Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution

Product Details

For the first time in trade paperback, the critically acclaimed counterculture manifesto by the wildly popular McKenna. "Deserves to be a modern classic on mind-altering drugs and hallucinogens."--The Washington Post. Photos and illustrations.

• ISBN13: 9780553371307
• Condition: New
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Customer Reviews ::

Food of the Gods - Cwn_Annwn - Copenhagen, Denmark
I have listened to several lectures and interviews by and with McKenna but this is the first book by him I have read. With McKenna there are always things I agree with, disagree with, think to myself well maybe and some things I write off as sheer kookery but I always found him and his ideas interesting.

There is a lot I totally or partially disagree with in this. He really pushes his theory that early man injesting Psilocybin mushrooms caused the brain to evolve to a state where man was able to have language, imagination and creativity. I feel like this theory is vaguely possible but extremely sketchy. For one thing I believe the white race is effected differently than non whites by psycheldelics. Plus whites have much more powerful imaginations and the ability to create both in and out of their heads. Before the brainwashed hippy types that read McKennas books start pointing fingers and condemning me for saying this I've read stuff where even these South American Indian shamans that guide white people through Ayhuasca sessions have said they believe that it effects whites differently than other races. I'm also not into how McKenna for a guy that thinks outside the box still blindly accepts the out of Africa theory for the origins of humanity.

McKenna is big on Psilocybin Mushrooms and Ayhuasca/DMT. I have experience with mushrooms but none with Ayhuasca/DMT but I think these can be a gateway but are not the "Tree of Knowledge" as he calls it. He also doesn't promote Cannabis (the true "tree of knowledge" if there is such a thing) enough. He also doesn't condemn hard drugs like Heroin, Cocaine and Methamphetamine enough. I also think he should give a strong caution about heavy psychedelics. People often aren't quite prepared for what they are in for. While I'm not against people using Mushrooms, Peyote or Ayhuasca I also don't think everybody is cut out for using them. These are not casual or party drugs.

All those criticisms aside I did enjoy Food of the Gods. He really nails down the truth on what a brain numbing and dumbing down drug television is and has lots of interesting ideas. Like I said I don't always agree with McKenna but he's always interesting.