Pharmako/Poeia: Plant Powers, Poisons and Herbcraft

"I became fascinated by the religious and cultural use of entheogens a while ago and, needing resources for a related art project, bought 'Plants of the Gods' by Albert Hofmann et al (which is a well-written, well-organized and very useful reference book). I also picked up Pharmako/Poeia because it looked a bit unusual, and I thought it would give a more creative angle. Well, it certainly does.

Starting the book, I was hugely disappointed. Readers are confronted with a mass of pretentious poetic rambling which it would clearly cramp Pendall's style to explain or attempt to make relevant. He seems to have a thing about alchemy which I confess I still don't get. However, give the book a chance. Pendall is, after all, dealing with very bizarre territory here.

After a while I started to warm to his approach. Once you get into the rhythm of it, Pendall's obsession with the surreal relationship of humanity to these plants becomes infectious. Unlike 'Plants of the Gods' or other purely factual works, Pendall matches the style of the book to the subject matter. (Not an easy thing to do, as anyone who has experimented with these plants will testify!) At times, as I have said, this just comes across as pretentious as he slips in random lines of his own poetry or goes off on a tangent about Greek mythology... but if you ignore the irritating latin titles and showy, unexplained references you can start to appeciate the atmosphere Pendall is trying to create.

His basic idea is that of plants as 'allies' who have evolved alongside us and therefore have a unique relationship with our brain chemistry. They can help us see things differently, give us revelations, take us to other worlds or just change our mood. But they will also trick, betray and destroy us. As Pendall says, 'you gotta pay dues'. Therefore, plants are personified and emphasis is placed on subjective, experimental experience.

My advice would be to go back to the first few chapters after having read the whole book, as they will make a lot more sense. If you are looking for information on psychoactive plants I'd definately recommend 'Plants of the Gods' for hard facts, photos and useful charts etc. However if you are the type who actually uses these plants and is poetically/artistically inclined, your head might just be wired oddly enough to appreciate this book.

So, "Come forth, you motley troop- not a gentleman among you- not one that won't lie, cheat, or swindle a ride- come, all ye ruffians: be fruitful, we have need of poison.""
~ Written on 2004-12-06

"A magic carpet ride through the history of psychoactive plants and herbs. Opening the book is like looking into a magnificent jewel box: full of colours, humour, poetry, facts, fictions - a deep understanding of the mystery of plants and their cohabitation with the human experience.
Should be read by all who seek after the truth in all things and those who enjoy the writing of a true original. A classic book that will be a companion of mine for a very long time - you will await volume 2 and 3 with the same intensity and trepidition as your first date with....well, whatever gives you that tingle of excitement."
~ Written on 2001-10-01

"Dale Pendell brings together the magic and mystery of plant intelligence and the poison path. He taps into the ancient wisdom that human beings have developed as human beings from their close association with plant intelligence and plant body. A long time associate of Gary Snyder and the other poets of the San Francisco Bay area Pendell is a major voice in his own right. He weaves the magic of his verse deeply into the stream of consciousness flowing through his work and takes the reader, like the plants he discusses, into worlds that themselves change consciousness. A tremendous work in the field."
~ Written on 1999-03-02

"This excellent book is a resource of poetry, herbcraft, history, magic, and altered consiousness. The only difficulty so far has been waiting for the second volume to come out and continue the story. But now it is available. The author uses poetry and images mixed with concrete chemical information about the psycoactive substances in each plant. The chapters are well arranged, in the categories the author has devised with the help of his plant allies to divide the plants into compatable chapters. I've never read anything like this, and read the book over and over, I have my favorite chapters, and the detailed information included on how to prepare and use the plants is reference information too keep on hand."
~ Written on 1998-10-06

"Through the inspired approach of shamanic saturation Pendell achieves a model for speaking of the spirit of inibriation and medication for humanity and of the divine spirit-world of plants. These silent messengers now have a bardic-shaman to foretell their reemergence, as we regain the officially subverted import of their gifts."
~ Written on 1997-10-23