Pharmako/Gnosis Plant Teachers and the Poison Path

Contemporary alchemist Dale Pendell completes his poetic study of botany, chemistry, spirituality, psychology and history in a volume covering the composition and uses of visionary plants. Chapters including Phantastica, Hypnotica and Telephorica explore the hallucinogenic plants, the bringers of sleep and the bearers of distance. Pharmacognosis is the branch of pharmacology that deals with herbs and unprepared medicines in their natural state, those whose cure is held in a deeper wisdom. Pharmako/Gnosis weaves together ancient shamanic rites, historic cultural lore and the contemporary use of plant poisons. "Pendell's ongoing subjects are the botanical 'allies' humans have always associated with, and the 'pharmakon,' the drug that is both poison and cure. A poet, ethnobotanist and amateur chemist, he's the best writer on drugs to come along since the late Terence McKenna." -Richard Gehr, The Village Voice "There is genius to Pendell's approach, an erudite playfulness and poetic virtuosity unmatched by anyone writing about plants and drugs today. Pendell's books present a Pandora's box, and once opened, the steadfast and curious reader will soon find herself on the path."-Sarah Fox, Rain Taxi Dale Pendell is a poet, software engineer and long-time student of ethnobotany. His poetry has appeared in many journals, and he was the founding editor of KUKSU: Journal of Backcountry Writing. In addition, his work appeared in Entheogens and the Future of Religion, edited by Robert Forte. He has led workshops on ethnobotany and ethnopoetics for the Naropa Institute and the Botanical Preservation Corps. He lives in the Sierra foothills in California.Pendell, Dale is the author of 'Pharmako/Gnosis Plant Teachers and the Poison Path', published 2004 under ISBN 9781562791292 and ISBN 156279129X.