a book
The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge
Jeremy Narby · 1999 · 272 pages
Whilst living amongst Peruvian Indians, anthropologist Jeremy Narby learned of their phenomenal knowledge of plants and biochemical interactions, gained under the influence of the hallucinogen ayahuasca. Despite his initial scepticism, Narby found himself engaged in an increasingly obsessive quest. He researched cutting-edge scholarship in subjects as diverse as molecular biology, shamanism, neurology and mytholohu, which led him inexorably to the conclusion that the Indians' claims were literally true: to a consciousness prepared with drugs, biochemical knowledge could indeed be transmitted, through DNA itself.
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Alice Walker
“When rainforest Shamans are asked how they know such an extraordinary amount about medicinal plants, they respond, as if it should be obvious, ‘The plants teach us.’ In this riveting book, anthropologist Jeremy Narby explores a vision he experienced after drinking ayahuasca, the ‘vine of the soul,’ which Shamans have used for healing and to acquire knowledge for thousands of years. He makes an astonishing connection between ancient Shamanistic beliefs and those of modern science.”↗
