Food Of The Gods: A Radical History of Plants, Psychedelics and Human Evolution

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I found McKenna’s explanation of sugar (found in a chapter also dealing with coffee, tea and chocolate) to be enlightening. among the things really enjoyed about this book would be the authors mentioning of lesser thought of drugs like coffee, chocolate, sugar, and television. Because psilocybin is a stimulant of the central nervous system, when taken in slightly larger doses, it tends to trigger restlessness and sexual arousal. What could genetic engineering make possible, like combining the positive or mind-altering aspects in one single plant?

This book was my choice and it seems to be the best choice for a beginner of Terence McKenna, as the book 'Food Of The Gods' explains a lot of Terence's theories and ideas.

How do natural substances and all those new food chemicals react with each other, let´s say a dietary mix of natural food with many ingredients, pure industry food with many additives and chemicals and some psychoactive substances out of both categories? The enhanced capacity for cognitive experience made possible by psychedelics is as basic a part of our humanness as is our sexuality. Ritual, isolation, and sensory deprivation are the techniques used by the Archaic shaman seeking to journey in the world of the spirits and ancestors. Thus, at this second level of usage, by increasing instances copulation, the mushrooms directly favored human reproduction.

In fact, part of his argument for the stoned ape theory is based on misrepresentation of one particular study. He ends the book with a manifesto and political blueprint for how to get there, which surprisingly, from my perspective, relies on taxation in large part. Before the brainwashed hippy types that read McKennas books start pointing fingers and condemning me for saying this I've read stuff where even these South American Indian shamans that guide white people through Ayhuasca sessions have said they believe that it effects whites differently than other races. This book goes from primate-substance relationships, through the VERY first recorded religious-substance relationships (they were mushroom worshippers), to modern-day substance relationships. McKenna traces the evolution of humanity's relationship with drugs, according to his own historical understanding, from our early 'archaic' roots, where he posits a polyamorous, tribal, cattle-rearing psychedelic culture, which was supplanted by a more patriarchal, horse-riding, dominator society.It does seem like we can learn something about human psychology and physiology by understanding drugs better, their effects, and their actual dangers. There is very little substantive basis for determining which specific drugs are dangerous and should be outlawed, and which are harmless or even beneficial in certain conditions. In 1906 the Pure Food and Drugs Act was passed; it made Cocaine and Heroin illegal and set the stage for the legally sanctioned suppression of the synthetic and addictive compounds found in the opium poppy and the coca bush. In building a case for the harms of "drugs," he propagates the same kind of misinformation that he decries when government agencies employ it against his preferred substances. It's as if Terence knows his ideas don't hold much water, so he throws in as many slightly related things as possible to make it look like he has a solid theory.

To those who find themselves asking lifes more philosophical questions, think for themselves, have an interest within psychoactive substances, wonder where we come from and challenge the norm then this is a book for you.

His writing style is reminiscent of Tom Robbins, who led me in McKenna’s direction in the first place.

In our culture, private drug taking is viewed as dubious; solitary drug use is viewed as positively morbid; and, indeed, all introspection is seen this way. This book is some 90% right on the money, I'm just not sure about part which correlates availability of psychedelics in an area with evolution of consciousness.

The name evolution might sound like it implies a kind of biological progress, but that's not what it is. a field watch on the eating habits of 'stoned' apes and chimpanzees - these adventures are all a part of ethnobotanist Terence McKenna's extraordinary quest to discover the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.