Chocolate to Morphine: Understanding Mind-Active Drugs

work by Weil

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July 16, 2026

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The book "Chocolate to Morphine: Understanding Mind-Active Drugs" by Andrew Weil explores various substances that affect the mind. It discusses how drugs have been used throughout history for diverse psychological and social functions, including enhancing aesthetic experiences and fostering emotions like love.1

The book also touches upon hallucinogens, such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin, detailing their historical use in native societies and early scientific interest. Morphine, a potent narcotic analgesic derived from opium, is highlighted for its pain-relieving properties but also its significant addictive potential. Chocolate, while not typically classified as a mind-active drug in the same category as morphine or hallucinogens, contains stimulating alkaloids like theobromine and caffeine.234

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Andrew Weil
In a subsequent work, Chocolate to Morphine: Understanding Mind-Active Drugs (1983), Weil aroused the ire of a Florida senator, who demanded that the book, a veritable encyclopaedia of various drugs and their effects on humans, be removed from schools and libraries.
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In a subsequent work, Chocolate to Morphine: Understanding Mind-Active Drugs (1983), Weil aroused the ire of a Florida senator, who demanded that the book, a veritable encyclopaedia of various drugs and their effects on humans, be removed from schools and libraries.
Read More