People used cocaine as early as the 1600s, chewing the leaves of the coca plant “for recreational purposes.”
Researchers examined the human remains of the Ca’ Granda crypt in Milan, which is located under the church of the Beate Vergine Annunciata. The bodies of patients from the “pioneer hospital” Ospedale Maggiore — which “specialized in the medical treatment of acute illnesses among impoverished and disadvantaged individuals living in the city” — were interned there, according to research published in Journal of Archaeological Sciences he says.
“Toxicological analyzes performed on preserved brain tissue revealed the presence of the compounds cocaine, benzoylecgonine and hygrin in two cases,” the research states.
Image of the leaves of the coca plant.
Nicolo Filippo Rosso/Bloomberg
Cocaine can be broken down into benzoylecgonine, the researchers said, adding that the presence of both molecules confirms that “the individuals under investigation consumed the molecule.”
“However, this did not allow us to conclude whether the consumption was in the form of leaves or the cocaine hydrochloride salt.”
This was determined by the presence of a third molecule, hygrin.
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“Higrin, in particular, indicated that cocaine ingestion occurred by chewing coca leaves,” the newspaper states, because “hygrin (an alkaloid present in coca leaves) Erythroxylum spp. only), was instrumental in establishing that the molecules detected in these human remains came from the chewing of coca leaves or leaves brewed as tea, consistent with the historical period.”
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The work notes that the presence of this plant in human remains from such a long past is “unprecedented”, as “the pharmacological archive of the hospital does not report the presence Erythroxylum spp. until the end of the 19th century, which would mean that the plant did not enter the hospital pharmacy until then.”
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As Oxford University explains, Erythroxylum is the genus for the coca plant, and notes “In 1855 the anesthetic alkaloid (cocaine) was isolated from coca leaves.”
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The paper notes that the plant is not listed among the drugs commonly dispensed at the hospital, “suggesting that it may not have been administered at the hospital. Coca leaves may therefore have been chewed for their invigorating properties or for recreational purposes.”
The new research “provides a better understanding of how cocaine use has changed over the centuries in Europe,” as the paper states that products derived from the coca plant – which were commonly dispensed “as a medicine in the 19th century” – are now “a cause 1/5 of overdose deaths worldwide in the 20th century.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education