Works by
Richard Evans Schultes
(Writer)
[January 12, 1915 - April 10, 2001]

Books

• Ethnobotany: Evolution of a Discipline (1995), Richard Evans Schultes and Siri von Reis, eds.
  Published on the 100th anniversary of the science of ethnobotany, this volume provides a comprehensive summary of the history and current state of the field. The 36 articles present a truly global perspective on the theory and practice of today's ethnobotany.

• The Healing Forest: Medicinal and Toxic Plants of the Northwest Amazonia (1990) by Richard Evans Schultes and and Robert F. Raffauf
  This definitive book represents the life's work of the late Richard Evans Schultes, one of the fathers of modern ethnobotany and the greatest plant explorer of our age, including nearly 50 years of field research in the Northwest Amazon.

• Vine of the Soul: Medicine Men, Their Plants and Rituals in the Colombian Amazonia (1992, 2004) by Richard Evans Schultes and Robert F. Raffauf
  Imagine a world where healing with plants takes place daily, and where ritual and magic are as much a part of normal life as sitting down to a meal. This is the enchanting world that we are introduced to in Vine of the Soul: Medicine Men, Their Plants and Rituals in the Columbian Amazonia; it is a world which was threatened by extinction back in 1941 when the author, Dr. Richard Evans Schultes, first began his 14-year-long visit, and it is threatened even more today. In fact, its 1941 version could already be said to be extinct.
  
  Vine of the Soul is a collection of essays and photographs (more than 160) depicting life in the Amazon rainforest during the years that Schultes lived there. While Schultes, who proved to have a great eye for lighting, composition and subject matter, took the photos himself, the essays are co-authored by botanist extraordinaire Robert F. Raffauf. As plants are a priority for the indigenous peoples of the rainforest just as they are for Schultes and Raffauf plants and the people who use them (particularly medicine men, or payés) constitute much of the subject matter. Schultes learned a great deal from his indigenous mentors; he collected more than 20,000 specimens, discovered some 300 species new to science, and chronicled more than 2000 medicinal plants which are in use (many of them saving lives) in the pharmaceutical world today. But he also learned something more. For the indigenous people, plants are not only for healing but also and perhaps more importantly for leaving behind the ordinary world and connecting to the spiritual world. Vine of the Soul, in fact, is a translation for Ayahuasaca, the preferred sacred plant for most payés and the one most likely to link them to their mystical past. When a payé returns from this kind of excursion, he brings back with him information that is useful for his tribe: everything from plant prescriptions to information on births and deaths to choice building sites, to messages from ancestors. And while the payé is generally the only one to enter the supernatural world at this level, trancelike states induced with less potent plants provide more ordinary folk with spiritual access as well. In addition to their spellbinding relationship with plants, we learn about the myths, arts, dances, festivals, jewelry, clothing and social habits of the many tribes that Schultes (who had learned seven indigenous languages by the time he left) encountered. The book, which is a companion title to Where the Gods Reign is destined to be remain the most consequential work on this subject matter.

• Where the Gods Reign: Plants and Peoples of the Colombian Amazon (1988)
  While the core of Vine of the Soul (the companion book to Where the Gods Reign, is the Amazonian plant life and the indigenous people s uses for it, Where the Gods Reign focuses primarily on the people themselves though of course, Schultz (who was dubbed the father of ethnobotany by Prince Philip himself) is first and foremost a botanist and plants do figure into the mix: Schultes describes devil s gardens empty patches in the otherwise thick forests where, for no apparent (or scientific) reason, nothing will grow with the same precision and wonderment with which he discusses the many plants that grow upon other plants in their effort to get their share of the sun...and much more. But in this fine volume he begins with information about the histories of the various tribes and the lay of the lands on which they live; savannahs, dense forests, quartzite cliffs, sandstone mountains and caves and thunderous waterfalls are all accounted for; and all of his lyrical essays are accompanied by stunning black and white photographs. (There are over 140 photos in the book.) Schultes is often poetic here as well, describing not only the geography but, often, the exquisite emotions one experiences observing it in different seasons or different times of the day. Likewise, Schultes describes the people lovingly. He delights in their ability to be happy in spite of poverty, sickness, and, particularly in the case of the women, very hard work. He marvels at their relationships with animals, many of which they tame, so that their homes are surrounded by birds, monkeys, deer, and even boa constrictors (which live in the rafters and keep the mice and rat populations at bay). He marvels that while the children are almost never punished and enjoy a high degree of freedom (especially the boys), they show great respect for their elders as well as a great curiosity and appreciation for their surroundings. Schultes pleasure in the land and its people is our pleasure. He is a remarkable scientist and a most eloquent guide. Reading Where the Gods Reign is probably as close as most of us will ever get to the kind of experience Schultes had staying in Amazon basin and learning about the many very different alternatives to living a life. But one can t help but long for that experience too. The book threatens to make explorers out of all of us and a reader can t help but be disheartened upon remembering that there is not much left to explore. Where the Gods Reign is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the extraordinary history of the people of the Amazon rainforests.

• Botanical Museums and Gardens and Their Role in Conservation of Germ Plasm (1983)

• The Glass Flowers at Harvard (1982) by Richard Evans Schultes and William A. Davis with Hillel Burger, Photographer

• Coca in the Northwest Amazon (1980)

• The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens (1980, 1991) by Albert Hofmann and Richard Evans Schultes
  The Second Edition of this book encompasses all of the advances that have been made in this field since publication of the original text. Newly discovered hallucinogenic plants have been incorporated into the discussions along with new information on some well-known drugs. The authors continue to focus on the botany and chemistry of hallucinogens, although they also consider ethnobotanical, historical, pharmacological and psychological aspects. Initial chapters delineate definition, botanical distribution, and structural types of hallucinogenic plants. Plants of known, possible and dubious hallucinogenic potential are then covered in separate sections. The bibliography for this new edition has been enlarged to accommodate all of the recent activity in botanical and chemical investigation of psychoactive plants. Readers will also appreciate the excellent illustrations that accompany the text.

• Evolution of the Identification of the Myristicaceous Hallucinogens of South America (1979)

• Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers (1979, 2001) by Albert Hoffman, Christian Rätsch, and Richard Evans Schultes
  Three scientific titans join forces to completely revise the classic text on the ritual uses of psychoactive plants. They provide a fascinating testimony of these "plants of the gods," tracing their uses throughout the world and their significance in shaping culture and history. In the traditions of every culture, plants have been highly valued for their nourishing, healing, and transformative properties. The most powerful of those plants, which are known to transport the human mind into other dimensions of consciousness, have always been regarded as sacred. The authors detail the uses of hallucinogens in sacred shamanic rites while providing lucid explanations of the biochemistry of these plants and the cultural prayers, songs, and dances associated with them. The text is lavishly illustrated with 400 rare photographs of plants, people, ceremonies, and art related to the ritual use of the world's sacred psychoactive flora.

• Albert Frederick Hill (1889-1977) and Economic Botany  (1977)

• Avenues for Future Ethnobotanical Research Into New World Hallucinogens and Their Uses (1977)

• Evolution of the Identification of the Major South American Narcotic Plants (1977)

• The Botanical and Chemical Distribution of  Hallucinogens  (1977)

• A Golden Guide Hallucinogenic Plants (1976) with Elmer W. Smith, Illustrator

• Hallucinogenic Plants (1976)

• The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens (1973) by Albert Hofmann and Richard Evans Schultes

• From Witch Doctor to Modern Medicine: Searching the American Tropics for Potentially New Medicinal Plants (1972)

• The Ethnotoxicologal Significance of Additives to New World hallucinogens (1972)

• Hallucinogens of Plant Origin (1969)

• The Botanical Origins of South American Snuffs (1967)

• Botanical Sources of the New World Narcotics (1963)

• Generic Names of Orchids: Their Origin and Meaning (1963)

• Etymologists Loose Amongst the Orchids (1960)

• Native Orchids Of Trinidad And Tabago (1960)

• The Identity of the Malpighiaceous Narcotics of South America (1957)

• A Contribution to Our Knowledge of Rivea corymbosa -- The Narcotic Ololinqui of the Aztecs (1941)

See also:

• The Lost Amazon: The Photographic Journey of Richard Evans Schultes (2004) by Wade Davis with Richard Schultes, Photorgrapher
  Richard Evans Schultes was probably the greatest explorer of the Amazon, and regarded among anthropologists and seekers alike as the "father of ethnobotany." Taking what was meant to be a short leave from Harvard in 1941, he surveyed the Amazon basin almost continuously for twelve years, during which time he lived among two dozen different Indian tribes, mapped rivers, secretly sought sources of rubber for the US government during WWII, and collected and classified 30,000 botanical specimens, including 2,000 new medicinal plants. Schultes chronicled his stay there in hundreds of remarkable photographs of the tribes and the land, evocative of the great documentary photographers such as Edward Sheriff Curtis. Published to coincide with a traveling exhibition to debut at the Govinda Gallery in Washington, D.C., The Lost Amazon is the first major publication to examine the work of Dr. Schultes, as seen through his photographs and field notes. With text by Schultes's protege and fellow explorer, Wade Davis, this impressive document takes armchair travelers where they've never gone before.

• Pre-Columbian Plant Migration (1984), Doris Stone, ed.
  With articles by Anna Roosevelt, Barbara Pickersgill, Ghillean T. Prance, Jorge Leon, Richard I. Ford, Richard Evans Schultes, Robert McK. Bird, and Timothy Plowman