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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Did drugs fuel Viking social gatherings and make them formidable and fearless warriors? Source: ContentHub / Adobe Stock.

Viking Drug Use: From Riotous Parties to Berserker Fury

The Vikings stand as legendary figures, their exploits on the seas and battlefields shrouded in myth and mystery. Yet beyond their tales of conquest and exploration lies a lesser-known aspect of...
Trophy heads from Nazca, with the child found to have consumed psychoactive drugs.           Source: D. Socha / Journal of Archaeological Science

Trophy Head Shows Child Victim Consumed Psychedelic San Pedro in Peru

Psychoactive substances and child sacrifice seem to come together more often than not when it comes to examining the Mesoamerican cultures and their history. Earlier this month, 76 child sacrifice...
Samples of Schinus mole discovered at Quilcapampa in Peru which were used by Wari culture to make an alcoholic drink. Source: Lisa Milosavljevic & Royal Ontario Museum / Antiquity Publications Ltd

Wari Culture Used Alcohol and Drugs to Maintain Political Control

An altered state of consciousness to rule an ancient empire? Not a plot of a television series or a fantasy novella, but a page out of the fascinating book that is human history. A new study...
Study finds effects of ayahuasca tea match that of placebo. Source: agsandrew / Adobe Stock

Study Finds Hallucinogenic Ayahuasca Tea Trip Matches That of Placebo

About ten years ago, interest in hallucinogenic ayahuasca tea attracted thousands of European and North American tourists to South America, all looking for a trip in the high Andes or steamy Amazon...
Everything is distinct in the shaman’s secret world. Source: Ammit /Adobe Stock

The Shaman’s Secret World: Living in Light and Darkness

Shamanism is described in Shamanism, Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy as a every ancient coherent system of esoteric beliefs and practices that attempt to organize and explain the interrelationship...
Magic mushrooms contain the chemical psilocybin which cause hallucinogens. Source: Martina / Adobe Stock.

Scientific Shamans Make E-coli Brew “Magic Mushroom” Hallucinogen

Scientists have successfully modified E. coli to create the powerful psychoactive chemical found in magic mushrooms that were consumed by most prehistoric tribes. In the new study published online...
Ancient ruins in the rainforest

Was the Amazon Rainforest Once Home to A Massive Lost Civilization?

There is a hill in the Amazon rainforest that stretches out over two acres of land. It is called Montegrande and, to look at it, it seems like nothing more than another hill. A particularly steep one...
The recently discovered cactus, possibly belonging to the hallucinogenic species San Pedro (Echinopsis pachanoi).

Surprising Offering of a Hallucinogenic Cactus Discovered in Prehispanic Temple in Lima

Chuquitanta or El Paraíso (The Paradise) are the modern names for a monumental archaeological complex located in the Chillon River valley, several kilometers north of downtown Lima and dated to the...
Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects

Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects

The battle against drugs and drug usage rages on today and for good reason. However, with the near constant limelight that the ‘drug war’ receives today, it can seem like the most common drugs have...
Prehistoric people using hallucinogens in ritual

Prehistoric people used hallucinogens as part of sacred burial rituals

Unlike modern Man, the prehistoric people of Europe did not use mind-altering substances simply for their hedonistic pleasure. The use of alcohol and plant drugs – such as opium poppies and...