Jonathan Ott

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Jonathan Ott
Jonathan Ott in 2008
Born(1949-01-06)January 6, 1949
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedJuly 5, 2025(2025-07-05) (aged 76)
OccupationAuthor
Years active1975–2025
Known forEntheogen
Scientific career
Author abbrev. (botany)J.Ott

Jonathan Ott (January 6, 1949 – July 5, 2025) was an American ethnobotanist, writer, translator, publisher, natural products chemist and botanical researcher of psychoactive substances and their cultural and historical use, helped coin the term entheogen, and confirmed the psychoactivity of bufotenin.[1][2][3][4]

Writings

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Ott wrote eight books, co-written five, and contributed to four others, and published many articles in the field of entheogens, pharmacology and ethnobotany.[5][6] His comprehensive 1993 book, Pharmacotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History has been described as one of the important works on the subject of entheogenic drugs.[7] It describes over 1,000 plants and chemical compounds.[8] He collaborated with other researchers like Christian Rätsch, Jochen Gartz, Richard E. Schultes and the late ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson. He translated Albert Hofmann's 1979 book LSD: My Problem Child (LSD: Mein Sorgenkind), and On Aztec Botanical Names by Blas Pablo Reko, into English. His articles have appeared in many publications, including The Entheogen Review, The Entheogen Law Reporter, the Journal of Cognitive Liberties, the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (AKA the Journal of Psychedelic Drugs), the MAPS Bulletin, Head, High Times, Curare, Eleusis, Integration, Lloydia, The Sacred Mushroom Seeker, and several Harvard Botanical Museum pamphlets. He was a co-editor of Eleusis: Journal of Psychoactive Plants & Compounds, along with Giorgio Samorini.[3]

Botanical research

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Ott in 2014 at the World Ayahuasca Conference in Ibiza (second from left)

Ott had experience of field collecting in Mexico, where he lived and managed a small natural-products laboratory and botanical garden of medicinal herbs. A number of his ethno-botanical products have been studied to determine their possible benefits to individuals suffering various mental illnesses. In his book Ayahuasca Analogues, he identifies numerous plants around the globe containing the harmala alkaloids of Banisteriopsis caapi, which are MAOIs, and plants containing dimethyltryptamine, which together are the chemical base of the South American Ayahuasca brew.[9][10]

Arson

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In March 2010, Ott's home in Mexico was destroyed[3] by arson. While most of his books survived the fire, Ott's laboratory and personal effects were destroyed in the blaze. Books given to Ott by Albert Hofmann were reportedly used as fuel.[11]

Death

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Ott died on July 5, 2025, at the age of 76 due to complications with sepsis.[12][3][13]

Works

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Books

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  • A Conscientious Guide to Hallucinogens: A Comprehensive Guide to Hallucinogens, Natural and Synthetic, Found in North American and the World with Joe E Axton and Jeremy Bigwood (1975) Do It Now Foundation, Institute for Chemical Survival
  • Hallucinogenic Plants of North America (1976), ISBN 0-914728-16-4
  • Teonanacatl: Hallucinogenic Mushrooms of North America (Co-edited by Jeremy Bigwood) (1978), ISBN 0-914842-32-3
  • LSD: My Problem Child (1980) McGraw-Hill Book Company ISBN 0-07-029325-2 (translation only)
  • The Cacahuatl Eater: Ruminations of an Unabashed Chocolate Addict (Natural Products Company) (1985) ISBN 0-9614234-1-2
  • Persephone's Quest: Entheogens and the Origins of Religion with R. Gordon Wasson, Stella Kramrisch, and Carl A. P. Ruck (1986) ISBN 0-300-05266-9
  • The Sacred Mushroom Seeker: Essays for R. Gordon Wasson by Robert Gordon Wasson, Thomas J. Riedlinger (1990) contributor
  • Pharmacotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History (1993), ISBN 0-9614234-2-0
  • Ayahuasca Analogues: Pangaean Entheogens (1995), ISBN 0-9614234-4-7
  • Plant Intoxicants: a Classic Text on the Use of Mind-Altering Plants by Ernst Bibra and Jonathan Ott (1995) Nature
  • Age of Entheogens & the Angels' Dictionary (1995), ISBN 0-9614234-6-3
  • Pharmacophilia: The Natural Paradise (1997), ISBN 1-888755-00-8
  • Shamanic Snuffs or Entheogenic Errhines (2001), ISBN 1-888755-02-4
  • Ometochtzin: Las Muertes de Dos Conejos (2001)
  • Drugs of the Dreaming: Oneirogens: Salvia Divinorum and Other Dream-Enhancing Plants with Gianluca Toro and Benjamin Thomas (2007) Body, Mind & Spirit
  • The Road to Eleusis (2008) By R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann, Carl A. P. Ruck, Huston Smith (contributor)

Articles

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The standard author abbreviation J.Ott is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ The Road to Eleusis (2008) By R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann, Carl A. P. Ruck, Huston Smith pg. 139
  2. ^ Berger, Markus (July 5, 2025). "R.I.P., Jonathan Ott". Nachtschatten Verlag AG (in German). Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d "Erowid Character Vaults: Jonathan Ott". Erowid. July 29, 2025 [July 20, 2001]. Archived from the original on August 26, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  4. ^ "Bufo alvarius - Jonathan Ott on Bufotenine". www.erowid.org. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  5. ^ "Jonathan Ott's peer-reviewed scientific publications" (PDF). JonathanOttbooks. December 23, 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  6. ^ "Jonathan Ott Books". Jonathan Ott Books. Archived from the original on December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  7. ^ Montage, Michael (April 2, 1994), "Pharmacotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History" (PDF), Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, vol. IV, no. 4, archived (PDF) from the original on September 27, 2023, retrieved December 18, 2025
  8. ^ "Pharmacotheon: Enthogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History". Earthlight Books. Archived from the original on December 18, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  9. ^ "Erowid Online Books : "Ayahuasca: alkaloids, plants, and analogs" by Keeper of the Trout". www.erowid.org. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  10. ^ "Erowid Ayahuasca Vault". www.erowid.org. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  11. ^ Ott, Jonathan. "Jonathan Ott's Home * Belongings Destroyed in a Fire! Xalapa, Mexico mid-March 2010". Cognitiveliberty.org. Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  12. ^ "R.I.P., Jonathan Ott". Lucys Rausch. July 5, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  13. ^ "Jonathan Ott Books – Deluxe limited editions of books by world renowned ethnopharmacologist Jonathan Ott". Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  14. ^ International Plant Names Index. J.Ott.

Sources

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  • The Road to Eleusis (2008) By R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann, Carl A. P. Ruck, Huston Smith
  • Psychedelics Encyclopedia by Peter G. Stafford, Jeremy Bigwood (1992) Page 379
  • Researching Paganisms by Jenny Blain, Douglas Ezzy, Graham Harvey (2004) Page 87
  • Brain Boosters: Food & Drugs That Make You Smarter by Beverly A. Potter, Sebastian Orfali, Potter & Orfali, Gini Graham Scott (1993) Health & Fitness - Page 191
  • Yajé: The New Purgatory: Encounters with Ayahuasca by Jimmy Weiskopf (2005) Page 145
  • Toads and Toadstools: the Natural History, Folklore, and Cultural Oddities of This Strange Association by Adrian Morgan (1995) Page 116
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