Vine of the Soul: Medicine Men, Their Plants and Rituals in the Colombian Amazonia

by Richard Evans Schultes, Robert F. Raffauf

Vine of the Soul is an exceptional photographic essay accompanied by detailed descriptions of the Amazonians’ use of medicinal and other sacred plant substances. Over 160 documentary photos, some of the most signifi cant ever taken on the subject, bring the reader along a journey to a world in which healing with plants, ritual and magic play an essential role in everyday life. Richard Evans Schultes, former Director of the Botanical Museum of Harvard University, led an extraordinary life that bridged the worlds of academia and tribal cultures. Carrying out extensive fi eld studies since 1939 as an ethnobotanist and conservationist, Schultes has received acclaim from many sources, including the Cross of Boyacá― Colombia’s highest honor, the Tyler Prize for environmental achievement, the Linnean Gold Medal, the highest prize a botanist can receive, and many more.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Spirituality

290 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1992

About the author

Richard Evans Schultes (SHULL-tees) (January 12, 1915 – April 10, 2001) may be considered the father of modern ethnobotany, for his studies of indigenous peoples' (especially the indigenous peoples of the Americas) uses of plants, including especially entheogenic or hallucinogenic plants (particularly in Mexico and the Amazon), for his lifelong collaborations with chemists, and for his charismatic influence as an educator at Harvard University on a number of students and colleagues who went on to write popular books and assume influential positions in museums, botanical gardens, and popular culture.

His book The Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers (1979), co-authored with chemist Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of LSD, is considered his greatest popular work: it has never been out of print and was revised into an expanded second edition, based on a German translation by Christian Rätsch (1998), in 2001.[1]

Reviews

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

ⓒ1992 Fascinating book about the native culture of this region and the ritual use of plants in spirituality, healing, hunting, fishing – almost every aspect of life. Excellent photos show what life was like before the coming of Europeans and their descendants.

[Kuinoso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un interesante ensayo fotográfico que explora las costumbres, especies y demás información relacionada al uso de plantas como medicina física, mental y espiritual en el Amazonas colombiano. Sus bellas fotografías capturan una realidad muy diferente de estas comunidades en la primera mitad del siglo XX.
Es una lectura interesante incluso si su desarrollo textual, en búsqueda de alcanzar a la población general, es en ocasiones bastante superficial.

[Ieben Broeckhoven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting combination of ethnobotany and pharmacology! The book focuses on the use of plants, but more context would have been welcome.

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant objective summary of an expanding phenomenon.