Scientific reports
November 13, 2024
Davide Tanasi, Branko F Van Oppen de Ruiter, Fiorella Florian et al.
9 citations
A liquid concoction used in 2nd-century BCE Egyptian rituals contained multiple psychoactive and medicinal substances. Analysis of residues inside a Bes-vase identified proteins, metabolites, and genetic sequences from Peganum harmala, blue water lily (Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea), and a Cleome species, all known for psychotropic properties. Human fluids were also detected, suggesting direct human involvement in rituals. Fermented fruit-based liquid and honey or royal jelly were present. The findings reveal the complexity of ancient ritual practices and their use of bioactive natural resources.
Archaeometry
March 17, 2024
Enrico Greco, Laurent Rivier, Giorgio Samorini et al.
5 citations
Detecting ancient ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian hallucinogenic drink made from Banisteriopsis caapi liana and other plants, faces multiple challenges despite advanced analytical techniques. Harmine and harmaline found in Andean archaeological sites have led some to suggest Banisteriopsis was used as early as 500 CE. However, archaeological, ethnobotanical, biochemical, and analytical chemistry considerations make the true origins of these alkaloids in mummies and artifacts uncertain. The evidence does not convincingly prove ancient ayahuasca use.
Revista de Arqueología Americana
July 10, 2026
Giorgio Samorini
For decades, scholars believed the Old World had far fewer psychoactive plants in traditional use than the New World, attributing this to cultural differences. However, recent research in Africa reveals a wealth of traditional uses of hallucinogenic plants that had been overlooked due to a lack of ethnobotanical investigation. These plants are primarily employed in possession states, serving adorcist or exorcist functions, and often for healing. Examples include the Bori cult of the Hausa in Niger, female initiation rites of the Tsonga in Mozambique, the Fang cult of Byeri, iboga cults in western equatorial Africa, divinatory practices like the misoko of the Mitsogho in Gabon and sangoma in South Africa, and as a truth serum in judicial investigations such as the leba shay of Abyssinia.
Cultura y Droga
October 19, 2023
Giorgio Samorini
Traditional use of the intoxicating mushroom Amanita muscaria persists among some North American ethnic groups (Ahnishinaubeg, Ajumawi, Wixaritari), primarily for religious and shamanic-therapeutic purposes. Analysis of popular names and their etymologies reveals semantic associations similar to those in the Old World, indicating knowledge of the mushroom's intoxicating properties was preserved until recently in some Mesoamerican native groups. The mushroom's presence in South America appears due to recent anthropogenic reforestation, explaining the lack of archaeological, historical, and ethnographic records there. The data suggest a broader diffusion of knowledge about A. muscaria's intoxicating properties among North and Mesoamerican natives in the past, knowledge forgotten or secretly transmitted after centuries of colonial repression.
Drug Science Policy and Law
January 1, 2023
Adriana D’arienzo, Giorgio Samorini
Italy conducted the most clinical studies on psilocybin and lysergic acid amide (LSA) in the twentieth century, and humans first received a high dose of 500 mcg of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) there. The most successful Italian studies used psilocybin intravenously at 3 mg every second or third day, alternated with placebo, to treat depressive states. LSD and psilocybin also showed promise for treating neurosis. Italian psychiatrists contributed to theoretical debates on the psychotomimetic paradigm and the distinction between primary and secondary effects of psychedelics.