Samples of human hair found in a cave in Spain were responsible for producing what scientists believe is the oldest evidence of hallucinogenic drug use in Europe. The discovery was disclosed in a study published recently in the journal Scientific Reports, of the journal Nature, and revealed that the use of psychoactive substances by human beings has been going on for at least 3,000 years.
The research was carried out based on archaeological excavations in a funerary cave from the Bronze Age, in Menorca, Spain, which provided hair that allowed further studies on the medicinal and ritual habits of the indigenous inhabitants of the Western Mediterranean. The wires were in small cylindrical wooden containers, hidden in an inner compartment of the cave.
According to research, mind-altering substances are invisible in archaeological records. The presence of this type of substance used to be proven from indirect elements, such as artifacts possibly related to the preparation or consumption of drugs (ceramic vases and stone pestle, for example), in addition to botanical remains of medicinal plants.
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Samples used in the study tested positive for a number of plant-derived compounds, specifically atropine, scopolamine and ephedrine. Atropine and scopolamine belong to the group of delusional drugs. Substance use causes mental confusion, hallucinations, disorientation, altered sensory perception and behavioral disorganization. Ephedrine, on the other hand, causes sensations similar to those of adrenaline, such as excitement, increased alertness and reduced fatigue.
The explanation for the threads allowing the identification of substances is the incorporation of drugs from the hair root. According to the study, as the chemical substances circulate through the blood, they are incorporated into the capillary matrix, and the analysis of the material allows a history of an individual’s exposure to the substances.
This investigation of the history can take weeks to months, depending on the length of the hair. In the case of the samples studied in the survey, the analysis indicated consumption over a period of almost one year. Thus, it was possible to conclude that drug intake occurred over time, before the death of these people.
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