Drugs of the Dreaming: Oneirogens: Salvia divinorum and Other Dream Enhancing Plants »

Gianluca Toro, an environmental chemist, is the author in Italian of Animali Psicoattivi (Psychoactive Animals) and numerous articles about naturally occurring and synthetic dream-enhancing agents. He lives in Italy.

Benjamin Thomas is an independent researcher specializing in the effects of drugs and plant extracts on humans, particularly in Papua New Guinea. He has published many articles covering a wide range of subjects and lives in Australia.

This first comprehensive guide to oneirogens--naturally occurring substances that induce and enhance dreaming--details the properties and actions of these dream allies, establishing ethnobotanical profiles for 35 oneirogens, explaining the historical use of each, its method of action, and what light it sheds on the scientific mechanism of dreaming.

Foreword   Jonathan Ott     vii
Acknowledgments     ix
Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness     1
A History of Dream     16
The Oneirocosmos: Sleep and Dream Chemistry     23
Phyto-Oneirogenica: Plants     28
Ayahuasca
Brugmansia spp.
Calea zacatechichi
Casimiroa edulis
Clematis virginiana
Cymbopogon densiflorus
Cypripedium calceolus
Desfontainia spinosa
Duboisi hopwoodii
Elaeagnus sp.
Entada rheedii
Erythrina americana
Galbulimima belgraveana
Heimia salicifolia
Homalomena sp.
Hyoscyamus muticus
Kaempferia galanga
Lycopodium spp.
Mimosa hostilis
Myristica fragrans
Salvia divinorum
Scirpus sp.
Silene capensis
Turbina corymbosa
Ugni candollei
Xeromphis sp.
Oneiromagicals: Oneirogens in Ancient and Modern Magic     65
Myco-Oneirogenica: Mushrooms     78
Amanita muscaria
Psilocybian mushrooms
Lycoperdon spp.
Boletus manicus
Parasitic Mushrooms
Zoo-Oneirogenica: Animals     85
Giraffa camelopardalis
Dream Fish
Mullets
Bamboo Worm
Bromato-Oneirogenica: Foods     91
Oneiro-Chymica: Endogenous and Synthetic Compounds     95
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Psychoactive Substances     104
Oneiropoeia Tables     108
Phyto-Oneirogenica: Plants     109
Myco-Oneirogenica: Mushrooms     114
Zoo-Oneirogenica: Animals     115
Bromato-Oneirogenica: Foods     115
Oneiro-Chymica: Endogenous and Synthetic Compounds     116
Notes     118
Bibliography     121
Oneiropaedia Index of Cited Species and Compounds     132
Index     144