About this item

An evolutionary biologist reveals the origins of natural toxins, why they evolved, and the biological basis for our attraction - and addiction - to them. A deadly secret lurks within our spice racks, medicine cabinets, backyard gardens, and private stashes.. Scratch beneath the surface of a coffee bean, a red pepper flake, a poppy seed, a mold spore, a foxglove leaf, a magic-mushroom cap, a marijuana bud, or an apple seed, and we find a bevy of strange chemicals. We use these to greet our days (caffeine) , titillate our tongues (capsaicin) , recover from surgery (opioids) , cure infections (penicillin) , mend our hearts (digoxin) , bend our minds (psilocybin) , calm our nerves (CBD) , and even kill our enemies (cyanide) . But why do plants and fungi produce such chemicals? And how did we come to use and abuse some of them?.