Dale Pendell – författare

Dive into the potent world of plant-based stimulants and empathogens with Pharmako/Dynamis—Volume 2 of Dale Pendell's authoritative Pharmako trilogy.Embark on an enriching journey through nature's stimulants—and our complex relationship with them—in Pharmako/Dynamis: Stimulating Plants, Potions, and Herbcraft. Pendell's poetic narrative expertly weaves together scientific understanding and enchanting literature, making this book an enticing read for enthusiasts, herbalists, and psychonauts alike. Readers will delve deeper into the fascinating universe of psychoactive plants, investigating a variety of stimulants and empathogens, each with its own unique history, usage, and cultural significance: AmphetaminesBetel (Areca catechu)ChocolateCoca (Erythroxylum coca)CoffeeKhat (Catha edulis)Kola (Kola nitida)Ma huang (Ephedra)MDMA (Ecstasy)TeaAnd moreThe book explores these substances in detail and more, offering a profound understanding of their impact and roles. With an engaging blend of scientific knowledge, historical context, and spiritual insights, Pendell presents a meticulously detailed study of each psychoactive substance. His authoritative and delightfully playful voice elucidates not just the pharmacological aspects, but also the subtle effects of these substances on human consciousness.This volume is more than just a resource; it's a thrilling voyage into the intricate dance between humans and the psychoactive plant kingdom.

This is the third and final volume of North Atlantic Books' updated paperback edition of Dale Pendell's Pharmako trilogy, an encyclopedic study of the history and uses of psychoactive plants and related synthetics first published between 1995 and 2005. The books form an interrelated suite of works that provide the reader with a unique, reliable, and often personal immersion in this medically, culturally, and spiritually fascinating subject. All three books are beautifully designed and illustrated, and are written with unparalleled authority, erudition, playfulness, and range. Pharmako/Gnosis: Plant Teachers and the Poison Path includes a new introduction by the author and as in previous editions focuses on plant-based and derivative psychedelic "teachers" (including ayahuasca, peyote, LSD, and DMT) and on the "poison path" of substances such as belladonna, ketamine, and ibogaine. Each substance is explored in detail, not only with information on its history, pharmacology, preparation, and cultural and esoteric correspondences, but also the subtleties of each plant's effect on consciousness in a way that only poets can do.The whole concoction is sprinkled with abundant quotations from famous writers, creating a literary brew as intoxicating as its subject. The Pharmako series includes the predecessor volumes Pharmako/Poeia (which covers tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, opiates, salvia divinorum, and other substances) and Pharmako/Dynamis (focusing on stimulants and empathogens).

***WINNER, Best Science Fiction, 2010 Green Book Festival Based in scientific reality, Dale Pendell presents a powerful fictional vision of a fast-approaching future in which sea levels rise and a decimated population must find new ways to live. The Great Bay begins in 2021 with a worldwide pandemic followed by the gradual rising of the seas. Pendell’s vision is all encompassing—he describes the rising seas’ impact on countries and continents around the world. But his imaginative storytelling focuses on California. A “great bay” forms in California’s Central Valley and expands during a 16,000-year period. As the years pass, and technology seems to regress, even memory of a “precollapse” world blends into myth. Grizzly bears and other large predators return to the California hills, and civilization reverts to a richly imagined medieval society marked by guilds and pilgrimages, followed even later by hunting and gathering societies. Pendell’s focus is on the lives of people struggling with love, wars, and physical survival thousands of years in California’s future. He deftly mixes poetic imagery, news-reporting-style writing, interviews with survivors, and maps documenting the geographic changes. In the end, powerful human values that have been with us for 40,000 years begin to reemerge and remind us that they are desperately needed—in the present.From the Hardcover edition.