This Is Your Mind on Plants audiobook cover - Examining the Human Attraction to Consciousness Altering Plants

This Is Your Mind on Plants

Examining the Human Attraction to Consciousness Altering Plants

Michael Pollan

★ 4.3 / 5(312 ratings)
Start ListeningDownload App
Categories:
HistoryNature & the EnvironmentPsychologySociety & Culture

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

Listen to This Is Your Mind on Plants — Free Audiobook

Loading player...

Key Takeaways from This Is Your Mind on Plants

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from This Is Your Mind on Plants

Mind Map

This Is Your Mind on Plants
The Nature of Drugs+
Opium (The Poppy)+
Caffeine (Coffee & Tea)+
Mescaline (Cacti)+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
According to the book, why is caffeine generally accepted by society while other psychoactive substances are often prohibited?
  • A. It is the only psychoactive substance that does not build physical dependence.
  • B. It aligns with society’s goals, such as productivity and clear thinking.
  • C. It is a naturally occurring plant derivative rather than a synthetic chemical.
  • D. It has been proven to have absolutely no negative biological side effects.
Question 2 of 8
What 1996 event does the text identify as the catalyst for the modern opioid crisis?
  • A. The implementation of mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.
  • B. The publication of Jim Hogshire's controversial book 'Opium for the Masses'.
  • C. Purdue Pharma's aggressive marketing of the slow-release opiate Oxycontin.
  • D. The sudden legalization of poppy cultivation for personal use in the United States.
Question 3 of 8
When it comes to cultivating ordinary opium poppies in a home garden, what specific factor primarily determines a gardener's legal culpability?
  • A. The specific species and color of the poppy planted.
  • B. The quantity of poppy pods harvested in a single season.
  • C. Whether the gardener possesses the knowledge of how to turn the plants into a narcotic.
  • D. Whether the gardener attempts to sell the poppy seeds to a third party.
Question 4 of 8
From an evolutionary perspective, why do plants like coffee and tea produce low doses of caffeine?
  • A. To provide an internal energy reserve for the plant during periods of drought.
  • B. To attract and hook pollinators like bees on their nectar.
  • C. To instantly kill any insect or predator that attempts to eat their leaves.
  • D. To accelerate the plant's photosynthesis process in low-light environments.
Question 5 of 8
How did the introduction of coffee to Europe influence society during the Enlightenment and the rise of capitalism?
  • A. It replaced alcohol as the primary daily beverage, fostering lucid thought and enabling non-traditional work hours.
  • B. It caused widespread insomnia that temporarily collapsed the European industrial workforce.
  • C. It was strictly reserved for religious ceremonies, greatly increasing the political power of the church.
  • D. It encouraged magical thinking and a strict return to sun-based agricultural rhythms.
Question 6 of 8
How does caffeine function neurologically to prevent us from feeling sleepy?
  • A. It directly produces synthetic energy calories within the brain's cortex.
  • B. It increases the production of low-frequency brain waves during waking hours.
  • C. It blocks receptors intended to bind with adenosine, a chemical that slows down neuron firing.
  • D. It permanently destroys adenosine molecules circulating in the bloodstream.
Question 7 of 8
How does the neuroscience concept of 'predictive coding' help explain the overwhelming effects of mescaline?
  • A. Mescaline speeds up the brain's ability to predict the future, causing severe anxiety about upcoming events.
  • B. Mescaline shuts down all external sensory input, forcing the brain to rely entirely on internal guesses.
  • C. Mescaline opens the floodgates of sensory information, making it impossible for the brain to rely on its usual predictive guesses to filter reality.
  • D. Mescaline forces the brain to only focus on past memories, completely detaching the user from their present environment.
Question 8 of 8
Historically, why did the peyote religion survive into the modern era while the Ghost Dance movement was violently suppressed by authorities?
  • A. The peyote religion was practiced exclusively by white settlers who protected it.
  • B. The Ghost Dance was an ecstatic, highly visible ritual that terrified authorities, whereas the peyote religion was sedate and hidden inside teepees.
  • C. The peyote religion completely removed the use of any psychoactive substances from its rituals to comply with the law.
  • D. The Ghost Dance relied on the San Pedro cactus, which went entirely extinct in North America.

This Is Your Mind on Plants — Full Chapter Overview

This Is Your Mind on Plants Summary & Overview

This Is Your Mind on Plants (2021) is a vivid, intricate probe into the history, chemistry, and effects of three plant-derived drugs: opium, caffeine, and mescaline. These substances – a sedative, a stimulant, and a hallucinogen – represent a large part of the human experience with drugs. It’s time to shed new light on how they’ve shaped our histories, cultures, and minds.

Who Should Listen to This Is Your Mind on Plants?

  • Psychonauts and introspective thinkers
  • Botanists, plant lovers, and science geeks
  • Anyone interested in the history of the US war on drugs and its effects

About the Author: Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan is a journalist, author, and writing instructor at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley. He’s written eight books, six of which were New York Times best sellers, including How to Change Your Mind, The Botany of Desire, and In Defense of Food. In 2010, he was listed in Time magazine’s list of the hundred most influential people in the world.

🎧
Listen in the AppOffline playback & background play
Get App