Psychoactive herbal drugs in Europe

Abstract: In Europe psychoactive phyto-drugs are used since the stone age for treating diseases but also to induce alterations of conscience for ritual purposes. Many psychoactive drugs belong to the family of Solanaceae such as Mandragora, deadly nightshade and thorn-apple. Additionally, drugs such as poppy, cereal fungus, hemp and Amanita muscaria were used. The consequences of wrong application and abuse are, dependent on the drug, dependency, serious side effects and even death. In order to prevent these problems, the drugs were surrounded by a web of myths. In most cases their pharmacological effects are mediated by postsynaptic Stimulation or inhibition of central neurons. The psychotomimetic properties of these drugs allowed the contact with supenatural beings during religious rituals and helped to increase prophetical qualities. In the last centuries they were used more profanely for sexual stimulation, painkilling, sleep-Inducing and just for fun. They were applied by aqueous or ethanolic solutions, by smoking or by inhalation of the vapour of special solutions. The so-called witches induced flight-dreams by a special ointment, containing Solanaceae, but also the inquisition used it to convict innocent individuals of being a witch. The psychoactive drugs are deeply involved in the history of the European culture. The hallucinations during a ritualized drug intake were the basis for many fairy-tales and myths and presumably also for most of the religions. The knowledge of this background which always was suppressed by the governors for reasons quite intelligible, is the key for understanding many developments in the past, which still have effects in the present time. Because of the inborn need of man for alteration of his conscience, it seems to be granted that psychoactive drugs will accompany human life also in the future.

Keyword(s): Solanaceae

Zurück | Weiter