This Is Your Mind on Plants

Outline

This Is Your Mind on Plants (2021) investigates the complex relationship between people and plants that can influence attention, physical sensations, and perception. Michael Pollan examines how history, culture, science, and public policy determine which plant substances societies accept, restrict, or misunderstand. By combining personal investigation with scientific and historical research, the book encourages readers to think more carefully about how plants can affect the mind and why attitudes toward them change across places and generations.

• Opium, caffeine, and mescaline are plant substances that can change attention, physical sensations, and the way we perceive the world.
• Societies do not accept or ban plant substances by one simple rule; history, culture, science, and public policy all shape those choices.
• Some plant substances are widely accepted, others are restricted, and some are simply misunderstood by the societies around them.
• Pollan combines personal investigation with scientific and historical research instead of relying on only one kind of evidence.
• Attitudes toward mind-altering plants change from place to place and from one generation to the next.

Michael Pollan is an American author, journalist, and educator known for examining the connections among nature, food, culture, and human behaviour. He has taught journalism and nonfiction writing and has contributed to major publications throughout his career. His books include The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and How to Change Your Mind, and his work often combines personal experience with scientific and historical research.