Christian Rätsch (20 April 1957 – 17 September 2022) was a German anthropologist and writer on topics like

ethnopharmacology Ethnomedicine is a study or comparison of the traditional medicine based on bioactive compounds in plants and animals and practiced by various ethnic groups, especially those with little access to western medicines, e.g., indigenous peoples. T ...

psychoactive A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, psychoactive agent or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance, that changes functions of the nervous system, and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior. Th ...

plants and animals.

Life

Rätsch was born in 1957 in a Bohemian community in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

, Germany. His father was an opera singer, his mother a ballet dancer. He started learning about shamanism and sacred plants at 10 and had his first drug experience at 12. Rätsch earned a doctorate in Native American cultures. He conducted field research for three years while living with the Lacandón Indians in

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil and Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 124 municipalities ...

, Mexico investigating shamanism first-hand, and completed his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...

on their incantations and spells. Rätsch resided in Hamburg with his wife Claudia Müller-Ebeling. He is the founder and co-editor of '' The Yearbook of Ethnomedicine and the Study of Consciousness''. Rätsch died at the age of 65 from an undiscovered stomach ulcer, which he had staunchly tamed over the years.

Selected works

The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications

Christian Rätsch's ''The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants'' describes the botany, history, distribution, cultivation, preparation, and dosage of more than 400 psychoactive plants (while not strictly plants, the encyclopedia also includes psychoactive

fungi A fungus (plural, : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of Eukaryote, eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and Mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified ...

). The encyclopedia also offers information on ritual and medicinal use (see also

). The encyclopedia features 168 detailed monographs on the major psychoactive plants (''e.g.'', ''

Cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternativel ...

'', ''

Datura ''Datura'' is a genus of nine species of highly poisonous, vespertine-flowering plants belonging to the nightshade family Solanaceae. They are commonly known as thornapples or jimsonweeds, but are also known as devil's trumpets (not to be con ...

'', and ''

Papaver ''Papaver'' is a genus of 70–100 species of frost-tolerant annuals, biennials, and perennials native to temperate and cold regions of Eurasia, Africa and North America. It is the type genus of the poppy family, Papaveraceae. Description ...

'') as well as 20 full monographs on psychoactive fungi (''e.g.'', ''

Psilocybe ''Psilocybe'' ( ) is a genus of gilled mushrooms, growing worldwide, in the family Hymenogastraceae. Most or nearly all species contain the psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Taxonomy Taxonomic history A 2002 study of the ...

'' and ''

Amanita The genus ''Amanita'' contains about 600 species of agarics, including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide, as well as some well-regarded edible species. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities result ...

'').

Bibliography

* Müller-Ebeling, Claudia and Christian Rätsch and

Surendra Bahadur Shahi Surendra is an Indian masculine given name. Notable people with this name include: * Surendra (actor/singer) * Surendra Bhave * Surendra Chaturvedi * Surendra Dubey * Surendra Gambhir * Surendra Hiranandani * Surendra Jain * Surendra Jha 'Suman' * ...

(2002). ''Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas''. Transl. by

Annabel Lee "Annabel Lee" is the last complete poem composed by American author Edgar Allan Poe. Like many of Poe's poems, it explores the theme of the death of a beautiful woman.Meyers, Jeffrey. ''Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy''. New York: Cooper Squ ...

. Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions International. * * Marijuana Medicine: A World Tour of the Healing and Visionary Powers of Cannabis Paperback – by Christian Rätsch - March 1, 2001 * Müller-Ebeling, Claudia, Christian Rätsch and Arno Adaalars (2016). ''Ayahuasca:Rituals, Potions and Visionary Art from the Amazon.'' Published by Divine Arts. * Markus Berger and Christian Rätsch (2022). ''Enzyklopädie der psychoaktiven Pflanzen – Band 2.'' AT Verlag.

References

External links