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Originally Posted by fearn
I'd also recommend Davis' One River. Although it's mostly about ethnobotany (as is Serpent and the Rainbow), there are some weapons related things in there as well. Curare, for instance (in One River), or zombie making (in Serpent and the Rainbow). As for Carlos Castaneda, if you haven't read any of his books, I'd suggest checking out the Wikipedia articles first, just so you know what you're getting into.
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Thanks for the additional tips, Fearn!
On Davis, the moment he said ...
"To have that [ethnic psychoactive] powder blown up your nose is rather like being shot out of a rifle barrel lined with baroque paintings and landing on a sea of electricity."
... I instantly became a disciple of Davis
What I meant by that is that the guy sure can communicate and captivate his audience's imagination. And for that, I like the man already (better late than never).
But what is really mind blowing for me is not the recreational or meditative uses of these plants among the natives.
Rather, it's the fact that as said elsewhere and everywhere "while 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less than 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists".
I'm sure the cure for cancer, AIDS, cardiovascular diseases, etc. are just there, lying in those forests!