Mescaline - BookWyrm

Paperback, 312 pages

English language

Published June 21, 2021 by Yale University Press.

ISBN:: 978-0-300-25750-2

(1 review)

A definitive history of mescaline that explores its mind-altering effects across cultures, from ancient America to Western modernity Mescaline became a popular sensation in the mid-twentieth century through Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception, after which the word "psychedelic" was coined to describe it.

Its story, however, extends deep into prehistory: the earliest Andean cultures depicted mescaline-containing cacti in their temples. Mescaline was isolated in 1897 from the peyote cactus, first encountered by Europeans during the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

During the twentieth century it was used by psychologists investigating the secrets of consciousness, spiritual seekers from Aleister Crowley to the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, artists exploring the creative process, and psychiatrists looking to cure schizophrenia.

Meanwhile peyote played a vital role in preserving and shaping Native American identity.

Drawing on botany, pharmacology, ethnography, and the mind sciences and examining the mescaline experiences of …

A definitive history of mescaline that explores its mind-altering effects across cultures, from ancient America to Western modernity Mescaline became a popular sensation in the mid-twentieth century through Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception, after which the word "psychedelic" was coined to describe it.

Its story, however, extends deep into prehistory: the earliest Andean cultures depicted mescaline-containing cacti in their temples. Mescaline was isolated in 1897 from the peyote cactus, first encountered by Europeans during the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

During the twentieth century it was used by psychologists investigating the secrets of consciousness, spiritual seekers from Aleister Crowley to the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, artists exploring the creative process, and psychiatrists looking to cure schizophrenia.

Meanwhile peyote played a vital role in preserving and shaping Native American identity.

Drawing on botany, pharmacology, ethnography, and the mind sciences and examining the mescaline experiences of figures from William James to Walter Benjamin to Hunter S. Thompson, this is an enthralling narrative of mescaline's many lives.

1 edition

B 🌻 A B reviewed Mescaline by Mike Jay

Everything you ever wanted to know about mescaline but were afraid to ask

4 stars

Having read a few books on psychedelics recently, I did wonder just how much new information this book would contain, lots, as it turned out. While it touches on some of the same bits as say, This Is Your Mind On Plants by Michael Pollan, it goes far, far deeper into the the history and origins of mescaline usage. While Pollan, especially in the Netflix TV show, comes to conclusion that we should leave mescaline via Peyote to the indigenous populations, Jay doesn't really make any similar statement, leaving it up to the reader to decide. A fascinating book.

Subjects

Social & cultural history
Drug & substance abuse: social aspects
Indigenous peoples
Drug-induced states
Complementary therapies, healing & health