Vine of the Soul is an exceptional photographic essay accompanied by detailed descriptions of the Amazon Indians’ use of medicinal and other sacred plant substances. Over 160 documentary photos — some of the most significant ever taken on the subject — bring the reader along a journey in which healing with plants is the norm, and ritual and magic play an essential role in everyday life.
Richard Evans Schultes, former Director of the Botanical Museum of Harvard University, led an extraordinary life that bridged the worlds of academia and tribal cultures. Carrying out extensive field studies since 1939 as an ethnobotanist and conservationist, Schultes received acclaim including the Cross of Boyacá (Colombia’s highest honor), the Tyler Prize for environmental achievement, and the Linnean Gold Medal — the highest prize a botanist can receive.
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Why this book matters
- Over 160 documentary photographs — among the most significant ever taken of Amazonian plant medicine traditions — make this a visually extraordinary record
- Written by Richard Evans Schultes, the father of modern ethnobotany and one of the most decorated field scientists of the 20th century
- Documents the sacred plant knowledge of Amazon Indians with the rigor of a Harvard botanist and the reverence of a lifelong witness
- A rare bridge between academic ethnobotany and the living, breathing reality of Amazonian healing cultures
- An essential companion to Where the Gods Reign and a cornerstone of the ethnobotanical canon
