In all civilisations everywhere, the hallucinogenic properties of certain plants have been a source of fascination. ey were tested particularly during more or less occult spiritual ceremo- nies. Shamans and sorcerers used trances, produced by hallucinogenicere has been a linkplants, between to enter plants into and spiritualitycontact with throughout a higher history being. and in all civilisations. Plants act as messengers, symbols, channels for good or evil, they make manifest our relation to the spiritual and to the divine. ey are at the origin of beliefs, they feature in prayers and worship and both poly- and monotheist pagan ceremonies. eir medicinal or deadly powers reinforce the symbolic beliefs which underlie our use of them. ese powers and the technical and aesthetic complexity of plants, coupled with their longevity, resistance and adaptation, are oen dicult to explain scientically simply by evolution. is may be why they oer unparalleled spiritual enlightenment. eir roles in the landscape and the perfect functional beauty of wild nature have oen reinforced and transcended the sense of a founding divine presence behind the creative forces of nature. e use of psychotropic plants dates back to the beginnings of mankind and they have always held an important place in religious belief and practice in all societies and throughout the world. Alterations in thought, perception and /or mood is produced by the plants in those who use them. We have set out to tell you about the place of plants in our world in relation to the divine, sacred and spiritual in whatever form or of whatever importance. We do this with respect even if certain beliefs and rites oend our social, scientic and ethnobotanical sensitivities. Our account is not exhaustive and undoubtedly contains assumptions and choices based on our own encounters and voyages. e line between science and parascience uctuates through the history and geography of our civilisations and societies. is is clear with regard to the spiritual component of our lives. Fear of life, or of death, introduces distortions, obsessions and neuroses which oen obscure a scientic explanation of ritual and its primarily utilitarian function. Shamanism centres on the mediation between humans and the spirits of nature, as well as the world of the dead. Psychotropic plants are used to induce a trance (an altered state of consciousness). ey are simply one part of a ritual which includes a dened ceremony notably composed of special food, rhythmic musical techniques, etc. ere has been a link between plants and spirituality throughout history and in all civilisations. Plants act as messengers, symbols, channels for good or evil, they make manifest our relation to the spiritual and to the divine. ey are at the origin of beliefs, they feature in prayers and worship and both poly- and monotheist pagan ceremonies. eir medicinal or deadly powers reinforce the symbolic beliefs which underlie our use of them. ese powers and the technical and aesthetic complexity of plants, coupled with their longevity, resistance and adaptation, are oen dicult to explain scientically simply by evolution. is may be why they oer unparalleled spiritual enlightenment. eir roles in the landscape and the perfect functional beauty of wild nature have oen reinforced and transcended the sense of a founding divine presence behind the creative forces of nature. Psychotropic plants are mainly bitter (thanks to alkaloids) and unpleasant to eat, or they provoke nausea. is generally excludes their use for recreational purposes. Around twenty species of plant and four of mushrooms are considered to be hallucinogenic. e best-known for their traditional shamanic use are ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis sp.), diviner’s sage (Salvia divinorum, Lamiaceae), peyote (Lophophora williamsii, Cactaceae) and iboga (Tabernanthe iboga, Apocynaceae). Other plants (psilocybe, San Pedro cactus, Indian hemp, etc.) appear in non-religious contexts for research or as recreational drugs. We have set out to tell you about the place of plants in our world in relation to the divine, sacred and spiritual in whatever form or of whatever importance. We do this with respect even if certain beliefs and rites oend our social, scientic and ethnobotanical sensitivities. Our account is not exhaustive and undoubtedly contains assumptions and choices based on our own encounters and voyages. e line between science and parascience uctuates through the history and geography of our civilisations and societies. is is clear with regard to the spiritual component of our lives. Fear of life, or of death, introduces distortions, obsessions and neuroses which oen obscure a scientic explanation of ritual and its primarily utilitarian function. Ayahuasca (or yagé) is a drink based on a mixture of lianas of the type Banisteriopsis (Malpighiaceae) and Psychotria viridis (Rubiaceae), prepared according to a ritual method and traditionally consumed by the shamans of indigenous Amazo- nian tribes. It is used in various communities to enter into a trance for divination purposes, but also as a therapeutic or purication tool during sacred healing rites. It is thought that the drink has been consumed for 4-5,000 years. Traditional use is linked to communication with supernatural spirits which opens access to healing functions granted by appeasing them. According to some native tribes, ayahuasca opens the doors to a “more complete” reality than we experience normally. It allowsere has communication been a link between with plants spirits and spiritualityor ancestors throughout through history the ecstaticand in all experiences civilisations. Plantsof an actintermediary, as messengers, the symbols, shaman. channels for good or evil, they make manifest our relation to the spiritual and to the divine. ey are at the origin of beliefs, they feature in prayers and worship and both poly- and monotheist pagan ceremonies. eir medicinal or deadly powers reinforce the symbolic beliefs which underlie our use of them. ese powers and the technical and aesthetic complexity of plants, coupled with their longevity, resistance and adaptation, are oen dicult to explain scientically simply by evolution. is may be why they oer unparalleled spiritual enlightenment. eir roles in the landscape and the perfect functional beauty of wild nature have oen reinforced and transcended the sense of a founding divine presence behind the creative forces of nature. e Bwiti cult of Africa calls on another very powerful psychotropic plant, iboga (Tabernanthe iboga, Apocynaceae). It has been used as part of a Mitsogo and Apinzi initiation rite in Gabon for several thousand years. rough the Fang ethnic group, converted around 1910, the Bwiti cult spread to Equato- rial Guinea and to southern Cameroon. e Bwiti rite of passage is centred on mastication of the epidermis of the roots of the iboga shrub by the young man. is shrub of the Apocynaceae family is also used in Bwiti cult as the Tree of knowledge also mentioned in the Bible. Various alkaloids in the plant (including ibogaine) have hallucinogenic properties. During the passage from puberty to man, the absorption of a massive dose of iboga provokes spectacular visions whose description guides the medicine man in valida- ting the initiation. A myth of returning to the country of the ancestors has developed from this rite which is still widespread. We have set out to tell you about the place of plants in our world in relation to the divine, sacred and spiritual in whatever form or of whatever importance. We do this with respect even if certain beliefs and rites oend our social, scientic and ethnobotanical sensitivities. Our account is not exhaustive and undoubtedly contains assumptions and choices based on our own encounters and voyages. e line between science and parascience uctuates through the history and geography of our civilisations and societies. is is clear with regard to the spiritual component of our lives. Fear of life, or of death, introduces distortions, obsessions and neuroses which oen obscure a scientic explanation of ritual and its primarily utilitarian function. Far removed from the controlled shamanism which has grown from ancestral traditions, new syncretic religious movements are developing in Brazil. e largest, the Santo Daime church, União do Vegetal (UDV) and Barquena have incorporated ayahuasca in their ritual practices. Indigenous ayahuasca traditions sit aside Judeo-Christian and African cultural features. During the service, participants consume ayahuasca in group rituals at regular intervals. Re-baptised Santo Daime (the name of the religion itself) ayahuasca is used as a eucharis- tic-type sacrament similar to the host in Christianity. During the services, which are celebrated weekly or twice-monthly, all the adults consume ayahuasca. ere has been a link between plants and spirituality throughout history and in all civilisations. Plants act as messengers, symbols, channels for good or evil, they make manifest our relation to the spiritual and to the divine. ey are at the origin of beliefs, they feature in prayers and worship and both poly- and monotheist pagan ceremonies. eir medicinal or deadly powers reinforce the symbolic beliefs which underlie our use of them. ese powers and the technical and aesthetic complexity of plants, coupled with their longevity, resistance and adaptation, are oen dicult to explain scientically simply by evolution. is may be why they oer unparalleled spiritual enlightenment. eir roles in the landscape and the perfect functional beauty of wild nature have oen reinforced and transcended the sense of a founding divine presence behind the creative forces of nature. We have set out to tell you about the place of plants in our world in relation to the divine, sacred and spiritual in whatever form or of whatever importance. We do this with respect even if certain beliefs and rites oend our social, scientic and ethnobotanical sensitivities. Our account is not exhaustive and undoubtedly contains assumptions and choices based on our own encounters and voyages. e line between science and parascience uctuates through the history and geography of our civilisations and societies.