Simon & Schuster - Opium Culture by Peter Lee: Paperback; 256 pages / English

[Inner Traditions] A detailed study of the history and usage of opium • Explores the use of opium as a major healing herb and a popular relaxant • Details the opium practices adhered to in the Chinese tradition • Includes information on the suppression of opium by the modern pharmaceutical industry Opium. The very sound of the word conjures images of secret rooms in exotic lands, where languid smokers lounge dreamily in a blue haze of fragrant poppy smoke, inhaling from long bamboo pipes held over the ruby flame of the jade lamp. Yet today very little accurate information is available regarding a substance that for 300 years was central to the lives of millions of people throughout the world. In Opium Culture Peter Lee presents a fascinating narrative that covers every aspect of the art and craft of opium use. Starting with a concise account of opium’s long and colorful history and the story of how it came to be smoked for pleasure in China, Lee offers detailed descri