Unlock the Power of Plants: A Guide to Enhancing Your Mind with Michael Pollan

H. Burton: Item is in excellent condition, as promised.

United States on Nov 19, 2023

Wydawnictwo Blekitna Kropka, Dariusz Jamrozowicz: Informative and written in a great style. Or the greatest. Read it, even if you are not really interested in psychoactive substances. You will.

United Kingdom on Sep 16, 2023

Louise: Everything this man writes is gold. He does his research, presents it well. Rarely disappointed with his work and always learn a lot. This was no exception.

United States on Aug 31, 2023

BallroomBlitz: Words on paper, bound together in an easy to hold in front of your face format.
Brilliant!

Australia on Jun 24, 2023

Catherine M: Michael Pollan struck a chord with this book. Seems like the pandemic is so far away but it was just yesterday. I had planned an ayahuasca ceremony just before lock down… and it got cancelled do to the ban on travelling. I laughed when i read something similar had happened to him. We managed to do a ceremony but through zoom (gave our blessing and shut off the computer before going in), we had to opt for a psilocybin instead. Thank you for another a great read!

Canada on Jun 12, 2023

Erin Iveson: I was recently talking to a friend about quitting caffeine, and how hard it was for me. He told me to read this book by Michael Pollan each chapter is broken up into the type of plant he discusses. Beginning with opium, continuing to caffeine, and finishing with my scaling. I was only interested in the chapter on caffeine, however, he sparked a new interest for me in learning about Plants and their affects on the mind and consciousness. I just ordered the book he wrote prior to this titled, “how to change your mind.” Excited to continue on my Michael pollan journey.

United States on May 14, 2023

Niklas Morgan: Der erste Assay ist über 30 Jahre alt. Er stammt aus den 90er Jahren und entsprechend angestaubt ist sein sozialer Kontext. Höhepunkt des „war on drugs“ unter Clinton (weit schlimmer als unter Nixon oder Reagan), als einem mal ganz schnell Haus und Besitz konfisziert wurden, wenn man mit einem Joint erwischt wurde (oder mit einer Schlafmohnpflanze im Garten). Daher ist der Hauptfokus des Assays, bei dem es um die verständliche Angst des Autors vor Strafverfolgung geht, weil er ein paar Mohnpflanzen im Garten hat, auch nur von historischem Interesse. Zu Opium etc. erfährt man nun auch nicht viel neues. 3 Sterne

Der überraschenderweise beste Assay ist der mittlere über Koffein (aus Kaffee oder Tee). Weil legal ist hier keine Paranoia über Strafverfolgung, sondern der Fokus auf der breiten und täglichen Verfügbarkeit. Bottom Line, wir sind alles Süchtige, die sich durch diese Droge um den täglichen gesunden Schlaf bringen, weil selbst der Kaffee am Morgen noch in die Nacht hinein wirkt. Interessant der Selbstversuch des Autors, drei Monate auf totalen Entzug zu gehen und mit Hilfe von Kamillentee durch den Tag zu kommen. Schwierig. Die erste Tasse Espresso...

Germany on Apr 19, 2023

A. Menon: Michael Pollan takes a further journey into the affects of substances on one's body and mind in This is Your Mind on Plants. The author's writing has morphed from food culture to natural drug culture to some extent and this book is a look at three more substances of interest, Opium, Caffeine and Mescaline. One of those is a bit of an odd man out but the overall book does each topic some justice. Each topic is an essay on a personal experience/experiment with the subject and is a look at both cultivation and preparation as well as the effects it has on the body and mind. Overall a quick and interesting read on both the culture of enforcement and how it has changed in the country in the last 20 years as well as a scientific perspective on the substances being discussed.

One remarkable thing about the book is that it illustrates the intrinsic accessibility of opium and mescaline to the motivated horticulturist. In particular the trade of seeds is significant and the use of the plants is broad enough that the ability to extract mind altering components from plants is rarely their large demand base. The poppy is a gardener's favorite for its beautiful flowers and trade in poppy...

United States on Apr 02, 2023

Mr. D. W. Nyman: Excellent overview

Spain on Oct 27, 2022

Hande Z: This is a book about the addictive products from three different kinds of plants – the poppy, the coffee and plants, and the peyote and San Pedro. The first produces opium and its derivatives, the second, coffee and tea and the caffeine inside them, and the third, mescaline.

This book by Pollan is not a dry scientific book about plants or their effect on the human mind – at least, not just that. Although only three products are covered, it is the stories behind each of them that will determine whether one finds the book interesting or not.

In the case of opium, Pollan considers the poppy plant from the angle of the legality of growing it in one’s garden. In this story, he recounts his encounter and relationship with a man called Jim Hogshire who had written a book called ‘Opium for the Masses’ and was arrested and charged together with his wife by the Drug Enforcement Agency. Pollan, then embarked on his own semi-perilous journey of publishing an article on the cultivation of poppy. It was a risky venture for Harper’s magazine; so risky that the publishers agreed to pay Pollan’s salary to his wife for as long as he might be imprisoned. That, was an...

United States on Aug 23, 2021