Newsgroups: alt.drugs
From: Nicholas Saunders 
Subject: New Book  The Essential Psychedelic Guide
Message-ID: 
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 1994 22:18:58 GMT

The Essential Psychedelic Guide by D. M. Turner $12.95 in shops or mail
order by phone with credit card from +1 (415) 753-6481. (I have just been
sent this book, and this publicity was not solicited.) ISBN
0-9642636-1-0, 112 pages, paperback, published by Panther Press, 1032
Irving #514, SF, CA 94122, USA.

This is the published version of a guide called Psychedelic Explosion
that circulated over the past year in various and much re-photocopied
versions.

This is unlike all the other books you have seen on drugs. It is a
consumer's guide based on the personal experiences of a psychedelic
explorer, a true connoisseur of psychedelics, written in the first person.
Anyone taking any particular psychedelic for the first time, or intending
to experiment with mixtures, will find this book invaluable. The first
DMT I tried was wasted through not knowing how to use it; the next time I
had an earlier version of this book, followed its advice and it worked.
The safety section lists combinations to avoid, particularly MAO
inhibitors and which drugs and foods should not be taken with these. It
is a surprisingly large list including aged cheese and over ripe avocados.
"Contrary to being dangerous, throughout most of history psychedelics h
ave been considered gifts of the Gods, and have been associated with the
healing of the body, mind and soul."

Psychedelics are rated 0-10 for intensity. Ecstasy comes bottom at 2-4
while Ketamine tops the list at 10 leaving LSD, mescaline and psilocybin
in between. Though this may be true of intensity, I get the impression
that this is also the author's rating for value of experience, and this
is where I disagree.

"Multiple Combinations" is the chapter of most interest to experienced
readers. There are several described in detail, and all of them have been
tried by the author, such as LSD + Syrian Rue + DMT + Nitrous Oxide +
Cannabis which "felt absolutely beautiful". In addition, the section on
each drug includes suggestions of other drugs to combine with it.
My only criticisms are that the book undervalues empathic drugs in favour
of Ketamine which is described as "the ultimate psychedelic journey."

Contents:
Introduction followed by a
Brief History of Psychedelics and
Psychedelic Safety
Section 1 Traditional Psychedelics - LSD, Psilocybin Mushrooms and
Mescaline
Section 2 Empathogens - Ecstasy and 2CB
Section 3 Exotic Highs of a Connoisseur - DMT, Harmala Alkaloids,
Ketamine and Multiple Combinations.
The book ends with a discussion about "Cydelikspace" and the future.
-------------------------
Nicholas Saunders
(nicholas@neals.demon.co.uk)
Author, _E_for_Ecstasy_  ftp://ftp.hmc.edu/pub/drugs/mdma/e.for.ecstasy.Z
and e.for.ecstasy.append.Z.
Read/Search it for information on Ecstasy (MDMA), inc Alexander Shulgin's
Bibliography.  Updated 1994, please send me any new information.