{"product_id":"9780861544516-most-delicious-poison","title":"Most Delicious Poison","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom Spices to Vices – The Story of Nature’s Toxins. \u003cp\u003eEverything you’ve always wanted to know about poisons but have been too afraid to ask…\u003c\/p\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA deadly secret lurks within our kitchens, medicine cabinets and gardens.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDigitalis purpurea\u003c\/em\u003e. The common foxglove.\u003c\/strong\u003e Vision blurs as blood pressure drops precipitously. The heartbeat slows until, finally, it stops.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eAtropa belladonna\u003c\/em\u003e. Deadly nightshade. \u003c\/strong\u003eEyes darken as strange shapes flutter across your vision. The heart begins to race and soon the entire body is overcome with convulsions.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePapaver somniferum\u003c\/em\u003e. The opium poppy. \u003c\/strong\u003ePupils constrict to a pinprick as the senses dull. Gradually, breathing shudders to a halt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eScratch the surface of a coffee bean, a chilli flake or an apple seed and find a bevy of strange chemicals – biological weapons in a war raging unseen. Here, beetles, birds, bats and butterflies must navigate a minefield of specialised chemicals and biotoxins, each designed to maim and kill.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd yet these chemicals, evolved to repel marauding insects and animals, have now become an integral part of our everyday lives. Some we use to greet our days (caffeine) and titillate our tongues (capsaicin), others to bend our minds (psilocybin) and take away our pains (opioids).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInspired by his father’s love of the natural world and his eventual spiral into the depths of addiction, evolutionary biologist Noah Whiteman explores how we came to use – and abuse – these chemicals. Delving into the mysterious origins of plant and fungal toxins, and their unique human history, \u003cem\u003eMost Delicious Poison\u003c\/em\u003e provides a kaleidoscopic tour of nature’s most delectable and dangerous poisons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e*****\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Deeply researched and fascinating.' —JENNIFER DOUDNA, WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Magisterial, fascinating and gripping.' —NEIL SHUBIN, AUTHOR OF\u003cem\u003e YOUR INNER FISH\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Exuberant, poignant and mind-blowing.' —DANIEL E. LIEBERMAN, AUTHOR OF \u003cem\u003eEXERCISED\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40938601250913,"sku":"9780861544516","price":18.92,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/f4e961d1e1ff0f5171edd9301dd766e2.png?v=1701331481","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780861544516-most-delicious-poison","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}