- Paperback: 109 pages
- Publisher: Loompanics Unlimited (April 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1559502118
- ISBN-13: 978-1559502115
- Product Dimensions: 28 x 21.6 x 1.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,045,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Book - But Careful! It could kill you...,
By
This review is from: Herbs of the Northern Shaman: A Guide to Mind-Altering Plants of the Northern Hemisphere (Paperback)
The book lists 65 plants in alphabetical order, with black and white photos, and illustrations throughout. There is a botanical glossary, medical terms glossary, and it is indexed. As such, it is more of a reference book than a cover to cover read. It makes interesting browsing and is user-friendly, unlike many of the plants described!
As one would expect for this subject, necessary well known inclusions are cannabis, opium poppy, tobacco, magic mushrooms, peyote, as well as alternative use of hops, the witches' favourite, Henbane, and Mandrake (Harry Potter fans may well appreciate this one). Some herbs, including such regulars as Fennel and St John's Wort are noted here for their effects, too. The author's method lists the name of the plant, the family to which it belongs, and other names used. That is followed by a botanical description and history, with notable references in literature, and pertinent astrological information. The medical uses for extracts are described, as well as herbal remedies, and the sort of 'trip' the plant could give (with suitable warnings depending upon the plant's toxicity - ie. Monkshood). There are accounts of psychoactive effects, too (some personally witnessed by the author), so if the book is purchased and read with that intention, take note. As a source for passive information, it provides useful reference to plants that will be in many peoples' gardens. The statement at the start of the book should be heeded. "Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for the use or misuse of information contained in this book. It is sold for entertainment purposes only. Be warned!". The reviewer adds the same caution. Caveat emptor.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I can't wait to read the next in the series....,
By dstilfire@yahoo.com (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Herbs of the Northern Shaman: A Guide to Mind-Altering Plants of the Northern Hemisphere (Paperback)
When I got the email back from Steve, saying I'd won this book I thought "Great; this should be cool" If only I'd known just how good a book it is! On the back, at the very bottom it says '...an easily accessed reference that no serious student should be without.' This is an understatement. I've read other books on herbs and plants, mind altering and otherwise, and this is the first one that I've been able to UNDERSTAND. It gives the latin names for all the plants, other names they go by, a description and a photo or illustration where available. There is a breif history of each, and the practical and recreational uses of all the herbs. Everything is explained in easily understandable terms, and there are Glossaries for both Botanical and Medical terms, for any words needed that may need explaining further. I don't claim to be big on herbs and plants (In fact, I was going to get this book to learn about them anyway), but this book goes a long way towards helping me learn more about those that surround the area in which I live; Well worth the money and an excellent reference guide for anyone interested in the plants and herbs of the Northern Hemisphere.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews) 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Dissapointing reference material,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Herbs of the Northern Shaman: A Guide to Mind-Altering Plants of the Northern Hemisphere (Paperback)
I ordered this book based on the glowing reviews, here is a more honest review. As a reference material the book is sorley lacking and is nearly unusable. Most of the plants do not have so much as a sketch let alone a picture. The ones that do have drawings are poorly done and not very helpful. The very few that have photos are in black and white! There are so few plants described in this book it would have only taken a few short pages to include color plates of all the described plants. At the very least drawings should have accompanied EACH description, and included various parts, stages of growth etc. Coupled with the fact that the suggested uses are very vauge makes this book nearly useless. Other than the very obvious well known plants (that recieve multiple pages), the more obscure plants get a very brief description with a short "guess" as to their properties and uses. The authors obviously intentional vaugeness leads one to be suspect of his sources not to mention his actual knowledge of what he is describing. At best this book could be used to learn the scientific names of said plant so that one could do further research using better, more complete resources. While I certainly wasn't expecting a "how to" manual, I did at least hope for a more complete reference material in the spirit of other field guides. This book falls way short of being useful as anything much more than a cofee table curiosity. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A "user friendly" and highly recommended reference.,
By Midwest Book Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Herbs of the Northern Shaman: A Guide to Mind-Altering Plants of the Northern Hemisphere (Paperback)
In Herbs Of The Northern Shaman, Steve Andres draws upon a lifelong student of plant culture to produce a comprehensive and unique guide to the mind-altering plants which grow in the Northern Hemisphere. From standard relatively well known hallucinogens as Cannabis, Datura, and Peyote, to such garden commonplace and unsuspected plants as the Buttercup, Sassafras, and the Water Lily, Andres provides a detailed and authoritative description of effects and consciousness expanding qualities that have historically been found useful in aboriginal ceremonial and medicinal ministries. Herbs Of The Northern Shaman is very strongly recommended reading for students of botany and natural hallucinogens, as well as personal and academic psychoactive plants reference collections.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Herbs of the Northern Shaman by Steve Andrews,
By chris stone - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Herbs of the Northern Shaman: A Guide to Mind-Altering Plants of the Northern Hemisphere (Paperback)
This book is a mine of useful information for Cosmonauts of Inner Space, as well as for those merely interested in the more arcane aspects of gardening and naturalism. The plants are listed alphabetically by their common names, with their Latin names and other names added for clarity. For instance, did you know that Asafetida, well known as a curry spice, is also known as Devils Dung? Or that Periwinkle is also known as Joy-On-The Ground? Clearly a reference to its properties as a pleasure-giving plant.There are a number of surprises in the book, and it is endlessly enlightening to find out what plants have been used for their mind altering properties in the past. Just to give one example: the writer points out that Caucasian peasants used Rhododendron for Shamanic purposes, and cites a reliable source as evidence. There are lively descriptions of each plant, its appearance and use, and warnings where appropriate. This is particularly important as some of the plants, though possibly useful as Shamanic herbs, are also highly dangerous. The style is light and approachable, easy to read and entertaining, making the book far more than just a reference work. It is also a pleasure to read. As well as the narcotic, stimulating or psychedelic properties of the plants, their medicinal uses are also listed, making the book an invaluable addition to the home-herbalists library. One finds oneself flicking through to read descriptions of plants one knows well, such as Cannabis and Peyote, just to find out what the writer has to say, which is always interesting and educative. The writer is clearly an expert in several fields, being not only an informed naturalist, an inspired horticulturalist and experimenter with odd additions to his house-plant collection, but a mystic traveller too. One feels a certain confidence in his sure-footed guidance around this obscure but fascinating area of knowledge. So whether you merely wish to browse on the subject of alchemical gardening, or prefer to experiment with free and freely available mind-altering substances, this book is a must for you. Highly recommended. CJ Stone. |
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