Medel att återställa kroppens och själens krafter? Om Carl von Linnés syn på växters inverkan på människans sinne(n) i Inebriantia år 1762

Sammanfattning: Abstract: Carl Linnaeus’s dissertation Inebriantia (1762) emerges as a transitional piece at the intersection of the early modern and the modern period, reflecting 18th-century beliefs about inebriation, the natural world, and its mysterious forces. This study explicates Linnaeus’s perspective on the interaction between plants and human mental states by addressing the question: How does Linnaeus perceive the relationship between plants and the human mind in Inebriantia? Drawing on the history of emotions and senses, Linnaeus’s conceptualization of altered states of consciousness and the role of non-human actants in shaping human mental states is explored. Linnaeus categorized intoxicants into three groups: natural, artificial, and mythological. The paper demonstrates that central to Linnaeus’s understanding of the relationship between humans and plants was the human nervous system, which he believed mediated the interaction between the external world and the human mind. Linnaeus posited that volatile, odorous substances from plants affected the human nervous system, ultimately influencing perception, judgment, and emotions. It is posited that Linnaeus establishes a triangular relationship between the sense of smell, the nervous system, and the human mind. The thesis highlights the complex relationship between plants, the human body and mind in Linnaeus’s work, shedding light on 18th-century beliefs about altered states of consciousness. The study reveals that Linnaeus did not consider the alteration of consciousness itself as inherently negative, but rather the unnatural means of borrowing energy from external sources. Despite acknowledging the potential dangers of intoxicants, Linnaeus maintained a cautious optimism about their benefits when used in moderation.