Vine of the Soul

Robert F. Raffauf spent 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry concentrating on the search for novel medicinal agents from natural sources, which included several expeditions to Amazon with Dr. Schultes. He was a fellow of the Linnean Society of London, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Research Associate of the Botanical Museum of Harvard University. Richard Evans Schultes is known as the father of contemporary ethnobotany, he carried out extensive field studies, particularly in the Amazon. He received numerous awards including the Cross of Boyaca, Colombia’s highest honor, and the annual Gold Medal of the World Wildlife Fund. In 1987 he received the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and in 1992 he was awarded the Linnean Gold Medal, the highest award a botanist can receive. Dr. Schultes was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Linnean Society of London, three Latin American Academies, the Academy of India, and the Third World Academy of Sciences.

“Quite simply a masterpiece. . . . Vine of the Soul deserves to be read by everyone interested in rainforests, indigenous peoples, shamanism, hallucinogens, ethnomedicine and conservation.” –Mark Plotkin, President, Amazon Conservation Team“Even to look at the book’s cover . . . conjures up, well, another world! The giant Ayahuasca vine hanging the length of the Great Tree . . . with the deep green rainforest jungle as backdrop, teeming with . . . dangers and delights! Adventures! Unpredictabilities! Nothing ever standing still! Surprises teeming around every corner. Vine of the Soul contains some of the most significant photographs on this subject ever taken plus detailed descriptions of the use of plant substances, with information on their bioactive chemistry. This is a book you’ll go back to throughout your life.” –Fraser Clark, UP! magazine, Parallel University“Vine of the Soul is replete with synergism. The inclusion of the preface by Wade Davis, a former student of Dr. Schultes, and a dedication in the fore-material is a welcome addition to the second edition. All writing in the book . . . complements the scholarship and the incredible photographs, making the whole better than the separate parts. Each segment fits the other like hand and glove, as smoothly as heavy cream pouring from a pitcher. Synergetic Press is to be commended for publishing Vine of the Soul. It will be useful and appreciated by many at all levels . . . is a highly recommended book.” –Willard Van Asdall, retired professor, University of Arizona, former editor, Journal of Ethnobiology