A fascinating book, particularly the stuff about caffeine which is a substance I struggle to do without! I hadn't heard of mescaline. The opium parts were interesting too, particularly as I have resorted to taking opiates in the past (legally) to help with pain. However, whilst this was interesting, I did at times find the writing style just a little heavy-going.

My thanks to Penguin U.K. Allen Lane for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘This Is Your Mind on Plants: Opium—Caffeine—Mescaline’ by Michael Pollan in exchange for an honest review.

This proved a fascinating blend of history, science, memoir and participatory journalism. Pollan has a refreshing, down-to-Earth approach to the subject with even the title making the point that all three of these psychoactive substances are derived from plants and therefore naturally occurring rather than synthetic.

He discusses the complex legal status in the United States that is associated with the poppies that produce opium and the cacti from which mescaline is derived. Having caffeine in between the two more controversial substances was quite clever as obviously it is legal to buy and consume. He highlighted the fact that an addiction to caffeine via consumption of tea, coffee, and cola is considered quite socially acceptable.

The history associated with all three substances was especially interesting to me. I had more familiarity with the historical background of opium and mescaline but knew almost nothing about caffeine apart from the rise of coffee shops in the 17th-18th centuries. That tea shops and the concept of afternoon tea also had a cultural impact had passed me by. The main text is rounded out with a select bibliography and index.

With respect to the audiobook, I feel that works of nonfiction are well suited to the audio format especially when combined with reading. I seem to absorb more information this way. In addition, having the author as its narrator stressed what a personal account this was.

Overall, an informative and thought provoking book. I am definitely interested in reading more of Michael Pollan’s work.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Opium - Caffeine - Mescaline
This book is set out into three separate sections that explore these plants and their very different effect on the brain.
I love Michael Pollan's work; while this is a very introspective piece with vivid details of his experiences, I find that he explains the science and culture behind these plants very well.
I really enjoyed this book and think it's one that I would read again in the future!

[I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]

Michael Pollan’s book brings together the history of the three substances opium, caffeine and mescaline and some of the science behind their influence on the human brain, as well as his personal experiences with these substances.

The book was well-researched and included many interesting facts. I didn’t know much about mescaline, so that was an interesting section for me. I already had prior knowledge of caffeine’s effect on the brain and body and having read an ARC of ‘Why we sleep’ , the effect on sleep.

Much of the discussion of legality and the evolution of people’s attitudes and the legal standpoint was specific to the United States. The book also contains lengthy sections on Pollan’s own experience with the substances, which could have been summarised more and made the book shorter. For example, a long section focused on how Pollan tried to obtain poppy seeds without attracting the authorities’ attention, how he planted and grew the poppies and then made tea from them.
I have always been interested in plants and spent weekends of my childhood in botanical gardens and everyone in my family loves to garden, but the gardening sections in the book could have been kept shorter.

I didn’t mind the discussion of changing legality of drugs- which, if you work at a university, is ever-present. I think for me, the bottom line is how an ‘addiction’ to a ‘mind-altering’ substance affects the person physically and mentally long-term, as well as their surroundings.

This is a fascinating in-depth study of man's relationship with three substances, opium, mescalin and coffee. For me, by far the most interesting was coffee. I had never before considered its role in changing the way people work by increasing productivity. And as a gardener I try and try to grow poppies which are not happy in my garden. so it was interesting to read that this flower, so desirable for its colour and form, should be the target of the authorities in America as if everybody growing it were a potential drug dealer.

This is Your Mind on Plants is a fascinating, open-minded and thought-provoking exploration of three different psychoactive drugs: opium, caffeine and mescaline. What's is interesting about these three drugs being discussed is that Pollan has chosen one substance that is illegal (without prescription), one substance that is socially accepted, even normalised for everyday use and perfectly legal and one that is interestingly a mix of the two; Pollan explains how mescaline is legal for use in Native American tribes but only as part of their long-held customs and traditions.

Interestingly, as he points out, it is the individuals who are ingesting it that alters whether mescaline is licit or illicit rather than the drug itself. He begins by exploring opium, its history and both the taboos and praise it has garnered. The narrative is a mix of science, reportage and personal anecdotes, and although I wasn't entirely sure about this concoction initially, it worked exceptionally well to illustrate his points. In terms of opium, he starts at the logical place—the hugely overblown and politically-motivated War on Drugs and intermingling experiences he himself has had over the years including with something as simple as wanting to cultivate poppies.

He addresses the social, political, cultural and economic-based circumstances that surround these substances as well as their history and the perceived benefits and drawbacks of their usage but also examines how they often have an impact both on an individual and societal level. Pollan has penned another interesting, informative and fearlessly honest book and an accessible and absorbing set of three case studies for three very different drugs. It's always a pleasure to see an expert who is wise to society’s demonisation of certain substances and the moral panic politicians can often stir up around them for their own ends. Highly recommended.

Gifts, challenges and chemistry in ‘humble’ plants: Teachers, enablers, punishers

Pollan is my favourite author on food, plants and more. Always writing about far more than the superficial information on his subject matter, he explores, engagingly, creatively and deeply, the wider issues around his subject matter

He is a non-fiction writer who does something I always appreciate – explores his subject matter objectively, like the good journalist he is, but also personally engages with it, observing the effects of what he writes about, experientially

In this book – a kind of follow on to his decidedly trippy ‘How to change your Mind, the New Science of Psychedelics’ he looks in detail at 3 compounds naturally produced by palnts – opium, caffeine and mescaline. Each belongs to a different class of ‘pharmaceutical psychological drug types – a sedative of the central nervous system/analgesic drug, a stimulant of the central nervous system, and a psychedelic.

Of the five botanicals which produce these compounds, 2 have complex relationships with legality – Papaver somnaferum, the Opium Poppy, and Lophophora williamsii the Peyote Cactus. The third mind altering chemical which probably most of the world consumes without even thinking that their minds are under its influence, is found in three plants which have, or have had, major political, economic and ethical trading issues associated with their success – Coffea arabica, Camellia sinensis, Theobroma cacao. Coffee, Tea, Chocolate

He is a keen horticulturist/gardener – in the section on Opium he explores the confusing and somewhat scary fact that the growth of an attractive plant in many gardens became illegal. It is in some ways a dialogue between aesthetics and law enforcement.

The history of caffeine has of course been very successful for the plants which contain it – although at one time in the UK, coffee houses were seen as highly dangerous, because its denizens were often free-thinkers and seen as revolutionary seditionists. Pollan is fascinating on the different cultural image associated with coffee and tea, the latter, taking route in the East as part of a spiritual practice, associated with meditation, grace and refinement – tea-drinking ceremonies, and, in the West, feminine gatherings, whilst coffee, with its higher quantity of stimulating caffeine supports the workings of capital – greater efficiency in the workplace!

Finally, and the section probably which fascinated me most, because of the strange tension between ‘liberal views’ (which I hold) and the knotty issues of cultural appropriation, and the rights of indigenous people to the ownership of a plant which has sacred history for them – peyote, is an examination of mescaline.

This section presents in some ways the starkest contrasts between the way other cultures have related to powerful plants which are approached with respect – this includes tobacco, and the misuse/abuse which results from cultures demanding more instant gratification, always, of everything.

This particular section also, so powerfully linked to everything connecting to our stewardship – or lack of it – and relationship with the very fragile planet we inhabit, and those generations to come who need us to live rightly now, in order for them to live at all.

Gratitude, always, for Pollan’s powerful writing, and thankyou to the publishers, and NetGalley for my digital ARC

The book is fascinating. I have a life long interest in plants (which resulted in a degree in plant biology and genetics), though only a theoretical knowledge of psychotropic/ psychedelic plant substances! My interest in plants was kindled as a very young child by my father - who clearly thought that if his children were going to roam wild in rural Dorset, they ought to know which plants were poisonous and which were safe if handled respectfully. The idea that a plant could be a thing of beauty, a source of food, a source of medicine and an organism which helped renew the soil and assist the overall ecosystem took root early. I'm not sure how Pollan got into plants but the way he speaks about them echoes my own feelings and thoughts. There is as much poetry in the science when you know it as there is feeling in the poetry surrounding plants.



This book focuses on mind altering substances derived from prepared plants. Pollan has not been shy about experimenting either - something which I have never really wanted to do. Specifically, these substances change how you, the ingestor of said plant, perceive reality. Weaving together strands of history, culture, law and religion, Pollan looks at the human fascination with being able to take short trips to Wonderland. He does not obfuscate the perils nor does he downplay the benefits. There's certainly a lot of evidence that psychedelics can assist with a number of mental issues such as PTSD and depression. Finally, he discusses the questionable practice of making some plant substances illegal and calling them 'drugs' when very similar, potentially more harmful substances are manufactured, licensed and sold enriching Big Pharma. The law around these substances is idiosyncratic, capricious and badly enforced. And ultimately futile because it is a war on human desire. While laws such as those that protect Native American rights with regard to Peyote must remain in place, other laws are somewhat asinine. I am curious to find out what the corresponding situation is here in UK (although we don't really have the climate for growing Peyote!)



Overall a fascinating book, told in an accessible and engaging manner. Very enjoyable. Highly recommend if you have an interest in this area

This Is Your Mind On Plants encouraged me to question the whole concept of what is and what isn't a drug. It questioned how I see caffeine and opium, and introduced me to mescaline, which I wasn't aware of.

I was less keen on the opium section, although I still found it interesting; I found that there was a lot of discussion of what is and is not legal, when I was more interested in, for example, Pollan's experiments to grow the poppies and make an infusion, and his experience of drinking this, as well as the history of our relationship with opium.

I really enjoyed the section on caffeine, possibly because I am familiar with this and it is such an everyday drug, and this book really opened my eyes to the politics of caffeine.

I was also surprised that there was not an epilogue of some kind to tie the three sections together.

This is Your Mind on Plants is a thoughtful, informative exploration of three plants and their effects on the human mind, as well as our history, society and culture.

It feels a little disjointed in places, reading more like three separate essays on a theme rather than cohesive long-form nonfiction, and I was a little confused at the absence of an epilogue to tie it all together. But the individual sections themselves are interesting, and I enjoyed the blend of journalistic memoir, psychology and history.

This is your mind on plants - Michael Pollan

Wasn’t either good or bad. In parts informative and cleverly written, just not my type of book. Thanks for the opportunity to read this.

This is your Mind on Plants is an.interesting book about three different plant-based mind-altering drugs.

The text is free ranging, covering many aspects of each substance, from the effect on the human mind to horticulture, to the vastly different government attitudes to each drug. I found the analysis of the US government’s War on Drugs since the 1990s to be particularly interesting, as the author had quite a bit of first hand knowledge. I appreciated the author’s commitment to his book which meant that he gave up caffeine for over a month, which is something I wouldn’t want to do myself!

The audiobook was read by the author and I enjoyed his pleasant American accent and relaxed pace. The only thing I missed from the audiobook was the footnotes.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a pre-release copy of both the text and the audio in exchange for honest feedback.

Really interesting, well written and nicely structured. I had already read 'Why We Sleep' so I didn't find that section as interesting.

More than the effects of caffeine, mescaline and opium, Pollan recounts their evolution and the history of their use by the first people who used them up to the present day. Personally, I was a bit bored.

Piú che degli effetti della caffeina, della mescalina e dell'oppio, Pollan ne racconta la loro evoluzione e la storia dei loro usi nei primi popoli che li usarono fino ai giorni d'oggi. Personalmente mi ha un po' annoiato.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

Michael Pollan examines human reliance on plants to alter our consciousness, and why coffee and tea are considered acceptable (yet still as addictive in the case of coffee) and opium is not.
Pollan argues that the war on drugs has prevented discussion of the nature and potential of plants such as mescaline and opium by placing them with other more dangerous drugs. Psychoactive drugs, Pollan maintains, provide a link to nature through their use which we are in danger of losing.
Taking three plants - opium, caffeine and mescaline - through Pollan’s experimentation with each. He also examines their history, social impact and effects.
Pollan writes in an easy, relaxed “semi-stoner” style and this book is a joy to read.