History of Psychedelics: An Overview Available to Purchase

This article offers an overview of the history of substances, plants, and fungi later classified as psychedelic. Drawing from archeological, anthropological, botanical, and clinical claims about the risks and benefits of psychedelics, this historical survey emphasizes diverse attempts to make sense of these mind‐altering experiences. It tracks early efforts to harness the properties of psychedelic substances in ceremonial and clinical settings, before the war on drugs in the latter part of the twentieth century changed the script on psychedelic explorations and the characterization of those who sought out these non‐ordinary states.