Magic Medicine: A Trip Through the Intoxicating History and Modern-Day Use of Psychedelic Plants and Substances

Cody Johnson beautifully balances historical knowledge with cutting-edge science to produce a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening read which paints a holistic picture of the risks and benefits of psychedelic use in modern day medicine and culture. --Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). The history of psychedelic plants and substances is full of colorful, fascinating facts and stories, and intriguing questions. Did the CIA really use LSD as an enhanced military interrogation technique? Was Santa Claus really inspired by a hallucinogenic mushroom from Siberia? How can MDMA (Ecstasy) help people recover from trauma? Science is beginning to research what traditional cultures have told us for centuries: psychedelics have transformative healing properties. Many psychedelic plants and substances have a long history of being incorporated into various healing traditions -- such as cannabis in Traditional Chinese Medicine and ayahuasca in Peru. Magic Medicine explores the fascinating history of psychedelic substances and provides a contemporary update about their growing inclusion modern medicine, science, and culture.