Sidarta Ribeiro winks at Baudelaire with “As Flores do Bem”

The renowned Brazilian scientist, Sidarta Ribeiro, recently released a book that promises to challenge prejudices about cannabis and contribute to an urgent debate on the legalization of its therapeutic use. In the book, entitled “As Flores do Bem (The Flowers of Good): the science and history of the liberation of marijuana”, Sidarta Ribeiro adopts an accessible approach, where he combines history, culture and personal testimonies with scientific rigor, in order to combat the misinformation surrounding the ancient plant that is cannabis. The title of the book is a pun on Baudelaire's famous work, “The Flowers of Evil”.

Sidarta Ribeiro, who been to Portugal as a conference speaker, he is a professor of Neuroscience at the Brain Institute, at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) and author of more than 100 scientific articles, in addition to 5 books, including the bestseller from the New York Times “The Oracle of the Night: The History and Science of Dreams.” “The Flowers of Good: the science and history of marijuana liberation” is the title of the recently released book by Professor Sidarta Ribeiro, a prominent figure and defender of medicinal cannabis in Brazil.

Bachelor in Biology from the University of Brasília (1993), Master in Biophysics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (1994) and PhD in Animal Behavior from Rockefeller University (2000), with post-doctorate in Neurophysiology at Duke University (2005), Sidarta has experience in neuroethology, molecular neurobiology and systems neurophysiology, with interest in the following topics: memory, sleep and dreams; neuronal plasticity; vocal communication; symbolic competence in non-human animals; computational psychiatry; neuroeducation; medical cannabis; psychedelics and drug policy.

Sidarta Ribeiro's book initially takes us to “As Flores do Mal”, by Charles Baudelaire, a title that certainly inspired him to, in his version, provide a brief overview of the history of cannabis, marked by prohibition policies , often motivated by racial prejudice and conservatism. In the work “As Flores do Bem”, Siddhartha describes the relationship between humanity and cannabis, and its evolution over the centuries.

The advancement of science today points to a new chapter in the history of cannabis. Scientific research has revealed several therapeutic potentials of cannabis, including the treatment of diseases such as anxiety, depression, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. These findings demonstrate that Cannabis can be a valuable tool in modern medicine, as long as it is used responsibly and within appropriate parameters.

 

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According to the book's publisher, Fósforo, the book “As Flores do Bem” is not just a scientific popularization book, but a valuable contribution from one of the greatest Brazilian scientists to the debate on cannabis. Sidarta Ribeiro seeks to break down prejudices and create a frank dialogue on the topic. With an engaging narrative full of humanity, the author shares his own experience with cannabis, and reveals how the plant influenced his family history and his professional and religious trajectory.

Sidarta Ribeiro's book is available at pre-sale on the website from the publisher Fósforo.