A look at drug use by our ancestors

People taking things they shouldn’t to feel some kind of effect is nothing new, but in the past people mistook feelings and hallucinations as a direct connection with the gods, and drugs became more than something to do in the evenings and became a part of many cultures. Most people are familiar with the Native American peace pipe, but the reasons behind why they smoked are much less well-known. Here are some of the drugs used by our ancestors and the reasons behind them.

The Vikings – Mushrooms

The first official record of the Vikings eating mushrooms comes from an English priest called Odmann, who in 1784 wrote about how the Vikings would eat magic mushrooms before battle, but prior to this they aren’t mentioned anywhere else, and this is several hundred years after the Viking age had ended. The use of mushrooms amongst Vikings seems to be something passed down by word of mouth and commonly occurring stories like the berzerker rage that they would go into when fighting, where all the warriors show the same behaviors and symptoms. The mushroom itself was most likely Amanita Muscaria, also known as fly agaric, which is poisonous in large quantities but can cause hallucinations in smaller amounts. The mushroom we know today as magic mushrooms was only native to the Netherlands at the time, which would leave the vast majority of Vikings having to use other types.

(Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria) is very common throughout Europe and the most likely choice for the vikings)

Amazon Tribes – Ayahuasca

In the upper regions of the Amazon rainforest, a number of tribes have created a drink that was traditionally used in religious ceremonies, but today is being shared with tourists looking for a spiritual awakening. The drink is made by boiling stems of the Ayahuasca plant with leaves from a plant called Chacruna, which created a toxic and highly hallucinogenic drink that’s supposed to be very calming while at the same time making you see things. The origins of the drink are unknown as small tribes generally didn’t, or still do have a written language in their communities, but it seems to have been drunk in the Amazon for quite some time.

(Ayahuasca vines and Chacruna leaves are the only ingredients in this potent drink)

Central and west African tribes – Iboga root

A small shrub that grows in the rainforest, Iboga has a long-lasting effect and can be used in two ways. The bark is chewed and in smaller amounts provides a stimulating effect and is often used to keep people awake or give them more energy, but in larger amounts, it can send people on a powerful trip that lasts for hours. After consuming a large amount, the next four hours will be spent having vivid hallucinations followed by several more hours of intense thought about past experiences, but from a safer and calming viewpoint. The drug is supposed to be able to help with dealing with bad experiences and has presumably been used for a very long time since the plant is native to the continent.

(Dried Iboga root)

Native Americans – Pipes and Peyote

The peace pipe that Indians are seen smoking in so many illustrations was mostly nothing more than tobacco. Cannabis isn’t native to North America and even the furthest southern tribes wouldn’t have been close enough to where it grew naturally in Central America, but there is information about how they would mix the tobacco with other herbs and plant matter, it’s just no one seems to know what it was. One thing that was very popular with the tribes around the hotter southern regions was the use of something called Peyote, a type of small cactus that is covered with psychoactive alkaloids. When eaten, it can cause powerful hallucinations that can last for hours, and buried remains of the plant and stories that have passed down through generations suggest that it has been used for close to 2,000 years.

(The Peyote cactus, very common across southern areas of the US)

India – Cannabis resin

Tobacco isn’t native to India and due to the hot climate, any freshly cut plants don’t last for very long. Cannabis on the other hand is native to India and is very common throughout the country. A form of resin called Charas has been used across the country for well over 2,000 years and was even sold legally up until 1980 when the USA put pressure on them to make it illegal. When made into resin form, it can be stored for a long time while keeping its potency and was taken by either eating it or smoking it in the large Hookah pipes still used in the country today.

(One of the most popular drugs in India today, cannabis resin has been used for a very long time)

The Horn of Africa – Khat

Around Ethiopia and Somalia, as well as a few countries on the nearby Arabian peninsula, Khat has been used for thousands of years and continues to be used widely to this day. It first started as an alternative way to get wrecked by Muslims who were forbidden from drinking alcohol and has since spread to nearby countries as a popular and cheap way to get high. It’s mentioned in ancient Egyptian texts as being a divine food that made its user closer to the gods. It acts as a powerful stimulant and gives the user a huge boost of energy while also making them “zoned out” more commonly known as being stoned. In 1993, the US military conducted investigations into the drug in the country of Djibouti where they found that the average household spends between $700 and $1800 a year on the drug, which is equal to between 10% and 20% of their total income. In smaller amounts, it’s supposed to be equal to drinking a few strong coffees which makes it the drug of choice for truck drivers and anyone traveling long distances.

(A very common plant across eastern Africa, Khat is also the most widely used drug in a number of countries)

Incas – San Pedro Cactus

This cactus contains some of the same psychedelic ingredients as Peyote but comes with its own special additions. The cactus is native to Peru and the Incas have used it in their religious ceremonies for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The skin of the cactus is removed and dried before being ground into a fine powder where it is either taken directly, presumably by snorting it, or mixed into a beverage. It is still very popular in the northern region of the Andes range where shamanic rituals still take place and the drug is frequently used.

(The San Pedro Cactus – Echinopsis pachanoi)

Alcohol – Who had it and who drank it?

The short answer would be literally everyone. There doesn’t seem to be a culture on earth that hasn’t discovered how to ferment liquids into alcohol, but there are those who choose not to use it, such as Muslims who can’t drink it for religious reasons. People have been brewing beer in Britain since the Bronze Age and every country seems to have its own alcoholic inventions. Most of Europe only had beer and mead until the Romans spread the use of wine and its popularity became huge. The Pueblo tribe of the southwest US was the first Native American tribe to make alcohol in the form of beer from fermented corn, but the further south you go the more interesting the ingredients become. Anything with sugar in it has the potential to ferment, and this has led people to use all kinds of fruit juices and even things like yams and potatoes.