Receptors

by Richard M. Restak

What if there was a pill you could take that would change you from an introvert into the extrovert you always wanted to be? Or if there were readily available capsules to raise your spirits when you wanted to feel "up," or to ease you into blissful relaxation when that was your aim? In Receptors, Dr. Richard M. Restak, acclaimed author of The Brain and The Mind, leads us on a fascinating - and sometimes disquieting - scientific adventure into the remarkable new advances in brain research that are making such transformations a reality. He begins this search in the primeval regions of Central and South America, where for countless years native peoples have employed "sacred plants" to open new doors of perception by literally altering their minds. Along the way he introduces us to the early pioneers in the development of drugs that made possible the treatment of many mental disorders. And he takes us into the laboratories of today's molecular chemists and neuroscientists who are creating