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Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest
The fascinating account of a pioneering ethnobotanist’s travels in the Amazon—at once a gripping adventure story, a passionate argument for conservationism, and an investigation into the healing power of plants, by the author of The What Everyone Needs to Know
For thousands of years, healers have used plants to cure illness. Aspirin, the world's most widely used drug, is based on compounds originally extracted from the bark of a willow tree, and more than a quarter of medicines found on pharmacy shelves contain plant compounds. Now Western medicine, faced with health crises such as AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer, has begun to look to the healing plants used by indigenous peoples to develop powerful new medicines. Nowhere is the search more promising than in the Amazon, the world's largest tropical forest, home to a quarter of all botanical species on this planet—as well as hundreds of Indian tribes whose medicinal plants have never been studied by Western scientists. In Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice , ethnobotanist Mark J. Plotkin recounts his travels and studies with some of the most powerful Amazonian shamans, who taught him the plant lore their tribes have spent thousands of years gleaning from the rain forest.
For more than a decade, Dr. Plotkin raced against time to harvest and record new plants before the rain forests' fragile ecosystems succumb to overdevelopment—and before the Indians abandon their own culture and learning for the seductive appeal of Western material culture. Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice relates nine of the author's quests, taking the reader along on a wild odyssey as he participates in healing rituals; discovers the secret of curare, the lethal arrow poison that kills in minutes; tries the hallucinogenic snuff epena that enables the Indians to speak with their spirit world; and earns the respect and fellowship of the mysterious shamans as he proves that he shares both their endurance and their reverence for the rain forest.
For thousands of years, healers have used plants to cure illness. Aspirin, the world's most widely used drug, is based on compounds originally extracted from the bark of a willow tree, and more than a quarter of medicines found on pharmacy shelves contain plant compounds. Now Western medicine, faced with health crises such as AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer, has begun to look to the healing plants used by indigenous peoples to develop powerful new medicines. Nowhere is the search more promising than in the Amazon, the world's largest tropical forest, home to a quarter of all botanical species on this planet—as well as hundreds of Indian tribes whose medicinal plants have never been studied by Western scientists. In Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice , ethnobotanist Mark J. Plotkin recounts his travels and studies with some of the most powerful Amazonian shamans, who taught him the plant lore their tribes have spent thousands of years gleaning from the rain forest.
For more than a decade, Dr. Plotkin raced against time to harvest and record new plants before the rain forests' fragile ecosystems succumb to overdevelopment—and before the Indians abandon their own culture and learning for the seductive appeal of Western material culture. Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice relates nine of the author's quests, taking the reader along on a wild odyssey as he participates in healing rituals; discovers the secret of curare, the lethal arrow poison that kills in minutes; tries the hallucinogenic snuff epena that enables the Indians to speak with their spirit world; and earns the respect and fellowship of the mysterious shamans as he proves that he shares both their endurance and their reverence for the rain forest.
328 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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August 18, 2017
I live in the Brazilian Amazon where I am daily confronted by its mysteries. God has definitely left His signature creativity in this unique part of the world and I am curious to learn all I can.
Ironically it is difficult to find books here in Brazil about the rain forest. Portuguese books are very expensive and go out of print quickly so that makes it tough to get information. For this reason, I was eager to get a hold of Plotkin’s book and discover more about the place I call home. The writer helped to increase my wonder as he wrote in great detail about the fascinating flora, fauna and tribes who live here. I loved that part. But as an ethnobotanist he studies also how culture and plants affect each other so I found myself disagreeing with many of his viewpoints.
Plotkin considers in this book the influences that impact tribal cultures. Any change that comes is destructive to what he perceives should never change. Change agents come in various forms such as gold diggers, government workers and missionaries. He found in the church and missionaries a target he never tired of hitting, over and over again. Anyone who reads this book will certainly come away thinking missionaries are “bad people”. Those were his actual words.
Also, he falls prey to another popular rhetoric about the disappearing rain forest, which is “nearly extinct”. His words too. People who read this book from the comfort of their modern homes, in faraway places, begin to imagine something that is not true. The rainforest, in Brazil anyway, is nowhere near extinction and is rigidly protected. The so-called facts about deforestation have been used to create panic and money-making schemes. My Brazilian friends are often perplexed by the attitude of outsiders who want to barge in and control their country. Brazilians actually think that we Americans must have destroyed all of our forests so we must now come and control theirs.
And I guess that is what bothered me a great deal in this book. It was fine for Plotkin to live in his own modern world but resented it when the Indians he worked with wanted to become more modern. Plotkin was heartbroken when he saw Indians wear clothes and use aluminum roofs. When one of his guides asked to borrow a shirt Plotkin abruptly questioned why. It turns out that the bugs are pretty bad in some parts of the jungle and a shirt really helps. He resented it when Indians, who have a spiritual nature, chose to believe in God, and not remain dominated by the fear of evil spirits. He credited any conversion to manipulation by missionaries and/or material benefits that would come. Of course, he himself is free to choose his religion, of whatever kind, but for some reason they can’t. He resented it when the missionaries gathered several tribes in one place, not realizing the protection this could give to vulnerable tribes. There must have been some benefit for the tribes as well since they stayed. They didn’t have to. There was a subtle nuance, where he respected their higher knowledge of the rain forest but did not think them capable or even wise to make other changes into their lives. When he returned after a long absence he found his jungle companion wearing all western clothes. His friend was hurt at Plotkin’s negative reaction. Somehow Plotkin, the all-knowing Westerner, thinks he knows best what should happen to these people. Oddly enough with the bringing together of several tribes in one village his research was helped immensely. He could easily consult various tribes about the same plant without an airplane journey.
I have read that once some of the Yanomamo tribes began to believe in the gospel they stopped living in fear and in constant war. They were free to settle down in one place, without being on the move constantly, either to escape evil spirits or avenging warriors. Surprisingly enough they could then preserve their culture and their tribe. The constant war and suicide deaths had been lessening their numbers. Those untimely deaths had stopped with the coming of the gospel.
It seemed at first the author, who has clearly not kept his own roots of Judaism, (but everyone else should keep their ancient tribal religions), dismissed the supernatural element in the use of medicinal plants. Shamans seemed to be more doctor than witch. But when the author got some close-up glimpses with inexplicable happenings it scared him profoundly. I am glad that he could acknowledge it and did not explain it away, as he did in the beginning. He put most supernatural experiences down to the use of hallucinogenic plants but when he had a real experience with a healing ceremony he thought differently and became truly frightened.
And I must say that this was a good characteristic about the author. He did share his errors in judgment about people and situations, and learned from those. But unfortunately, others weren’t allowed that same grace. Only his motives were good. I wondered if he was aware of the fact that the coming of the missionaries prepared the way for him? Not only were the tribes people somewhat used to foreigners and didn't kill him outright, but they also had a language in print. In the end Plotkin could make a faithful record of the tribe’s medicinal history in their language only because the missionaries had labored for years to provide that written language. He mocked that the tribe only had one book in their language, the Bible. But before then they had NOTHING; no way to record histories or stories at all. And now they can have this book of his written and preserved because of that Bible. Contrary to popular belief most missionaries work hard to preserve culture.
I applaud Plotkin’s amazing work because whether we like it or not cultures are changing and this intricate knowledge of the treasures of the forest can be lost forever. His work in preserving these marvels is magnificent. I hope for him all the best.
Ironically it is difficult to find books here in Brazil about the rain forest. Portuguese books are very expensive and go out of print quickly so that makes it tough to get information. For this reason, I was eager to get a hold of Plotkin’s book and discover more about the place I call home. The writer helped to increase my wonder as he wrote in great detail about the fascinating flora, fauna and tribes who live here. I loved that part. But as an ethnobotanist he studies also how culture and plants affect each other so I found myself disagreeing with many of his viewpoints.
Plotkin considers in this book the influences that impact tribal cultures. Any change that comes is destructive to what he perceives should never change. Change agents come in various forms such as gold diggers, government workers and missionaries. He found in the church and missionaries a target he never tired of hitting, over and over again. Anyone who reads this book will certainly come away thinking missionaries are “bad people”. Those were his actual words.
Also, he falls prey to another popular rhetoric about the disappearing rain forest, which is “nearly extinct”. His words too. People who read this book from the comfort of their modern homes, in faraway places, begin to imagine something that is not true. The rainforest, in Brazil anyway, is nowhere near extinction and is rigidly protected. The so-called facts about deforestation have been used to create panic and money-making schemes. My Brazilian friends are often perplexed by the attitude of outsiders who want to barge in and control their country. Brazilians actually think that we Americans must have destroyed all of our forests so we must now come and control theirs.
And I guess that is what bothered me a great deal in this book. It was fine for Plotkin to live in his own modern world but resented it when the Indians he worked with wanted to become more modern. Plotkin was heartbroken when he saw Indians wear clothes and use aluminum roofs. When one of his guides asked to borrow a shirt Plotkin abruptly questioned why. It turns out that the bugs are pretty bad in some parts of the jungle and a shirt really helps. He resented it when Indians, who have a spiritual nature, chose to believe in God, and not remain dominated by the fear of evil spirits. He credited any conversion to manipulation by missionaries and/or material benefits that would come. Of course, he himself is free to choose his religion, of whatever kind, but for some reason they can’t. He resented it when the missionaries gathered several tribes in one place, not realizing the protection this could give to vulnerable tribes. There must have been some benefit for the tribes as well since they stayed. They didn’t have to. There was a subtle nuance, where he respected their higher knowledge of the rain forest but did not think them capable or even wise to make other changes into their lives. When he returned after a long absence he found his jungle companion wearing all western clothes. His friend was hurt at Plotkin’s negative reaction. Somehow Plotkin, the all-knowing Westerner, thinks he knows best what should happen to these people. Oddly enough with the bringing together of several tribes in one village his research was helped immensely. He could easily consult various tribes about the same plant without an airplane journey.
I have read that once some of the Yanomamo tribes began to believe in the gospel they stopped living in fear and in constant war. They were free to settle down in one place, without being on the move constantly, either to escape evil spirits or avenging warriors. Surprisingly enough they could then preserve their culture and their tribe. The constant war and suicide deaths had been lessening their numbers. Those untimely deaths had stopped with the coming of the gospel.
It seemed at first the author, who has clearly not kept his own roots of Judaism, (but everyone else should keep their ancient tribal religions), dismissed the supernatural element in the use of medicinal plants. Shamans seemed to be more doctor than witch. But when the author got some close-up glimpses with inexplicable happenings it scared him profoundly. I am glad that he could acknowledge it and did not explain it away, as he did in the beginning. He put most supernatural experiences down to the use of hallucinogenic plants but when he had a real experience with a healing ceremony he thought differently and became truly frightened.
And I must say that this was a good characteristic about the author. He did share his errors in judgment about people and situations, and learned from those. But unfortunately, others weren’t allowed that same grace. Only his motives were good. I wondered if he was aware of the fact that the coming of the missionaries prepared the way for him? Not only were the tribes people somewhat used to foreigners and didn't kill him outright, but they also had a language in print. In the end Plotkin could make a faithful record of the tribe’s medicinal history in their language only because the missionaries had labored for years to provide that written language. He mocked that the tribe only had one book in their language, the Bible. But before then they had NOTHING; no way to record histories or stories at all. And now they can have this book of his written and preserved because of that Bible. Contrary to popular belief most missionaries work hard to preserve culture.
I applaud Plotkin’s amazing work because whether we like it or not cultures are changing and this intricate knowledge of the treasures of the forest can be lost forever. His work in preserving these marvels is magnificent. I hope for him all the best.
November 16, 2012
This book literally changed my life. It inspired me to write my thesis on Rainforest Deforestation.
A rare look into a culture most of us will never have the opportunity to see first hand. Unfortunately it may no longer exist anyway.
It's a sobering tale but one told with compassion and a rare insight. I cannot recommend this book enough and have many times over the years.
A rare look into a culture most of us will never have the opportunity to see first hand. Unfortunately it may no longer exist anyway.
It's a sobering tale but one told with compassion and a rare insight. I cannot recommend this book enough and have many times over the years.
March 23, 2013
The Shaman's Apprentice is a light, non-fiction, science read. It's written in short chapters, that, while being interrelated, can act as nice self-contained interludes. Each chronicles some scientific research trip into the Amazon by our scientist main character. I interspersed chapters of this with chapters of Michener's The Source until I found myself about reading The Shaman's Apprentice full time.
The book is a series of recollections of a young scientist, who, having taken a course at Harvard in how native amazon tribes use plants for medicine, decides to make that study his life's work. So having never been to the jungle before, he goes to the amazon to seek out witch doctors (or, shamans) and learn their secrets.
Mayhem ensues...
Well, not so much mayhem, but various encounters with gross parasites, vampire bats, electric eels, stubborn secretive Shaman, missionaries, colorful native traditions. A couple of stories that I thought were particularly interesting:
He related a story told to him by an older missionary who was with the first outsiders that had encountered a particular tribe. Among the tribal legends was a tale of walking across a frozen area, and having to wear animal skins to stay warm. The missionary was convinced that what he was hearing was the living tribal memory of crossing the Bering Sea 20,000 years ago. (Because nobody living in the tribe wore clothes or had ever encountered frost).
He related the humorous frustration of getting anywhere with the natives in a timely fashion. Where you or I would go from point A to B in the shortest possible way, the natives typically...detour to pass by a fruiting tree that attracts toucans, to avoid a rock shaped like a face, that is thought to harbor evil spirits, or to take advantage of a lovely waterfall to bathe in.
Overall, a good book, but it's not without its nits for me to pick....
First, he's visiting these places in the late 70's and into the 80's. So, literally, the native culture is disappearing faster than he can study it. Which is essentially his mission: to document their culture before it's lost. But he tends to get kind of preachy. Which would be OK, if he were going to be preachy about the things I'm preachy about.... i.e. he doesn't seem bothered at all about the fact that the natives he loves are busy either eating or capturing and selling all the endangered species I travel to rainforest to try to desperately get a glimpse of through binoculars!
Second, as all of the chapters follow the same model: recounting the experience of a field work visit to a tribe, they tend to get a repetitive vibe. Scientist visits tribe; shaman is wary and reluctant to teach scientist; scientist gets gross parasite; scientist ingratiates his way into their heart; shaman teaches scientist basic stuff; scientist must return next year to learn truth of secret potion; upon return, they've given up their native ways in favor of shotguns and Hawaiian shirts.
Still, a fun read, which ends with positive lessons.
Mr Yuk Alert: page 176 features things involving a toe nail that you don't want to know about and can never be erased from your mind once read.
The book is a series of recollections of a young scientist, who, having taken a course at Harvard in how native amazon tribes use plants for medicine, decides to make that study his life's work. So having never been to the jungle before, he goes to the amazon to seek out witch doctors (or, shamans) and learn their secrets.
Mayhem ensues...
Well, not so much mayhem, but various encounters with gross parasites, vampire bats, electric eels, stubborn secretive Shaman, missionaries, colorful native traditions. A couple of stories that I thought were particularly interesting:
He related a story told to him by an older missionary who was with the first outsiders that had encountered a particular tribe. Among the tribal legends was a tale of walking across a frozen area, and having to wear animal skins to stay warm. The missionary was convinced that what he was hearing was the living tribal memory of crossing the Bering Sea 20,000 years ago. (Because nobody living in the tribe wore clothes or had ever encountered frost).
He related the humorous frustration of getting anywhere with the natives in a timely fashion. Where you or I would go from point A to B in the shortest possible way, the natives typically...detour to pass by a fruiting tree that attracts toucans, to avoid a rock shaped like a face, that is thought to harbor evil spirits, or to take advantage of a lovely waterfall to bathe in.
Overall, a good book, but it's not without its nits for me to pick....
First, he's visiting these places in the late 70's and into the 80's. So, literally, the native culture is disappearing faster than he can study it. Which is essentially his mission: to document their culture before it's lost. But he tends to get kind of preachy. Which would be OK, if he were going to be preachy about the things I'm preachy about.... i.e. he doesn't seem bothered at all about the fact that the natives he loves are busy either eating or capturing and selling all the endangered species I travel to rainforest to try to desperately get a glimpse of through binoculars!
Second, as all of the chapters follow the same model: recounting the experience of a field work visit to a tribe, they tend to get a repetitive vibe. Scientist visits tribe; shaman is wary and reluctant to teach scientist; scientist gets gross parasite; scientist ingratiates his way into their heart; shaman teaches scientist basic stuff; scientist must return next year to learn truth of secret potion; upon return, they've given up their native ways in favor of shotguns and Hawaiian shirts.
Still, a fun read, which ends with positive lessons.
Mr Yuk Alert: page 176 features things involving a toe nail that you don't want to know about and can never be erased from your mind once read.
August 17, 2019
The evidence is conclusive: humankind despoils the landscape.
We remove the forest and replace it with pasture land, or mono-culture, or air-strips, or villages, town, cities, and industrial wasteland.
When we take away the tropics jungle we take with it the diversity of plant and wildlife, indigenous homelands, and millennia of knowledge about the way the land actually works.
I couldn’t read Mark Plotkin’s 1993 book about his time among the indigenous peoples of Surinam and northern Brazil without a lump in my throat knowing that by now, most of what he saw is gone forever. It is simply heartbreaking.
I am sitting here nursing tendonitis in my elbow reading about his own elbow troubles and submitting to a native shaman to remove his pain, which he does and I am wondering: where can you get a shaman when you really need one?
In these tropical jungles Plotkin finds the most amazing mixture of terror and beauty. From the large predators, including jaguar and giant anteater, to the microbial predators: skin digging larvae. Sandflies carrying the deadly leishmaniasis. Man eating crocodiles. Deadly mosquitoes. Parasites. And on and on.
Then the beautiful birds, and plants, the waterfalls and jungle canope.
And who owns what: the national governments? The aboriginals? Mankind. Who owns the future discoveries or medicines pioneered by indigenous doctors?
Who should pay for killing languages and cultures and way-of-life when civilization intrudes on people in their natural habitat?
So many awful questions to ask about what “progress” has done to this planet and its peoples without needing to become romantic about life in the bush.
Although, while i was reading Plotkin’s account of tribal medicinal rituals I couldn’t help but compare it with the rituals we have replaced them with: the annual trip to the family doctor; the bland waiting room; the white lab coats; the medical records, now on HP tablets and the doctor cursing about how damn slow the software is; the physical exams. Eyes. Nose. Throat. Joints. Rectum. The lifting of the genitals.
“Say AHHHHH!!!!”
But the jungles are more even than the Indians. In South America there is the detritus of the colonial period. Patois and the descendents of black slaves. Prostitution and poverty in the city slums. Dutch and French, Spanish and Portuguese languages intermingled. Poor Brazilians lured to the jungle for a new life. And Missionaries. And soldiers. Venereal disease. Garbage. And the smell of gasoline wafting through the air.
We remove the forest and replace it with pasture land, or mono-culture, or air-strips, or villages, town, cities, and industrial wasteland.
When we take away the tropics jungle we take with it the diversity of plant and wildlife, indigenous homelands, and millennia of knowledge about the way the land actually works.
I couldn’t read Mark Plotkin’s 1993 book about his time among the indigenous peoples of Surinam and northern Brazil without a lump in my throat knowing that by now, most of what he saw is gone forever. It is simply heartbreaking.
I am sitting here nursing tendonitis in my elbow reading about his own elbow troubles and submitting to a native shaman to remove his pain, which he does and I am wondering: where can you get a shaman when you really need one?
In these tropical jungles Plotkin finds the most amazing mixture of terror and beauty. From the large predators, including jaguar and giant anteater, to the microbial predators: skin digging larvae. Sandflies carrying the deadly leishmaniasis. Man eating crocodiles. Deadly mosquitoes. Parasites. And on and on.
Then the beautiful birds, and plants, the waterfalls and jungle canope.
And who owns what: the national governments? The aboriginals? Mankind. Who owns the future discoveries or medicines pioneered by indigenous doctors?
Who should pay for killing languages and cultures and way-of-life when civilization intrudes on people in their natural habitat?
So many awful questions to ask about what “progress” has done to this planet and its peoples without needing to become romantic about life in the bush.
Although, while i was reading Plotkin’s account of tribal medicinal rituals I couldn’t help but compare it with the rituals we have replaced them with: the annual trip to the family doctor; the bland waiting room; the white lab coats; the medical records, now on HP tablets and the doctor cursing about how damn slow the software is; the physical exams. Eyes. Nose. Throat. Joints. Rectum. The lifting of the genitals.
“Say AHHHHH!!!!”
But the jungles are more even than the Indians. In South America there is the detritus of the colonial period. Patois and the descendents of black slaves. Prostitution and poverty in the city slums. Dutch and French, Spanish and Portuguese languages intermingled. Poor Brazilians lured to the jungle for a new life. And Missionaries. And soldiers. Venereal disease. Garbage. And the smell of gasoline wafting through the air.
May 24, 2022
This book would have totally beeen a 5 star but there’s just some bits (likely due to the time it was written) that i was a bit 👁👄👁. HOWEVER that being said learning about ethnic-botany was such an exciting journey for me. i don’t know why but it feels like the convergence of lots of things i like and hearing at the end about the ways he was actively working to decentralize power structures and $$$ value/capitalism was v v inspiring
June 28, 2008
This is the kind of book I wind up buying multiple copies of and passing out to friends and family because they strike me as so important to share.
While the story itself and various knowledge bits about rain forests are engaging in and of themselves, what I really love about this read is the compassion with which the author, ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin, writes about the indigenous peoples he stays with while researching the social, spiritual, and medicinal uses of plants in South America. (This is the same reason I enjoyed Mike Rose's "Possible Lives" -- Rose writes about the humanity and potential of so many people I would have known nothing of during my school years). Authors who get me to care so much about what happens to the people they are writing about that I gasp out loud in dismay if something bad happens -- those authors get top marks from me.
Something I didn't know prior to reading this: once rain forest is destroyed, it apparently cannot grow back. I never knew rain forests were built on sandy, nutrient-poor ground (I did know that nutrients cycle around in the canopy, but I also assumed rain forests had black, loamy, nutrient-rich earth nourishing them from below - nope). I wish Plotkin had described, however briefly, how a rain forest comes to be in the first place if this is true, but just that little blip of a fact was enough to stop me in my tracks and make the plight of the rain forests of far greater urgency to me.
This is an important read on so many levels -- grab a copy or two, delve in, pass along!
While the story itself and various knowledge bits about rain forests are engaging in and of themselves, what I really love about this read is the compassion with which the author, ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin, writes about the indigenous peoples he stays with while researching the social, spiritual, and medicinal uses of plants in South America. (This is the same reason I enjoyed Mike Rose's "Possible Lives" -- Rose writes about the humanity and potential of so many people I would have known nothing of during my school years). Authors who get me to care so much about what happens to the people they are writing about that I gasp out loud in dismay if something bad happens -- those authors get top marks from me.
Something I didn't know prior to reading this: once rain forest is destroyed, it apparently cannot grow back. I never knew rain forests were built on sandy, nutrient-poor ground (I did know that nutrients cycle around in the canopy, but I also assumed rain forests had black, loamy, nutrient-rich earth nourishing them from below - nope). I wish Plotkin had described, however briefly, how a rain forest comes to be in the first place if this is true, but just that little blip of a fact was enough to stop me in my tracks and make the plight of the rain forests of far greater urgency to me.
This is an important read on so many levels -- grab a copy or two, delve in, pass along!
October 20, 2023
This was So interesting, I probably would never have read this if not for my class but I'm really glad I did
April 19, 2020
When a Westerner looks at the jungle, he sees green—herbs, vines, shrubs, trees. When an Indian looks at the jungle, he sees the basics of life—food, medicines, and raw materials from which to build shelters, weave hammocks, and carve a hunting bow. But life among the Indians is changing. Those seeking to “help” the Indians, to educate them in the ways of Western civilization, have succeeded in shattering a culture that has thrived in the interior reaches of the Amazon basin for tens of thousands of years.
January 6, 2018
Favorite book
I am not a science gal but this book changed my life. That's all. I just wanted to give it 5 stars but now it's making me comment. Okay I hit enough words have a good day
I am not a science gal but this book changed my life. That's all. I just wanted to give it 5 stars but now it's making me comment. Okay I hit enough words have a good day
December 11, 2015
This was an amusing and informative read. The author, from Harvard, begins with his first journey to South America with one of his professors. He immediately became fascinated with the intimate knowledge the tribal shamans and wise-men in the remote villages, and decided to focus his studies on learning about them, and preserving their knowledge as the tribes diminish with the increasing inclusion of missionaries and exposure to foreign cultures and peoples. As with many authors who write books like this, he sometimes goes off on educational tangents about the irrelevant history or experiences of people relevant to his South American studies (if that makes sense). Unlike a lot of memoirs/journals of this nature, he does not spend his time talking about his experiences with hallucinogenic drugs, but rather of his day-to-day experiences, relationships (platonic), and observations about the tribal world from an ethnobotanical and social perspective. I can't recommend it enough for those of you who like books like this.
October 11, 2015
Before I started this book I wondered if an entire book on ethnobotany would hold my interest - after all, I'm only mildly interested in plants. I worried that it might be a boring list of how people use them. Boy, was I wrong! The author obviously does talk about plants and their medicinal properties, but it's always in the context of a story about the people of the northern Amazon. He lived with and got to know the people as individuals, and in their cultural context and does a great job of describing them for a "western" reader. I'm glad I chose this as my Suriname book.
July 25, 2007
A fascinating look into South American native traditions of sorcery, hallucinogenics, and mystery. Plotkin creates an ethos for doing research while promoting local cultures and allowing them to reap the benefits of western consumption.
February 22, 2016
Even though I read this for an Anthropology class I loved it because I like learning about plants and what plants can be used for.
November 25, 2022
A compelling argument for the preservation of rainforests and the natives’ accumulated wisdom about medicinal plants, but at the same a sad account of cultural disintegration and extinction.
One quote from Plotkin that stands out to me was, “over the course of my research, there has never been a shortage of incidents, apparitions, dreams, and coincidences impossible to explain through the prism of Western science.” He’s right—and we really don’t give enough credit to the alternate realities and stories of non-Western cultures. The thousands of years of accumulated botanical wisdom of native South American tribes is layered and powerful (eg, periwinkle flower to cure diabetes, curare as a anesthetic + peppers added to make its absorption quicker, the list goes on).
But since these tribes often explain things in a spiritual, story-like manner with evil spirits and the like, we stigmatize Shamans as witches, not the incredible (though untraditional by Western standards) chemists and doctors they are. Sure, it’s possible some of the talk of evil spirits is not “true” or useful in a medicinal lens, but there is obviously more to be learned from native tribes’ medicine and science than what we give them credit for.
Plotkin does a good job at opening the reader’s eyes to the above and more, but it was a bit repetitive and the writing was unbearably cheesy at points (like “looking down as I flew off an hour later, I thought I caught a glimpse of him as he hiked deeper into the forest”…. come on now).
One quote from Plotkin that stands out to me was, “over the course of my research, there has never been a shortage of incidents, apparitions, dreams, and coincidences impossible to explain through the prism of Western science.” He’s right—and we really don’t give enough credit to the alternate realities and stories of non-Western cultures. The thousands of years of accumulated botanical wisdom of native South American tribes is layered and powerful (eg, periwinkle flower to cure diabetes, curare as a anesthetic + peppers added to make its absorption quicker, the list goes on).
But since these tribes often explain things in a spiritual, story-like manner with evil spirits and the like, we stigmatize Shamans as witches, not the incredible (though untraditional by Western standards) chemists and doctors they are. Sure, it’s possible some of the talk of evil spirits is not “true” or useful in a medicinal lens, but there is obviously more to be learned from native tribes’ medicine and science than what we give them credit for.
Plotkin does a good job at opening the reader’s eyes to the above and more, but it was a bit repetitive and the writing was unbearably cheesy at points (like “looking down as I flew off an hour later, I thought I caught a glimpse of him as he hiked deeper into the forest”…. come on now).
Read
May 18, 2021read the abridged version.
June 18, 2022
read for school. mid
March 15, 2024
One of the best books I’ve ever read. So inspiring and insightful. Amazingly written, easy to read, and so interesting!
August 27, 2025
If you’re into ethnobotany this is a fire book. If you’re not it might be boring
May 31, 2018
Fun and interesting if outdated look at the wealth of botanical and medicinally useful knowledge in shaman healings and the changes in cultural healing practices wrought on people groups by Western influence. Short.
November 4, 2015
Mr. Mark J. Plotkin could learn a thing or two from Ernest Hemingway about the "iceberg theory". Simply put, the lesser the better. In what can only be seen as page-fillers, Plotkin has inserted lengthy tangents and descriptions of various flora and fauna, as well as mundane historical facts to drive home a moot point - that he is a knowledgable man blessed with a multitude of subjects. With a single simple chapter about a journey to a remote village to discover a certain caiman or a certain poison, Plotkin will flippantly mention something as basic as a vampire bat, followed by a four-paragraph description of the medical and biological properties of the vampire bat, almost as if he were drawing from every single Wikipedia page about every single subject. His descriptions are long and wordy in an attempt to generate some sort of romantic Fitzgerald prose, but instead they come across as repetitive and insincere, boring readers so quickly that they have no more drive to finish the chapter.
With books of nature and exploration, description of the environment should be short and punchy, so curt in their accounts that the world feels ephemeral, and the sensory glands can almost touch the trees and the leaves. Describing the medical properties of an unrelated root that just so happens to cross your mind takes the experience out of context, and eliminates any form of reader-book immersion. Hemingway was a master of these sort of biographical accounts, and he endures because of that.
Plotkin, under the guise of poetic license, has written something strenuous and arduous, and nobody should ever have to read this book ever. Watch a documentary about the Amazon instead.
With books of nature and exploration, description of the environment should be short and punchy, so curt in their accounts that the world feels ephemeral, and the sensory glands can almost touch the trees and the leaves. Describing the medical properties of an unrelated root that just so happens to cross your mind takes the experience out of context, and eliminates any form of reader-book immersion. Hemingway was a master of these sort of biographical accounts, and he endures because of that.
Plotkin, under the guise of poetic license, has written something strenuous and arduous, and nobody should ever have to read this book ever. Watch a documentary about the Amazon instead.
May 5, 2013
So not a book for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed as it shot me back in time to 1995 and when I met Colby in Paraguay. Plotkin describes his first encounters with tropical forests and cultures with such grace and fine story telling. THe fact that amidst the adventure, you learn about the medicinal properties of tropical species, the history of use (similar to "botany of desire" if you've read) and the fragility of indigenous culture. Not a quick read but one that whisks you away to a rain soaked, green paradise. Passages I particularly liked because it reminded me of Yaguraret Forest (Colby will understand):
"... the mental and physical preparation for a 2-day trek to the forest was different, I wanted to know exactly how long I would be gone. Time and distance have a different meaning to the Tirios and my Western cultural obsession to know how far and how long went unheeded."
"In a conservation context, we stand at the edge of a precipice. We are scrambling to find ways to save the rain forest, yet thousands of years of accumulated human wisdom--the knowledge of how to use the forest, without destroying it, to benefit humankind--is going to vanish within a generation. Each time a medicine man (or woman) dies, it is as if a library has gone up in flames."
"... the mental and physical preparation for a 2-day trek to the forest was different, I wanted to know exactly how long I would be gone. Time and distance have a different meaning to the Tirios and my Western cultural obsession to know how far and how long went unheeded."
"In a conservation context, we stand at the edge of a precipice. We are scrambling to find ways to save the rain forest, yet thousands of years of accumulated human wisdom--the knowledge of how to use the forest, without destroying it, to benefit humankind--is going to vanish within a generation. Each time a medicine man (or woman) dies, it is as if a library has gone up in flames."
January 12, 2025
I first came across Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice when William S. Burroughs recommended it to me. I was working for him at the time. I picked it up, but didn't read it (as happens with many books)until recently - many years after his death. I'm sorry it took this long. But, in a way, it seems more appropriate to read now, after having spent many years working with organic plants and natural supplements.
Tales is a book that traces the interaction of the author with the Tirio (and other peoples)in Suriname and Brazil. It is a well-told story of how people living in the area use different plants to treat diseases and conditions that affect them.
Quite a number of the plants have had the active ingredients synthesized by companies in the West for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical uses.
But perhaps as important as the medicinal descriptions is the manner in which the book traces (over a few short years) the decline of the people's adherence to their cultural trappings. As miners, loggers, missionaries, and soldiers move into the region, much of what makes the indigenous population unique (and vitally important to understanding their medicines and culture), is lost.
This is a very worthy read.
Tales is a book that traces the interaction of the author with the Tirio (and other peoples)in Suriname and Brazil. It is a well-told story of how people living in the area use different plants to treat diseases and conditions that affect them.
Quite a number of the plants have had the active ingredients synthesized by companies in the West for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical uses.
But perhaps as important as the medicinal descriptions is the manner in which the book traces (over a few short years) the decline of the people's adherence to their cultural trappings. As miners, loggers, missionaries, and soldiers move into the region, much of what makes the indigenous population unique (and vitally important to understanding their medicines and culture), is lost.
This is a very worthy read.
November 15, 2015
This book will make you rethink deforestation, the advance of civilization, Western Medicine, Christian missionaries, and plants in general. While I have always wanted to visit the Amazon in a vague and nebulous sense, I have a whole new understanding of what I would like to see and do in the jungle. The writing of Plotkin was so informative, that I even have a whole new understanding of what the jungle is as well.
Every page is positively bursting with information, but it isn't like reading a dry text book at all. More of a personal journal or memoir, Poltkin is simply sharing what he saw, learned and felt while on his various journeys into the Amazon. Yes, he does take moments to give ancillary information and quote other materials but it is in such a smooth way, that you almost don't notice it happening.
I flat out love this book and as opposed to thinking it would be good for groups of people interested in one thing or another, I really feel like everyone could benefit from reading this book once in their life.
Every page is positively bursting with information, but it isn't like reading a dry text book at all. More of a personal journal or memoir, Poltkin is simply sharing what he saw, learned and felt while on his various journeys into the Amazon. Yes, he does take moments to give ancillary information and quote other materials but it is in such a smooth way, that you almost don't notice it happening.
I flat out love this book and as opposed to thinking it would be good for groups of people interested in one thing or another, I really feel like everyone could benefit from reading this book once in their life.
February 8, 2017
Special thanks to Jon Coren who loaned me this classic. While reading any ethnography, you tend to learn as much about the researcher as you do their subjects. Case in point: Plotkin's barely concealed glee as he sampled various Amazonian hallucinogens, and his rather cunning psychological approach to learning the secret ingredients in deadly curare poison. (Way to embrace the participant observation technique!) Anthropologists and adventure enthusiasts will find plenty of ripping yarns. Did supernatural abilities really allow a shaman to appear as a jaguar in Plotkin's terrifyingly vivid dream? Ah, fieldwork! Botanists will be intrigued, but this is no scientific reference manual. Read this book to better understand the incomparably rich botanical knowledge of Amazonian tribes, their ingenious approach to gardening and hunting, their own perception of reality, and their morally fraught free-fall into modernization. Oh, and for Russ Mittermeier's unforgettable cameo with the black caiman. Perfect for anyone longing to escape their office and disappear into the jungle.
October 15, 2012
This book took me opn a journey (and would I hope any other reader) through what it is like to experience all the things you might imagine exist in the rain forest and DO. Submerging yourself in a world like no other ever been a dream, or a passing fancy? You will love this. It is readable in a immersive style where you are Mark; voyaging to and from experience to nightmare to sadness for the position of the tribes survival. While politics are low-key they are not ignored either; but not at all focused on thoughout the entire book at all. You get the full on journey with an educator on your hip as you venture through the rivers and forests of South America, allowed to try the drinks and potions, and waking up the next morning to start onward again. The description of the tribes are wonderful, and this makes the small bit of political language all the more potent. That is what this book is: potent. Full of intoxicating stories you will want to re-read.
February 5, 2018
This is possibly the most exciting nonfiction book I have ever read! This covers the work (ie adventures) of an ethnobotanist in the Amazon rainforest. For those who just thought “Ethnowhat”? Ethnobotany is the study "of the traditional knowledge and customs of a people concerning plants and their medical, religious, and other uses" (courtesy of google). This book packs a powerful punch in such a short number of pages! It covers conservation, thousands of interesting plant tidbits, the raw human experience, scientific study, occasional comedy, and amazon politics. I highly recommend it to any biology major as it is a fun introduction to Ethnobotany. I also would recommend it to someone who is look for fun small-talk facts. Finally, I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fantastic (but not fantastical) adventure
August 3, 2018
Even though the narrative is a bit dated, the issues at the intersection of conservation, ethnobotany, biochemistry, and anthropology are as relevant today as they were over 20 years ago. Natural products is now a serious line of chemical investigation as scientists seek to go back to and learn from the best chemist: mother nature. A good read for anyone interested in understanding the impact science and the push to spread western culture can both have on society.
November 1, 2020
Very down to earth description of the author's experience in the Amazonian forest, nothing outlandish - no Don Juan here - but a description of the change of a culture. A TED talk by the author:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XJ20...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XJ20...
July 25, 2016
Loved this book. Made me want to be an ethnobotanist!
May 4, 2017
interesting read about discovery herbs and medicines in South America
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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