Download or read book On the Trail of the Ancient Opium Poppy written by Mark David Merlin and published by . This book was released on 1984-01-01 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Forces of Habit written by David T. COURTWRIGHT and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A global history of the acquisition of progressively more potent means of altering ordinary waking consciousness, this book is the first to provide the big picture of the discovery, interchange, and exploitation of the planet's psychoactive resources, from tea and kola to opiates and amphetamines.
Download or read book The Routledge Companion to Ecstatic Experience in the Ancient World written by Diana Stein and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-12-31 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For millennia, people have universally engaged in ecstatic experience as an essential element in ritual practice, spiritual belief and cultural identification. This volume offers the first systematic investigation of its myriad roles and manifestations in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. The twenty-nine contributors represent a broad range of scholarly disciplines, seeking answers to fundamental questions regarding the patterns and commonalities of this vital aspect of the past. How was the experience construed and by what means was it achieved? Who was involved? Where and when were rites carried out? How was it reflected in pictorial arts and written records? What was its relation to other components of the sociocultural compact? In proposing responses, the authors draw upon a wealth of original research in many fields, generating new perspectives and thought-provoking, often surprising, conclusions. With their abundant cross-cultural and cross-temporal references, the chapters mutually enrich each other and collectively deepen our understanding of ecstatic phenomena thousands of years ago. Another noteworthy feature of the book is its illustrative content, including commissioned reconstructions of ecstatic scenarios and pairings of works of Bronze Age and modern psychedelic art. Scholars, students and other readers interested in antiquity, comparative religion and the social and cognitive sciences will find much to explore in the fascinating realm of ecstatic experience in the ancient world.
Download or read book The Poppy written by Nicholas J. Saunders and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-10-01 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the aftermath of the horrific trench warfare of the First World War, the poppy – sprouting across the killing fields of France and Belgium, then immortalised in John McCrae’s moving poem – became a worldwide icon. Yet the poppy has a longer history, as the tell-tale sign of human cultivation of the land, of the ravages of war and of the desire to escape the earthly realm through inspired Romantic opium dreams or the grim reality of morphine drips. This is a story spanning three thousand years, from the ancient Egyptian fights over prized medicinal potions to the addicted veterans returning home from the American Civil War, from the British political machinations during the Opium Wars with China to the struggle to end Afghanistan’s tribal narcotics trade. Through it all, there stands the transformative poppy. Nicholas J. Saunders brings us the definitive history of this ever-enduring but humble flower of the fields, a story that is at turns tragic, eye-opening and, most essentially, life-affirming – a gift to us all.
Download or read book Opium written by John H. Halpern and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2019-08-13 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a psychiatrist on the frontlines of addiction medicine and an expert on the history of drug use comes the "authoritative, engaging, and accessible" history of the flower that helped to build (Booklist) -- and now threatens -- modern society. Opioid addiction is fast becoming the most deadly crisis in American history. In 2018, it claimed nearly fifty thousand lives -- more than gunshots and car crashes combined, and almost as many Americans as were killed in the entire Vietnam War. But even as the overdose crisis ravages our nation -- straining our prison system, dividing families, and defying virtually every legislative solution to treat it -- few understand how it came to be. Opium tells the "fascinating" (Lit Hub) and at times harrowing tale of how we arrived at today's crisis, "mak[ing] timely and startling connections among painkillers, politics, finance, and society" (Laurence Bergreen). The story begins with the discovery of poppy artifacts in ancient Mesopotamia, and goes on to explore how Greek physicians and obscure chemists discovered opium's effects and refined its power, how colonial empires marketed it around the world, and eventually how international drug companies developed a range of powerful synthetic opioids that led to an epidemic of addiction. Throughout, Dr. John Halpern and David Blistein reveal the fascinating role that opium has played in building our modern world, from trade networks to medical protocols to drug enforcement policies. Most importantly, they disentangle how crucial misjudgments, patterns of greed, and racial stereotypes served to transform one of nature's most effective painkillers into a source of unspeakable pain -- and how, using the insights of history, state-of-the-art science, and a compassionate approach to the illness of addiction, we can overcome today's overdose epidemic. This urgent and masterfully woven narrative tells an epic story of how one beautiful flower became the fascination of leaders, tycoons, and nations through the centuries and in their hands exposed the fragility of our civilization. An NPR Best Book of the Year"A landmark project." -- Dr. Andrew Weil"Engrossing and highly readable." -- Sam Quinones"An astonishing journey through time and space." -- Julie Holland, MD"The most important, provocative, and challenging book I've read in a long time." -- Laurence Bergreen
Download or read book The Chinese and Opium under the Republic written by Alan Baumler and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the nineteenth century, opium smoking was common throughout China and regarded as a vice no different from any other: pleasurable, potentially dangerous, but not a threat to destroy the nation and the race, and often profitable to the state and individuals. Once Western concepts of addiction came to China in the twentieth century, however, opium came to be seen as a problem "worse than floods and wild beasts." In this book, Alan Baumler examines how Chinese reformers convinced the people and the state that eliminating opium was one of the crucial tasks facing the new Chinese nation. He analyzes the process by which the government borrowed international models of drug control and modern ideas of citizenship and combined them into a program that successfully transformed opium from a major part of China's political economy to an ordinary social problem.
Download or read book The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants written by Christian Rätsch and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2005-04-25 with total page 3143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most comprehensive guide to the botany, history, distribution, and cultivation of all known psychoactive plants • Examines 414 psychoactive plants and related substances • Explores how using psychoactive plants in a culturally sanctioned context can produce important insights into the nature of reality • Contains 797 color photographs and 645 black-and-white illustrations In the traditions of every culture, plants have been highly valued for their nourishing, healing, and transformative properties. The most powerful plants--those known to transport the human mind into other dimensions of consciousness--have traditionally been regarded as sacred. In The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants Christian Rätsch details the botany, history, distribution, cultivation, and preparation and dosage of more than 400 psychoactive plants. He discusses their ritual and medicinal usage, cultural artifacts made from these plants, and works of art that either represent or have been inspired by them. The author begins with 168 of the most well-known psychoactives--such as cannabis, datura, and papaver--then presents 133 lesser known substances as well as additional plants known as “legal highs,” plants known only from mythological contexts and literature, and plant products that include substances such as ayahuasca, incense, and soma. The text is lavishly illustrated with 797 color photographs--many of which are from the author’s extensive fieldwork around the world--showing the people, ceremonies, and art related to the ritual use of the world’s sacred psychoactives.
Download or read book Medicine and Society in Ptolemaic Egypt written by Philippa Lang and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2012-12-03 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Current questions on whether Hellenistic Egypt should be understood in terms of colonialism and imperialism, multicultural separatism, or integration and syncretism have never been closely studied in the context of healing. Yet illness affects and is affected by nutrition, disease and reproduction within larger questions of demography, agriculture and environment. It is crucial to every socio-economic group, all ages, and both sexes; perceptions and responses to illness are ubiquitous in all kinds of evidence, both Greek and Egyptian and from archaeology to literature. Examing all forms of healing within the specific socioeconomic and environmental constraints of the Ptolemies’ Egypt, this book explores how linguistic, cultural and ethnic affiliations and interactions were expressed in the medical domain.
Download or read book Intoxication written by Ronald K. Siegel and published by Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. This book was released on 2005-03-29 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Psychopharmacologist Ronald K. Siegel draws on 20 years of groundbreaking research to provide countless examples of the intoxication urge in humans and animals. Presenting his conclusions on the biological and cultural reasons for the pursuit of intoxication, Siegel offers recommendations for curbing the negative effects of drug use in Western culture by designing safe intoxicants.
Download or read book Feasibility of Using Mycoherbicides for Controlling Illicit Drug Crops written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-12-15 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The control of illicit-drug trafficking and drug use is a difficult and complex process that involves a variety of prevention, control, treatment, and law enforcement strategies. Eradication strategies for controlling illicit-drug crops are used to target the beginning of the drug-supply chain by preventing or reducing crop yields. Mycoherbicides have been proposed as an eradication tool to supplement the current methods of herbicide spraying, mechanical removal, and manual destruction of illicit-drug crops. Some people regard them as preferable to chemical herbicides for controlling illicit-drug crops because of their purported specificity to only one plant species or a few closely related species. As living microorganisms, they have the potential to provide long-term control if they can persist in the environment and affect later plantings. Research on mycoherbicides against illicit-drug crops has focused on three pathogens: Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cannabis for cannabis (Cannabis sativa), F. oxysporum f.sp. erythroxyli for coca (Erythroxylum coca and E. novogranatense), and Crivellia papaveracea or Brachycladium papaveris (formerly known as Pleospora papaveracea and Dendryphion penicillatum, respectively) for opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Feasibility of Using Mycoherbicides for Controlling Illicit Drug Crops addresses issues about the potential use of the proposed mycoherbicides: their effectiveness in eradicating their target plants; the feasibility of their large-scale industrial manufacture and delivery; their potential spread and persistence in the environment; their pathogenicity and toxicity to nontarget organisms, including other plants, fungi, animals, and humans; their potential for mutation and resulting effects on target plants and nontarget organisms; and research and development needs. On the basis of its review, the report concludes that the available data are insufficient to determine the effectiveness of the specific fungi proposed as mycoherbicides to combat illicit-drug crops or to determine their potential effects on nontarget plants, microorganisms, animals, humans, or the environment. However, the committee offers an assessment of what can and cannot be determined at the present time regarding each of the issues raised in the statement of task.
Download or read book Consuming Habits written by Jordan Goodman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-07-26 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This pioneering collection of original essays explores the rich analytical category of psycho- active substances from challenging historical and anthropological perspectives. Psychoactive substances have been central to the formation of civilizations and the growth of the world economy. Consuming Habits describes how and why: tea and coffee replaced beer on the breakfast tables of 18th century Europe in Islamic emirates at the turn of the century kola nuts formed part of tax payments, and were given as gifts by so-called `big men' In 1902 opera singers had their doctors prescribe them cocaine to aid singing the original version of `coca-cola' was described as a `brain tonic.' This pioneering collection of original essays explores the rich analytical category of psychoactive substances from challenging historical and anthropological perspectives.
Download or read book Lessons on Caffeine Cannabis Co written by Angelika Böttger and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-12-29 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook provides a structured, easy to understand and thorough insight into the mode of function of plant secondary metabolites in plants and humans. It explains the biosynthesis and molecular action of nicotine, cannabis, caffeine and Co, describes the effects of these drugs on signal transduction at receptors and ion channels in animals, their relevance for human health and their potential for recreational use and abuse. It also offers a broad and comprehensive understanding on the role and function of these diverse molecules for the plants that make them. This textbook is written for master students and scientist in biochemistry and biology as well as for pharmaceutical and medical students. It will be a valuable study tool for teachers and students alike.
Download or read book The Mediterranean written by J. Donald Hughes and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2005-04-13 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exciting handbook offering a uniquely accessible study of the complex interplay between the environment and the peoples of the Mediterranean from earliest times to the present day. Part of ABC-CLIO's Nature and Human Societies series, this book covers the key environmental developments in the Mediterranean throughout recorded history. Case studies chart the agricultural problems of ancient Mesopotamia, how climatic change contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire, and the impact of dam building at Aswan on the Nile. Of particular interest are the book's sections dealing with the impact of human colonization on the flora and fauna of the early Mediterranean and the extinction of creatures such as dwarf elephants and giant shrews. Especially important, given the ongoing conflicts in the region, are the examples cited of the adverse environmental impact of Western colonization and how human exploitation of the earth's natural resources has led to unforeseen disasters.
Download or read book Nature s Pharmacopeia written by Dan Choffnes and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2016-08-09 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This beautifully illustrated, elegantly written textbook pairs the best research on the biochemical properties and physiological effects of medicinal plants with a fascinating history of their use throughout human civilization, revealing the influence of nature's pharmacopeia on art, war, conquest, and law. By chronicling the ways in which humans have cultivated plant species, extracted their active chemical ingredients, and investigated their effects on the body over time, Nature's Pharmacopeia also builds an unparalleled portrait of these special herbs as they transitioned from wild flora and botanical curiosities to commodities and potent drugs. The book opens with an overview of the use of medicinal plants in the traditional practices and indigenous belief systems of people in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and ancient Europe. It then connects medicinal plants to the growth of scientific medicine in the West. Subsequent chapters cover the regulation of drugs; the use of powerful plant chemicals—such as cocaine, nicotine, and caffeine—in various medical settings; and the application of biomedicine's intellectual frameworks to the manufacture of novel drugs from ancient treatments. Geared toward nonspecialists, this text fosters a deep appreciation of the complex chemistry and cultural resonance of herbal medicine, while suggesting how we may further tap the vast repositories of the world's herbal knowledge to create new pharmaceuticals.
Download or read book Opium Traders and Their Worlds Volume Two written by M. Kienholz and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2008-10-13 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Opium Traders-Volume Two continues the history of opium commerce at a point where the Sassoons of Persia, closely connected with the Rothchilds, won control of the trade. The Sassoons celebrated when the monopoly of the British East India Company was repealed; they used their business expertise and parliamentary connections in London to grab nearly 80% of the drug trade out of India. Connections with British royalty made possible their important involvement in securing Israel as the Jewish Homeland. The Sassoons' extensive holdings in India and China were encroached upon as a result of India's independence movement and China's takeover by communists. Indian independence strengthened the hold of the Parsee family of Tatas, who, in the 21st Century are advertising the development of a "People's car" estimated to cost about $2,500. China's takeover by communists, who now hold a monopoly of China's expansive opium trade, followed the Taiping and Boxer Rebellions and the revolution of Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-chek. These militant movements are summarized. Japan's exploitation of opium in the Manchuria-Manchukuo era, through secret societies, is detailed. The opium trade of East Asia and the Middle East is further elaborated in descriptions of the cultivation of poppies of Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Burma, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Indonesian territories. Contemporary poppy fields of Mallinckrodt, opium and labor smuggling during the years of railroad building and Mafia activity in the United States are addressed.
Download or read book Did Lin Zexu Make Morphine Volumes 1 and 2 written by Glenn Robinette and published by graffiti militante. This book was released on 2010-03-30 with total page 750 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soon to be banned in Beijing, this work suggests that Lin Zexu, often called the first modern Chinese nationalist, popular icon for present-day prohibitionists, who legend says caused the first Opium War (1839-1842) by destroying some 20,000 chests of British opium, may deserve a second look from historians. His method of using lime and salt to "destroy" the opium simply shares too many parallels with European methods for extracting morphine from opium. Morphine salts were sold in both China and Europe in the 19th century as substitutes for opium or as opium "cures". Could the mandarin Lin Zexu have stolen from the British, conned the Americans, hastened the downfall of the parasitical Manchu dynasty, and manufactured a simple morphine salt? -- Graffii Milante, Valpaaiso, Chile --from book cover.
Download or read book Cannabis written by Robert Clarke and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2016-06-28 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary exploration of the natural origins and early evolution of this famous plant, highlighting its historic role in the development of human societies. Cannabis has long been prized for the strong and durable fiber in its stalks, its edible and oil-rich seeds, and the psychoactive and medicinal compounds produced by its female flowers. The culturally valuable and often irreplaceable goods derived from cannabis deeply influenced the commercial, medical, ritual, and religious practices of cultures throughout the ages, and human desire for these commodities directed the evolution of the plant toward its contemporary varieties. As interest in cannabis grows and public debate over its many uses rises, this book will help us understand why humanity continues to rely on this plant and adapts it to suit our needs.
