Inca psyche and ethnobotany: Modulation of the mind by plants among the Incas

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Description

Through the ages, people have tried to keep an eye on their mind or that of others. That also applies to the Incas who represented the dominant culture in South The united states at the time of the conquest. This book deals with Using plants a number of the Incas for changing the mind to fulfill several purposes. These purposes were the improvement of one’s mental condition, Using alcoholic beverages for social or religious purposes, the application of coca in Inca religion and the consumption of hallucinogens for magic-religious purposes such as divination. Using plants is embedded in an overview of that part of Inca culture that was associated with these applications. The book starts with a couple of general chapters with the scope, the sources (mainly Spanish chroniclers or Indians who had learned Spanish after the conquest) and a couple of general aspects of Inca society such as the importance of plants for the Incas. The Incas believed that some psychoactive plants, such as coca and hallucinogens, could be used to get contact with supernatural forces to get things done which could not be performed by other ways. Divination, which played a highly important role in Inca society, is an example where the diviner used hallucinogens to get information from supernatural forces. Because of this, a separated section is dedicated to Inca divination. The Incas were deeply interested in spiritual matters and the powers of the human mind. They were convinced that these powers could be modulated by certain plants and in their view plants played a major role in their cosmos where all objects could possess spiritual power. The close association between plants, magic and religion a number of the Incas is clearly illustrated by means of the huacanqui amulet in love affairs, and of sanco made from maize as a communion and a spiritual medicine. The spiritual power of plants could be applied to heal mental diseases, regularly in combination with magic-religious ceremonies. Psychoactive substances as the alcoholic beverage chicha and coca were widely used for social contacts but especially in religion. The review and discussion of these subjects makes the book of interest for people who find themselves interested in mental diseases and their remedy, for people who find themselves interested in Using mind-altering plants (ethnobotany) and Using psychoactive beverages a number of the pre-Columbian civilizations.

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