The inhabitants of the island of Menorca (Balearic Islands) used hallucinogenic drugs about 3000 years ago., according to an investigation that has yet to be made public. These drugs came from various plant species growing on the island.
Some hairs found in a burial cave on Menorca indicate that the prehistoric inhabitants of that island used medicines derived from plants and shrubs, scientists say.
This finding is important because it is representative. Europe’s oldest direct evidence of people using hallucinogenic drugs. According to the researchers, these substances could cause delirium and hallucinations.
Discovery published in the journal Scientific ReportsIt details the signs of human activity in the Es Càrritx cave, southwest of Menorca. It is a cave that houses more than 200 human graves. about 600 years BC. It is thought to have served as a funeral settlement until 800 BC.
What substances do researchers they had the potential to be quite powerful, they may have been used as part of the rituals that took place in the cave. Such ceremonies could involve shamans who could “control the side effects of herbal medicines.”
Three psychoactive substances in a lock of hair
Analysis of locks that were painted red in ancient rituals and may have come from more than one person. detected three psychoactive substances.
Together atropine and scopolamine, causing hallucinations, scientists found ephedrineincreasing energy and alertness in the human body.
Scientists have also found cave vessels with spiral motifs carved into their lids. Some scholars, according to rumors, interpret these signs as a representation of Allah. “altered states of consciousness” image of a person under the influence of hallucinogens.
Until now, evidence of prehistoric drug use in Europe has relied only on circumstantial evidence, such as the appearance of drug plants in artistic representations.
Reference work: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-31064-2#Sec7
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