Naming a phantom - the quest to find the identity of Ulluchu, an unidentified ceremonial plant of the Moche culture in Northern Peru.
Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine March 31, 2009 Rainer W Bussmann, Douglas Sharon 33 citations
The fruit called Ulluchu, frequently depicted in Moche art from A.D. 100-800 on the Peruvian north coast, has been identified as a group of species in the genus Guarea (Meliaceae). The identification is based on morphological characteristics of the grooved, comma-shaped fruit with an enlarged calyx shown in fine-line scenes on ceramics. Chemical analysis of the plant's compounds supports the thesis that it was used in sacrificial contexts to improve blood extraction. The authors also suggest that a ground preparation of Guarea seeds may have been used as a hallucinogen when inhaled, but note that more phytochemical research is needed to corroborate this hypothesis.