Psychedelic Plant Medicines of the Americas: History, Traditions, and Indigenous Voices

An essential new collection that explores the cultural, medicinal, and spiritual traditions of marijuana, psilocybin, ayahuasca, and other psychedelics--informed by both Western and Indigenous knowledge

Psychedelic Plant Medicines of the Americas is a collection of 23 psychedelic-specific articles, written by historians, anthropologists, psychologists, and those from other fields in the humanities. Edited by Biatriz Caiuby Labate, PhD--the executive director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines--this book includes contemporary Indigenous voices and weaves together deep understandings of Indigenous and Western encounters. It offers the broadest, most up-to-date perspectives of any book on the field of psychedelics, including explorations of:

- Marijuana's colonial history in Mexico
- Psilocybin mushrooms' traditional and contemporary uses
- Ayahuasca's and peyote's roles in Indigenous and religious contexts
- Many more psychoactive plant medicines, including coca and tobacco

The anthology is a critical reminder, at a time when psychedelics continue to become more popular and mainstreamed at a global level, that these plant medicines are more than a facet of Western counterculture--they're central to the Indigenous cultures and lifeways that sustain them. Gaining a greater understanding of why people have used and continue to use psychedelic plant medicines--informed by those with rich expertise and knowledge histories--is imperative. The editors and contributors offer a vital, comprehensive, and deeply rooted examination of plant medicine ontologies.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Published: 05/26/2026
ISBN: 9798889842439
Pages: 400
Weight: 0.81lbs