This Is Your Mind on Plants
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- Create Date：2022-07-15 09:51:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Michael Pollan
- ISBN：0593296923
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Summary
The instant New York Times bestseller A Washington Post Notable Book One of NPR's Best Books of the Year
"Expert storytelling 。 。 。 [Pollan] masterfully elevates a series of big questions about drugs， plants and humans that are likely to leave readers thinking in new ways。" -- New York Times Book Review
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan， a radical challenge to how we think about drugs， and an exploration into the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants--and the equally powerful taboos。
Of all the things humans rely on plants for--sustenance， beauty， medicine， fragrance， flavor， fiber--surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness: to stimulate or calm， fiddle with or completely alter， the qualities of our mental experience。 Take coffee and tea: People around the world rely on caffeine to sharpen their minds。 But we do not usually think of caffeine as a drug， or our daily use as an addiction， because it is legal and socially acceptable。 So， then， what is a "drug"？ And why， for example， is making tea from the leaves of a tea plant acceptable， but making tea from a seed head of an opium poppy a federal crime？
In This Is Your Mind on Plants， Michael Pollan dives deep into three plant drugs--opium， caffeine， and mescaline--and throws the fundamental strangeness， and arbitrariness， of our thinking about them into sharp relief。 Exploring and participating in the cultures that have grown up around these drugs while consuming （or， in the case of caffeine， trying not to consume） them， Pollan reckons with the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants。 Why do we go to such great lengths to seek these shifts in consciousness， and then why do we fence that universal desire with laws and customs and fraught feelings？
In this unique blend of history， science， and memoir， as well as participatory journalism， Pollan examines and experiences these plants from several very different angles and contexts， and shines a fresh light on a subject that is all too often treated reductively--as a drug， whether licit or illicit。 But that is one of the least interesting things you can say about these plants， Pollan shows， for when we take them into our bodies and let them change our minds， we are engaging with nature in one of the most profound ways we can。 Based in part on an essay published almost twenty-five years ago， this groundbreaking and singular consideration of psychoactive plants， and our attraction to them through time， holds up a mirror to our fundamental human needs and aspirations， the operations of our minds， and our entanglement with the natural world。
"Expert storytelling 。 。 。 [Pollan] masterfully elevates a series of big questions about drugs， plants and humans that are likely to leave readers thinking in new ways。" -- New York Times Book Review
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan， a radical challenge to how we think about drugs， and an exploration into the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants--and the equally powerful taboos。
Of all the things humans rely on plants for--sustenance， beauty， medicine， fragrance， flavor， fiber--surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness: to stimulate or calm， fiddle with or completely alter， the qualities of our mental experience。 Take coffee and tea: People around the world rely on caffeine to sharpen their minds。 But we do not usually think of caffeine as a drug， or our daily use as an addiction， because it is legal and socially acceptable。 So， then， what is a "drug"？ And why， for example， is making tea from the leaves of a tea plant acceptable， but making tea from a seed head of an opium poppy a federal crime？
In This Is Your Mind on Plants， Michael Pollan dives deep into three plant drugs--opium， caffeine， and mescaline--and throws the fundamental strangeness， and arbitrariness， of our thinking about them into sharp relief。 Exploring and participating in the cultures that have grown up around these drugs while consuming （or， in the case of caffeine， trying not to consume） them， Pollan reckons with the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants。 Why do we go to such great lengths to seek these shifts in consciousness， and then why do we fence that universal desire with laws and customs and fraught feelings？
In this unique blend of history， science， and memoir， as well as participatory journalism， Pollan examines and experiences these plants from several very different angles and contexts， and shines a fresh light on a subject that is all too often treated reductively--as a drug， whether licit or illicit。 But that is one of the least interesting things you can say about these plants， Pollan shows， for when we take them into our bodies and let them change our minds， we are engaging with nature in one of the most profound ways we can。 Based in part on an essay published almost twenty-five years ago， this groundbreaking and singular consideration of psychoactive plants， and our attraction to them through time， holds up a mirror to our fundamental human needs and aspirations， the operations of our minds， and our entanglement with the natural world。
Reviews
Heather C
，
Quite an interesting read， and a bit different than I expected。 The author explores the medicinal（？） power of plants: poppies （opium）， coffee， tea （caffeine）， and peyote （mescaline）。
Claire Chatinover
，
a great historical story of our brains and the extensive healing power of plant medicine
Mindy Thomas
，
This is the third Michael Pollan book I’ve read and I enjoy his take on food and peoples relationships with it as well as for this book the other substances that we ingest。
Coraline
，
4。00 starsThis is 100% not what you would expect it would be。 The title suggests an incursion in the science and psychedelic properties of plants， subjects I was genuinely interested in。 Yet， less than 5 minutes into the book I understood that my expectations were far from reality。 This book is more of a memoir with parts of （American） history glimpses。Though it was not what I had in mind when I started this book， nor was I naturally interested in what it had to offer， I found it compellingly in 4。00 starsThis is 100% not what you would expect it would be。 The title suggests an incursion in the science and psychedelic properties of plants， subjects I was genuinely interested in。 Yet， less than 5 minutes into the book I understood that my expectations were far from reality。 This book is more of a memoir with parts of （American） history glimpses。Though it was not what I had in mind when I started this book， nor was I naturally interested in what it had to offer， I found it compellingly interesting （partly because of the well-fitted voice and intonation， I strongly recommend the audio version） and I kept on listening until the very end。The book is divided into three parts， exploring opium， caffeine， and mescaline。 There are barely any scientific facts， but the detailed personal experiences and exploration of the author with the presented plants really compensated for that。 One aspect I was a bit surprised to encounter was the pro-drug consumption attitude and the parts about growing poppies， “opium， made easy”， the experiences with cacti etc。 It got me wondering and feeling curious to try all of that on my own， which I am not sure is quite the right outcome。 。。。more
Nicki Escudero
，
This was the first Michael Pollan book I've read， and I understand why the author has such an ardent following。 Pollan researches the history and cultural uses of three plant-based "drugs": opium， caffeine and mescaline。 He recounts his personal experiences with each one and dives deep into their use over centuries and how they've been classified today。This book is about more than how each substance affects our bodies and minds。 In the section on caffeine， Pollan illuminates what an integral rol This was the first Michael Pollan book I've read， and I understand why the author has such an ardent following。 Pollan researches the history and cultural uses of three plant-based "drugs": opium， caffeine and mescaline。 He recounts his personal experiences with each one and dives deep into their use over centuries and how they've been classified today。This book is about more than how each substance affects our bodies and minds。 In the section on caffeine， Pollan illuminates what an integral role imperialism and slavery played in bringing the substance to the masses。 In the section on mescaline， Pollan learns why the substance that comes from the peyote cactus is considered so sacred in Native American communities。The book touches on themes like the War on Drugs， the United States legal system， capitalism and consumerism， and independence and autonomy。 Should it be legal to arrest someone for growing poppy flowers in their garden？ Should non-Native Americans have access to a potentially life-saving substance？ Should coffee and tea come with higher prices due to how they're cultivated？ What criteria should deem one substance illicit versus licit？ I was at first confused why Pollan would focus on these three substances for his book （why not cannabis？） but now I'm grateful he did。 Each one， no matter how commercially available it is， comes with a fascinating back story。 Pollan's conversational and relatable narration makes complicated themes easy to understand。 I found this book intriguing from beginning to end。 。。。more
Natalie
，
Very interesting book， I listened to it and highly recommend it！
Bela
，
I was recommended to read only the first chapter of this book， the one on Opium。 Michael Pollan's prose is fantastic but after finishing the first chapter， I had no real desire to continue reading。 I was recommended to read only the first chapter of this book， the one on Opium。 Michael Pollan's prose is fantastic but after finishing the first chapter， I had no real desire to continue reading。 。。。more
Bryant H Johnson
，
It’s a solid book as you might expect from Pollan。 However， some of the content is repeated from previous materials like the Audible shirt， Caffeine。 It’s still been updated and refreshed， but if you’ve read other materials from him， much of this will be familiar。
Mainak Jas
，
Michael Pollan is a good story teller and he gives a holistic picture of the history of three different categories of drugs。 He emphasizes how it is important to develop healthy relationships with the various drugs 。。。 something that has been appreciated in various cultures but has been lost in the age of capitalism。 However， the presentation of material is biased in many parts， whereby an inordinately long time is spent on inconsistencies in the law （e。g。， with poppy） or magnifying certain effe Michael Pollan is a good story teller and he gives a holistic picture of the history of three different categories of drugs。 He emphasizes how it is important to develop healthy relationships with the various drugs 。。。 something that has been appreciated in various cultures but has been lost in the age of capitalism。 However， the presentation of material is biased in many parts， whereby an inordinately long time is spent on inconsistencies in the law （e。g。， with poppy） or magnifying certain effects （e。g。， coffee addiction） while diminishing others。 Nevertheless， I do recommend giving it a read as it is certainly interesting overall。 。。。more
Julie Botnick
，
Big meh。 A “memoir disguised as science” is an apt description。 I didn’t get the overarching connective tissue between the three plants other than。。。he wanted to talk about those three？ And it’s actually。。。not about plants。。。？ I’m obviously very confused！ “We missed the opioid crisis in the first edition” is a pretty big understatement。 If you missed something that big decades ago， is it going to be MORE relevant in 2022。。。？
Kim
，
While not nearly as engrossing as How to Change Your Mind， I did enjoy reading Pollen's follow up。 The coffee section of the book is by far a highlight。 I quit coffee myself for several months last summer and found his own experience very relatable。 While I appreciate the anecdotes， I did crave more structure dying the mescaline section， which while interesting， felt like it meandered a bit too much。 The sections each felt disjointed， none of them really having much to do with each other。 That s While not nearly as engrossing as How to Change Your Mind， I did enjoy reading Pollen's follow up。 The coffee section of the book is by far a highlight。 I quit coffee myself for several months last summer and found his own experience very relatable。 While I appreciate the anecdotes， I did crave more structure dying the mescaline section， which while interesting， felt like it meandered a bit too much。 The sections each felt disjointed， none of them really having much to do with each other。 That said， I did overall enjoy the book and did find many nuggets of fascinating information throughout。 。。。more
Leonidas
，
Michael Pollan writes so artistically that the words come off as silk to the eyes and ears。I listened to "Your mind on plants" while going about my day， but mostly during various gym exercises， or while driving around in an automatic state of mind。And despite this， the level of writing， and ability to flow vocabulary and grammar so beautifully to describe various states of mind， his adventures in acquiring these plants， cultures， societies， and depth of history were astounding。Since he's been wr Michael Pollan writes so artistically that the words come off as silk to the eyes and ears。I listened to "Your mind on plants" while going about my day， but mostly during various gym exercises， or while driving around in an automatic state of mind。And despite this， the level of writing， and ability to flow vocabulary and grammar so beautifully to describe various states of mind， his adventures in acquiring these plants， cultures， societies， and depth of history were astounding。Since he's been writing since 1991， I guess this is a craft that has been mastered well over 3 decades。The first section on growing opium， and being rangled into the twisted and dangerous legal circumstances of the 1990s was quite interesting。 A plant that is legal to own in seed format is legal to grow， and legal to brew tea， yet completely illegal to cultivate for its sap。 Mr。 Pollan described quite well the mental and legal gymnastics that needed to be played at the heights of the war on drugs within the USA。 Yet， Mr。 Pollan does manage to brew himself some opium tea and embark on a colorful description of feelings， emotions， colors， and the euphoria that took place。Yet， despite opium being incredibly illegal to this day， various pharmaceutical company families got away with flooding the USA markets with 'legal' opiates。 This resulted in an engineered system of addicting people suffering from pain and disabilities。 All within the smooth gears of a capitalistic system built on greed from pharmaceutical lobbyists， doctors， academics， and pharmaceutical giants to make an easy dollar。In section 2， Michael Pollan re-shares his audiobook on caffeine， and its amazing history from the beans of Arabia， to the slave trade that brought it to the western world， and ultimately into the industrial era by enhancing human output。Caffeine is one of the few stimulants that is allowed by every government worldwide， simply because it was grandfathered in， while at the same time because of its ability to enhance economic output。Interestingly enough， most people who do enjoy a cup of caffeine in the morning， drink it， because they would not be able to operate 'at a bare minimum normal level' otherwise。 Doing a detox of caffeine causes mental fogginess， irritability， and in some cases even aches and pains。And the final section of the book is about Mescaline， first discovered by indigenous Americans many thousands of years ago to induce a 'spiritual awakening'。 Within indigenous cultures， you seek help and guidance from a 'shaman' or spiritual doctor， and they will help 'guide' your trip after you inhale as much as possible。Within the USA， Mescaline is only legal within indigenous societies based on 'religious and ethnic' regulations。 Otherwise， outside the indigenous circles， it's considered illegal。When I was in Mexico， I went on an adventure to a tiny town called 'Real de Catorce' deep in the mountains of Mexico （you can only get there through a tunnel）。 In this tiny town， my mission was to consume the Peyote cactus or even the San Pedro cactus， which has the mescaline compound in it。Upon arriving， I decided against it， and because too many tourists were coming to this town to do the same thing， thus the Mexican government made it illegal to cultivate either of the Cacti。In conclusion， my review doesn't do much justice to the appeal of reading （or listening） to Michael Pollan describe the history， culture， sociology， legal mazes， and physiological effects and journies each of these substances takes you on。If you decide to take the audiobook route， Mr。 Pollan reads it himself， making it that much better。A+ book 。。。more
Olivia
，
I love Michael Pollan's writing。 This book changed the way I think about what we consume。 I especially loved the section on caffeine。 I love Michael Pollan's writing。 This book changed the way I think about what we consume。 I especially loved the section on caffeine。 。。。more
Erica Eller
，
So this is my first Pollan book， even though I lived in the Bay Area for ten years and had considered reading him for years。 I decided to take the plunge， because I’m reading Guggenheim Award winning authors atm。 This book frustrated me—particularly its narrator。 The book is supposed to be about plants， but it is more about how one author’s mind responds to plants。 It comes with all of his debatable perspectives: insistence that plants should be available to all for cultivation， and that plants So this is my first Pollan book， even though I lived in the Bay Area for ten years and had considered reading him for years。 I decided to take the plunge， because I’m reading Guggenheim Award winning authors atm。 This book frustrated me—particularly its narrator。 The book is supposed to be about plants， but it is more about how one author’s mind responds to plants。 It comes with all of his debatable perspectives: insistence that plants should be available to all for cultivation， and that plants with beneficial cognitive impacts naturally encourage us to propagate them worldwide。 From an ecological perspective—not included in the book—this is problematic。 Plants are evolutionarily in sync with their unique climate and environs， which causes biodiversity。 This is basically what the Native Americans he interviews are getting at with their place-based knowledge: wild plants should be preserved in situ and respected for their unique properties and cultural value—tied to place—not propagated the world over like coffee， commoditized， so as to drive environmental and social problems related to mono crops and global trade。 He sort of touches on these issues， except never engages with ecology。 He also entertains but ultimately dismissed anyone’s request for him to respect their cultural boundaries on these issues。 His own consumeristic views of seeds and gardening， with their novel cultural reference points， as well as the mechanistic effects he hopes to glean and codify from his experience of the plants’ properties are ways of thinking about plants from a very capitalistic standpoint—one that delivers self-satisfied talking points intended for use at an upper-middle class gathering of white liberals。 He ignores the advice of various authorities he calls upon throughout the book， except when his personal safety is at risk （in the case of legal risk）。 The story， in the end， is not so much about plants as it is a snapshot of his cultural values and hierarchies—that he has white privilege and will flaunt it， meanwhile rubbing salt on wounds of people who don’t have his privilege—anyone who went to jail in the drug war， or anyone who asks him to respect their sacred， cultural beliefs。 It is also the story of his influences， interests， and personal practices with plants， speckled here and there with some very surface-level historical anecdotes。 This might be interesting if it didn’t come at the expense of others’ views he gestures towards in the book。 After reading books about culture and plants like Braiding Sweetgrass and Biopiracy， this one feels rushed。 It has repetitive passages， too。 The underlying message might be that private experimentation with plant-based drugs should be legal。 But this falls flat when he exposes his bias: he really is just curious for the sake of personal gain—this is a piece of sensationalist memoir that he aims to profit from （he’s getting paid for it by his editors）。 He even tries to inject humor， but ultimately mocks someone’s traumatic experiences: “this is someone who can’t even tolerate a massage！” The narration is even self aware of its own glibness at points， but that doesn’t deter the author from his “project” of confessional style voyeurism。 It offers white， upwardly mobile people who are protected by legal exceptions a way to have “respectable” casual drug use by making it a literary or artistic or botanical “project” of self-discovery—except if that process extends to the depths of processing real trauma， which he subtly suggests with his mockery is a sign of weakness （I’m referring to his treatment of Judith in the last chapter）。 He uses himself as the exemplar representing this view。 I find the premise annoying at best， offensive at worst。 I’m struggling to land on one of the other。 。。。more
Shane Zanath
，
Pollan's underlying philosophy for writing this book is so unique and spectacular: why did certain plants evolve psychoactive properties？ After all， the chemical compounds on their own are benign。 It takes a member of our species to ingest a plant before the real magic of those chemicals is unveiled through an altered state of consciousness。 Why have certain psychoactive plants that altered consciousness become taboo in some cultures but worshipped as medicine in others？ Why has humanity collect Pollan's underlying philosophy for writing this book is so unique and spectacular: why did certain plants evolve psychoactive properties？ After all， the chemical compounds on their own are benign。 It takes a member of our species to ingest a plant before the real magic of those chemicals is unveiled through an altered state of consciousness。 Why have certain psychoactive plants that altered consciousness become taboo in some cultures but worshipped as medicine in others？ Why has humanity collectively ignored or accepted our near universal dependence upon caffeine？ And perhaps most interesting and perplexing of all， what species is getting the best benefit from the relationship; us or the psychoactive plants？ For example， sure we domesticated coffee and tea for caffeine。 But look at the evolutionary success of these plants we have piggybacked across the globe。 Are we really under control， or is it the plants taking advantage of us？It's a fascinating read。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Paul
，
3。5
Shirley
，
I feel like I’ve read parts of this book in his other works。 Feels like it’s a compilation of quite a bit of repeats， but no matter， I still thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless。
Liz
，
Maybe just not for me。 Read the introduction and put it down。
Arnabh Sengupta
，
Absolutely a disaster。 Going through this book was a test of discipline as it felt really anecdotal。 Absolutely not the content I was expecting。 Felt so stretched as the author kept jotting down his anecdotes like a memoir。
Luke Young
，
Not my favorite Michael Pollan book， but I still liked it。 I am a fan of his， but this book felt a little phoned-in at times。 I think that might be because of all the press I saw him do before reading it。 The caffeine chapter felt like I was rereading it because I had heard him recount nearly the entire thing in different interviews。 Maybe I shouldn’t have waited so long to read it， though。 I still enjoyed it， and would recommend。 He has such a great style that is intellectual， but not pretentio Not my favorite Michael Pollan book， but I still liked it。 I am a fan of his， but this book felt a little phoned-in at times。 I think that might be because of all the press I saw him do before reading it。 The caffeine chapter felt like I was rereading it because I had heard him recount nearly the entire thing in different interviews。 Maybe I shouldn’t have waited so long to read it， though。 I still enjoyed it， and would recommend。 He has such a great style that is intellectual， but not pretentious。 。。。more
Meghan Thomas
，
I’ll start with something I noticed in other reviews noting that this isn’t much of a science book。 I’d agree！ There are lots of facts peppered in with personal anecdotes and experiences， and I found this style to be a very engaging read。 I’m a big Michael Pollan fan （a Pollan-ator？ I want this to catch on） - so it’s hard to be super critical of this book。 However， I can see how the title might be a little misleading as it does look like it would be very science-forward！Having little baseline kn I’ll start with something I noticed in other reviews noting that this isn’t much of a science book。 I’d agree！ There are lots of facts peppered in with personal anecdotes and experiences， and I found this style to be a very engaging read。 I’m a big Michael Pollan fan （a Pollan-ator？ I want this to catch on） - so it’s hard to be super critical of this book。 However， I can see how the title might be a little misleading as it does look like it would be very science-forward！Having little baseline knowledge of opium， caffeine， or mescaline， I found myself learning with nearly every page。 There’s a little science， history， sociology， and even linguistics tidbits throughout。 I jotted down some of the bibliography references for additional reading as well。 If you’re well-versed on any of these substances， you may find this book a little too simple。 。。。more
Keith Good
，
Pollan’s “This is your Mind on Plants” is less a scientific deep-dive into Opiates， Caffeine and Mescaline than it is a personal essay on each。 I went in expecting a drugged version of “In Defense of Food” and found the book mostly disappointing。
Stephy
，
Wasn’t a stand out performance from Pollan compared to his last release， but still enjoyable。 His chapter on caffeine was illuminating。
Maddie Karcher
，
In what felt like a collection of essays， Pollan artfully tells the story of three drugs while also telling his own。 I always appreciate Pollan’s personal opinions and stories on things and so this memoir-esque facet of it didn’t bother me like it did others in the reviews。 I learned a great deal and always enjoy that he narrates his own books。
Meghan
，
Really interesting！
Genevieve
，
3。5 stars - not my favourite Pollan but still enjoyable
Amy
，
Not what I expected but nonetheless， very interesting。
Abby Crow
，
Interesting。 Short， worthy read。“Of all the many things humans rely on plants for—sustenance， beauty， medicine， fragrance， flavor， fiber—surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness: to stimulate or calm， to fiddle with or completely alter， the qualities of our mental experience。”
Vivian
，
More like a series of three interesting podcasts （I listened to the audiobook）， each focusing on Pollan’s exploration of one mind-altering plant。 The three sections aren’t particularly cohesive but I didn’t care。 Third section （Mescaline） got a little boring。
Stefan
，