The Secret Life of Plants: a Fascinating Account of the Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Relations Between Plants and Man

It obviously has taken me a while to get around to reading this classic book originally published in 1973. I'd heard much about it and was not disappointed. The authors did a tremendous job of recounting the history of plant research, including the work of such great scientists as George Washington Carver and scores of others. Its scope is vast and even prophetic in light of the state of agriculture and its relationship to health over four decades later. I suspect that much of the revolution toward organic gardening originated with this book. Back then and before it was acknowledged that chemical fertilizers and pesticides would ultimately fail. How is it that wheat, known for centuries as the staff of life, is now a problem for hoards of individuals who suffer from gluten allergies? What about wheat had changed to cause this? The answer lies in the expansive use of the herbicide, Round-Up, commercial name for the chemical, glyphosate, which is stored in gluten. People aren't allergic to gluten; they're allergic to this toxic chemical. People in countries which have banned this substance typically don't suffer from gluten allergies. It's highly likely that organic bread and other wheat products grown without being drenched in this toxic substance will not induce problems in sensitive individuals. This should not be rocket science yet, in forty years' time, the agricultural industry has not changed their chemical approach to farming. The reason is obvious--corporatism, i.e., commercial agriculture's tight relationship with the USDA, where corporate profits are more important that people's health. Beyond all the testimonials associated with the need to respect nature is the underlying message that all life is connected. Many of the experiments and experiences recounted have not been repeated to the satisfaction of mainstream scientists. This, of course, is no surprise; the essence of life is elusive. Yet, evidence abounds for those who seek such knowledge, esoteric though it may be. If nothing else, this book inspires reverence, awe, and respect for all life, which is nothing short of a miracle. All life is connected in ways we do not yet understand. Whether you call it instinct, DNA, intelligence, or consciousness, plants respond to various stimuli in ways that cannot be explained. Unfortunately, research in this area is often discouraged because it's labeled "unscientific". While I suspect life's answer lies in the realm of quantum physics, the technology needed to identify, much less prove it, is not yet available. Neither will be, as long as research in such areas earns derisive comments and being ostracized by mainstream academic circles who depend on government grants. It is very fortunate that this book is still available and being read over forty years after it was first published. It contains information that everyone should read, whether or not they believe it. The preponderance of evidence from multiple sources lends considerable weight to claims that, if heeded, would lead to a healthier populace and do much to save our planet. I will not view plantlife the same since reading this book and will be buying organic even more diligently than I did before. This book has important implications for both your physical and spiritual health. I recommend it highly.

This was definitely worth the buy. And very informational. I needed to have it to complete my class.

I'm reading the book for the second time. It is a broad overview of the plant kingdom and humans' interactions with it which has been largely ignorant and self-serving leading to our demise, not surprisingly. Among other things, such as the sentience of plants (thus the vast extent of consciousness, intelligence and the natural order of the world) it reveals the facts, for example, of the hugh increase in heart disease the result of chemical farming and food sources at the time the book was published in 1973, and predicted that we were rapidly headed for cancer becoming a modern day plague. Though it was published around 50 years ago the findings covered in the book are as pertinent today was they were then. I read a lot, in particular non fiction, plus I was involved, as layman, in the scientific community where I lived. What I observed was many working within the academic and scientific communities constantly exhibiting narrow mindedness and driven largely by their egos petty want of attention, admiration and profit aided by government agencies protecting their mutual interests, and not their fellow human beings - to say nothing of all other life forms on the planet. Sadly, this ignorance permeates the culture and focus of these organizations. And, those heroes that work in these environments, those that don't go along with the destructive self-serving status quo imposed by the upper echelons within these institutions, are often subjected to severe ridicule and career ruin. When younger, I looked up to the leaders in these fields naively believing they were the smartest and wisest amongst us. Rather, for the most part, they are a hindrance to human progress and evolution, our survival. This is becoming increasingly apparent to the majority which hopefully is leading humankind to a peaceful change, a transformation, a metamorphosis so to speak. There's far more to the book than the authors' (and my) addressing the aforementioned problems. Please read, enjoy and share!

Only just began this, but already charmed. Relaxing and inspiring food for thought :)

It is the correct book, but I ordered it because I wanted the cover that was pictured. If I wanted the cover that was sent I could have got it from the bookstore.

I remember hearing about this book years ago - in the '70s when it was published but haven't gotten to read it until now! Boy, am I glad I did. Aside from revealing truths with which many people are unfamiliar - about things we see everyday , namely, plants, it really contributed to developing my ontological understanding towards Animism to which I had always intuitively felt drawn anyhow)and enhanced my "Weltanschaunng" in a most delightful way. The authors detail many fascinating people and their experiements with plants. The proof is there for the "doubting Thomases". I was delighted to encounter through this book so many enlightened people of whom I had never heard and to realize how wonderfully alive our world is. We have not been taught the truth! For example, Kirlian photography shows the "auric glow" around plants ....which is not surprising but also it exists around metals ! i.e. objects we had heretofore considered inanimate or "dead". The authors tell us that chemical spraying of pesticides on food crops is completely unecessary if the soil is properly composted and contains worms, bacteria, fungi and proper animal waste. Plants growing in such soil are NATURALLY resistant to insects and disease - just as humans who are healthy are resistant. "As above, so below." It's both immensely gratifying and regrettably tragic that the truth in such matters is so simple and yet we complicate it and poison ourselves needlessly. Please read this book. It may change your life! Can't recommend highly enough Cheers!

This is a fascinating read about plants. Studying plant science in a US college, I still had a lot to learn. Research history in this book did not make it to my courses. I believe plants are more attuned to their environment than we credit them. I will read this again!!

I am not exaggerating. When I picked up a copy of THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS, to go on a journey into the previously "unknown" world of plants, it was listed as, both, a new age and an occult book. Yes, to some it sounds pretty woo woo and out there that the common houseplant could take such a liking to Brahms, or such a disliking to hard rock music, that it would be driven to either thrive or shrivel. Yet, according to scientists and scientific scholars, stranger things have happened--and, in their words and by their accounts, they really DID happen! For example, plants who were the subjects of numerous tests and studies in a laboratory, were proven to have "human-like" feelings for the people that they were introduced to. In fact, the relationships progressed to the point that when one of the participants in the study nearly got run over by public transportation on the street, the participating plant was recorded in reacting in alarm to the peril that the human subject was put in! This wasn't all. Plants also are also proven, in this book, to respond to human sexuality in a very powerful (if not anthropomorphized) manner. Besides the studies, we are introduced to the beliefs of Goethe and the scientific progress made by George Washington Carver (of peanut cultivation fame). I can definitely see why this engrossing book inspired a soundtrack and an (as of today) unreleased documentary film. This book, written by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, is, quite possibly one of the most engrossing books pertaining to biology and modern-day symbiotic relationships between plants and humans that I have ever read. If THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS had been assigned reading in my high school biology class, I might have chosen a different path in college (in the plant sciences, perhaps!). If that isn't a vote of confidence from me, the humble liberal arts major, I don't know what is! Read this fantastic book today.

Mude sua visão sobre o mundo das plantas!

Livre fascinant, riche en explications scientifiques. Sa lecture changera la vision du monde du vivant à jamais. Une lecture obligatoire.

Ein absoluter Klassiker aus den Siebzigern. Und ja, das gleichnamige Album von Stevie Wonder aus dem Jahr 1979 ist die Musik zum gleichnamigen Film, der auf Grundlage dieses Buches produziert wurde.

Un libro bastante importante para ver cómo los poderes toman el pelo de la proletariate. Recomendó que todo mundo lo lee.

This book was recommended to me by a friend. It is well worth a read and will certainly make you see plant life in a completely different way! I found the evidence presented in the book quite astonishing to say the least and it definitely explains why I have such success with all my plant friends 🧡