From ayahuasca and cannabis to psilocybin mushrooms and tobacco, people have been using mind-altering plants and fungi in spiritual rituals and ceremonies for thousands of years to filter and change their view of the world.
Now the lens has been flipped, with a new book revealing these psychoactive and medicinal plants and fungi in a new light, thanks to cutting-edge microscopy techniques.
Confocal microscopy uses laser scanning at multiple depths to create detailed, sharply-focused images of a specimen. The technique is normally used for academic research.
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Jill Pflugheber at the University of Kentucky trained her confocal microscopes on 50 sacred plant and fungal species from across the Americas. Her work is featured in , a book she has written with independent historian Steven F. White.
The result is a glittering journey into the inner life of some of the world鈥檚 most revered plant species, says White. He says they were looking for a way to create 鈥渂otanical art鈥� that upends people鈥檚 perceptions of sacred plants. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping the people who look at Microcosms can learn to respect these plants in new ways.鈥�
Working from the main picture down, the images show some of the results of their work: Brugmansia suaveolens; Justicia pectoralis; Virola theiodora; Neltuma pallida; cannabis; and Theobroma cacao.
