--- product_id: 1610373 title: "Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution" price: "$37.44" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/1610373-food-of-the-gods-the-search-for-the-original-tree store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Evolutionary timeline insight Ancient plant wisdom Deep ethnobotanical research Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution **Price:** $37.44 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 🌿 Dive deep into the roots of human consciousness and never see plants the same way again! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution - **How much does it cost?** $37.44 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/1610373-food-of-the-gods-the-search-for-the-original-tree) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Mind-Expanding Scholarship:** Dense, thorough research that rewards curious, intellectual readers. - • **A Call to Conscious Freedom:** Inspire a paradigm shift toward empathy, community, and sovereignty over the mind. - • **Unlock the Origins of Consciousness:** Explore humanity’s ancient bond with psychoactive plants and their role in evolution. - • **A Radical Reinterpretation of History:** Challenge mainstream narratives with McKenna’s revisionist look at drugs and culture. - • **From Shamanic Rituals to Modern Society:** Trace the journey from sacred plant use to today’s cultural and legal battles. ## Overview Food of the Gods by Terence McKenna is a groundbreaking exploration of humanity’s complex relationship with psychoactive plants and drugs throughout history. Combining ethnobotany, anthropology, and evolutionary theory, it argues that these substances played a pivotal role in shaping human culture, language, and consciousness. With a compelling call for renewed respect and understanding of these ancient ‘foods of the gods,’ the book challenges societal norms and invites readers to reconsider the future of human freedom and connection. ## Description “Deserves to be the modern classic on mind-altering drugs and hallucinogens.”— The Washington Post Ethnobotanist Terence Mckenna, hailed by Tom Robbins as “the most important—and most entertaining—visionary scholar in America,” explores humanity’s symbiotic relationship with spirits, tobacco, marijuana, opium, psilocybin, and more, from prehistoric times to today. Why, as a species, are humans so fascinated by altered states of consciousness? Can altered states reveal something to us about our origins and our place in nature? In Food of the Gods , Terence McKenna’s research on man’s ancient relationship with chemicals opens a doorway to the divine, and perhaps a solution for saving our troubled world. McKenna provides a revisionist look at the historical role of drugs in the East and the West, from ancient spice, sugar, and rum trades to marijuana, cocaine, synthetics, and even television—illustrating the human desire for the “food of the gods” and the powerful potential to replace abuse of illegal drugs with a shamanic understanding, insistence on community, reverence for nature, and increased self-awareness. Review: A sort of call to action; to return once more to the realm of empathy, partnership, and freedom of consciousness. - This one took me a while. And while I was reading other books during the two months that it took me to read Food of the Gods, that length of time was mostly due to the books density and depth of information. I was familiar with ethnobotanist and revered psychonaut, Terence McKenna, through his lectures, though this is my first time actually reading any of his work. Food of the Gods was a great place to start. Within, McKenna guides the reader through a history of psychedelic plants (and other indole hallucinogens) and how they affected the cultures that interacted with them. He touches on his 'stoned ape' theory, which I've always found intriguing (now more than ever), and which (if proven) would certainly indicate that the effect these ancient plants had on humankind was immense. McKenna goes on to describe the crumbling relationship humans have had with these plants and substances across thousands of years; the shift we have enacted from 'partnership societies' to the 'dominator society' in which we currently find ourselves. Thus, the book can be seen as a sort of call to action; to return once more to the realm of empathy, partnership, and freedom of consciousness which once went hand in hand with the consumption of ancient, shamanic plant substances and other consciousness-expanding drugs. McKenna is extremely verbose, and very intelligent, to the point that some sections of the book were relatively hard to understand for me, requiring a second read. Regardless, I found his arguments strong, and his research thorough and enticing. Terence and his brother Dennis are both individuals that I have looked into before as free thinkers and advocates of personal freedoms currently denied to all of us. He brings to light many things in this book that are more and more obviously astounding. Our love affair with alcohol for example, while cannabis (a proven medicinal plant) remains illegal and ostracized. He would be happy to see the progress made in that area (way to go, Canada) but nevertheless there is much work to be done; and on more than just cannabis. How can we as human beings ever claim true sovereignty over ourselves if our freedoms do not include the freedom of our own consciousness? I am reminded here at the close of Graham Hancock's TED Talk. I think that he and McKenna see eye to eye on a number of issues. I'd like to provide a link to the video here, but desertcart will not allow external URLs in reviews. I urge you to look it up yourself. This talk was actually banned by TED after its release, and removed from their content offering. Shocking, for a forum that promotes itself as forward thinking and open-minded. But more evidence that there is work to be done. A paradigm shift must occur. I look forward to reading more of McKenna's work. Review: Interesting Read and not what I expected . . . - I was a little surprised to find that this was a chronological history and academic work with plenty of references, a glossary and an index that explores the role that various psychoactive substances have played in the evolution and development of man, culture and society. I've had personal experience with most of the substances that he reviews, and I would also agree that the indole containing plant derivatives, including Psilocybin from mushrooms and the semi-synthetic LSD-25, are the most interesting in terms of their historical significance, effects and potency. The fact that the human brain has receptors that respond to these indole compounds does not seem accidental. I am personally sympathetic with many of Terrence McKenna's views, although some of those views are difficult, if not impossible, to prove or refute. It seems that one of the main points of the book is his contention that the indole ring containing psychoactive substances played a significant role in human evolution and may have played a key role in the development of language and communication. Females may have played a more important role here than males, largely because their roles in early societies required cooperation and communication. His division of cultural/societal models into the Archaic / Feminine focused model and the Dominator / Patriarchal is useful, and it might be useful to incorporate some of the old practices and values into modern day society if it is to continue to flourish. There are snippets here and there containing descriptions of psychedelic experiences of various individuals, but these are presented within the context of an academic discussion. You really have to experience that sort of thing to appreciate it anyway, but they are illustrative descriptions. There is an interesting discussion about the roles that alcohol, narcotics/opiates, tobacco, tea and coffee (all drugs) have played in recent history, as well as discussions about the impact that other more recently distributed drugs have played in society. It is probably no accident that governments and Dominator focused organizations seek to control many of these substances. The indole plant entheogens probably pose a particular threat in this regard, not because of financial or abuse considerations, but because they may hold the potential to transform society once again. ## Features - plants, drugs, food ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #25,272 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #29 in General Anthropology #35 in Substance Abuse Recovery #37 in Ecology (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 2,824 Reviews | ## Images ![Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71vjcUUwV0L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A sort of call to action; to return once more to the realm of empathy, partnership, and freedom of consciousness. *by B***D on June 22, 2018* This one took me a while. And while I was reading other books during the two months that it took me to read Food of the Gods, that length of time was mostly due to the books density and depth of information. I was familiar with ethnobotanist and revered psychonaut, Terence McKenna, through his lectures, though this is my first time actually reading any of his work. Food of the Gods was a great place to start. Within, McKenna guides the reader through a history of psychedelic plants (and other indole hallucinogens) and how they affected the cultures that interacted with them. He touches on his 'stoned ape' theory, which I've always found intriguing (now more than ever), and which (if proven) would certainly indicate that the effect these ancient plants had on humankind was immense. McKenna goes on to describe the crumbling relationship humans have had with these plants and substances across thousands of years; the shift we have enacted from 'partnership societies' to the 'dominator society' in which we currently find ourselves. Thus, the book can be seen as a sort of call to action; to return once more to the realm of empathy, partnership, and freedom of consciousness which once went hand in hand with the consumption of ancient, shamanic plant substances and other consciousness-expanding drugs. McKenna is extremely verbose, and very intelligent, to the point that some sections of the book were relatively hard to understand for me, requiring a second read. Regardless, I found his arguments strong, and his research thorough and enticing. Terence and his brother Dennis are both individuals that I have looked into before as free thinkers and advocates of personal freedoms currently denied to all of us. He brings to light many things in this book that are more and more obviously astounding. Our love affair with alcohol for example, while cannabis (a proven medicinal plant) remains illegal and ostracized. He would be happy to see the progress made in that area (way to go, Canada) but nevertheless there is much work to be done; and on more than just cannabis. How can we as human beings ever claim true sovereignty over ourselves if our freedoms do not include the freedom of our own consciousness? I am reminded here at the close of Graham Hancock's TED Talk. I think that he and McKenna see eye to eye on a number of issues. I'd like to provide a link to the video here, but Amazon will not allow external URLs in reviews. I urge you to look it up yourself. This talk was actually banned by TED after its release, and removed from their content offering. Shocking, for a forum that promotes itself as forward thinking and open-minded. But more evidence that there is work to be done. A paradigm shift must occur. I look forward to reading more of McKenna's work. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting Read and not what I expected . . . *by S***. on August 25, 2013* I was a little surprised to find that this was a chronological history and academic work with plenty of references, a glossary and an index that explores the role that various psychoactive substances have played in the evolution and development of man, culture and society. I've had personal experience with most of the substances that he reviews, and I would also agree that the indole containing plant derivatives, including Psilocybin from mushrooms and the semi-synthetic LSD-25, are the most interesting in terms of their historical significance, effects and potency. The fact that the human brain has receptors that respond to these indole compounds does not seem accidental. I am personally sympathetic with many of Terrence McKenna's views, although some of those views are difficult, if not impossible, to prove or refute. It seems that one of the main points of the book is his contention that the indole ring containing psychoactive substances played a significant role in human evolution and may have played a key role in the development of language and communication. Females may have played a more important role here than males, largely because their roles in early societies required cooperation and communication. His division of cultural/societal models into the Archaic / Feminine focused model and the Dominator / Patriarchal is useful, and it might be useful to incorporate some of the old practices and values into modern day society if it is to continue to flourish. There are snippets here and there containing descriptions of psychedelic experiences of various individuals, but these are presented within the context of an academic discussion. You really have to experience that sort of thing to appreciate it anyway, but they are illustrative descriptions. There is an interesting discussion about the roles that alcohol, narcotics/opiates, tobacco, tea and coffee (all drugs) have played in recent history, as well as discussions about the impact that other more recently distributed drugs have played in society. It is probably no accident that governments and Dominator focused organizations seek to control many of these substances. The indole plant entheogens probably pose a particular threat in this regard, not because of financial or abuse considerations, but because they may hold the potential to transform society once again. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fun read *by D***N on November 9, 2025* Love reading concepts like this. Very fascinating and thought provoking ## Frequently Bought Together - Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution - True Hallucinations: Being an Account of the Author's Extraordinary Adventures in the Devil's Paradise - The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/1610373-food-of-the-gods-the-search-for-the-original-tree](https://www.desertcart.us/products/1610373-food-of-the-gods-the-search-for-the-original-tree) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-07-11*