Strange Fruit: Alchemy, Religion and Magical Foods; A Speculative History

Chapter One is titled, "A Brief Explanation Of An Unusual Book" and indeed it is an unusual book. Following Wasson's lead, Heinrich offers much evidence that entheogenic plants are, in fact, the philosopher's stone, the golden path to the experience of divinity. Text after text, from various religious traditions, are examined and analysed and found quite suggestive of an interpretaion that our religious forefathers were nibbling, nay, gobbling visionary plants. While most of the world's great religious traditions are looked at, it is the Judeo-Christian traditions that receive the most attention. Many of Heinrich's Biblical interpretations are controversial and probably offensive to many Christians, but for those with an open mind there is much food for thought.

"The informed use of entheogenic, consciousness-enhancing plants and drugs presents a direct and powerful challenge to any system that seeks to spoon-feed the masses with false ideals of nationalism, racism, sexism or pre-digested religion, and this is precisely the reason they have been criminalized."

Lavishly illustrated with drawings, prints, and color plates this is an interesting and attractive book deserving of the attention of entheobotanists and students of religion alike.