogenic fish? That ants have been used in vision quests? That barbiturates were named for St. Barbara?

Not technical enough to bore the average reader, the book pulls together little-known facts from a variety of literature and produces cohesive, well-documented entries equally well suited to the student and the lay person interested in the subject.

The Little Box of Drugs:
Unbiased and Unadulterated
Commentary on the Drugs Debate

Very interesting collection of books at a reasonable price. There are four books included in this box set. One book about each of the following subjects cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and heroin. Each book contains about 200 pages and measures 5x7 inches.

The books explore the history of the drugs discussed as well as the role they play in modern society. Information is well presented and honest. This is not propaganda and is recommended for those interested in the subjects or someone doing a school project.

The Natural Mind:
An Investigation of Drugs and the Higher Consciousness

Interesting book, by Dr. Andrew Weil, about the inner workings of the mind and the effect drugs have. Easy to understand, it follows the authors own use of substances, and medical research to gain insight into higher consciousness.

Includes information about alcohol, marijuana, hashish, cocaine, DMT, heroin, LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, speed, and other substances.

TIHKAL:
The Continuation

The continuation of PIHKAL, with new age overtones. The first part is, again, about the lives of the authors. The second part is about tryptamine derivatives, their structural chemistry, synthesis and their effects on very willing human volunteers.

If you are interested in this book, get PIHKAL first, if you still have questions after reading it consider this book.

Trips:
How Hallucinogens Work in Your Brain

Sounds like it would be a boring technical book, but it is very entertaining and informative at the same time. Explore what hasn't been told about the brain's mysterious ability to hallucinate.

Details what neuroscientists, psycho pharmacologists, medicinal chemists, and psychiatrists have learned about LSD and its effects on the brain in the 54 years since its discovery. 132 illustrations, 32 in color (By Robert Crumb).

Understanding Medications:
What the Label Doesn't Tell You

A very interesting and easy to understand history and mode of action book about most major drugs, including digitalis, aspirin, sulfanilamide, LSD, marijuana, and other drugs, both legal and illegal.

Explores the economical, ethical, and medical factors of drugs. Discusses the action of hormones, vitamins, enzymes, and other bio-catalysts.

Provides the reader with information on drugs in a clear and understandable manner. Valuable reading for anyone interested in the history, uses, and action of medications.

Witchcraft Medicine

Looks at the history of witchcraft and various herbs that have been used by witches for medical and shamanic purposes. Contains dozens of black and white images with over 20 pages of color photos.

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