People in the early Americas also used alcohol-infused enemas and psychedelic cacti to alter their consciousness

Dec 11, 2014 09:40 GMT  ·  By
Early Americans often used drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness
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   Early Americans often used drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness

Consciousness-altering compounds might be frown upon in this day and age, but centuries ago, people didn't have a problem with them. In fact, they were quite appreciated and often used either to treat all sorts of conditions or for religious purposes.

A study published in the journal Neurología explains that magic mushrooms, psychoactive toad skins, and psychedelic cacti were all on the menu of early Americans. What's more, it appears that these folks sometimes turned to alcohol-infused enemas to induce an altered state of consciousness.

Introducing the drugs early Americans more often turned to

The Mayans were quite fond of a drink that was basically an infusion of a specific plant bark mixed with a special kind of honey. The bark came from a plant dubbed Lonchocarpus longistylus and the honey was made by bees that feasted on a plant containing the psychedelic compound ergine.

This drink that the Mayans used to prepare and consume was known as balché. Quite often, the drink was ingested while smoking tobacco or in combination with alcohol-infused enemas. The Mayans believed that these practices made it possible for them to communicate with the gods and better understand their past and their future.

Apart from balché, tobacco and alcohol-infused enemas, the Mayans turned to toad skins to jiggle their brains just a bit. Specifically, it is said that they used to add dried toad skins laced with psychoactive substances to their beverages, just to kick things up a notch. They sometimes went as far as to add such skins to balché.

Writing in the journal Neurología, specialist Francisco Javier Carod-Arta and fellow researchers go on to detail that, some 3,500 years ago, folks in Mexico and Central America liked to experiment with as many as 54 different species of magic mushrooms.

The mushrooms caused them to experience either funny or downright terrifying visions, and even affected their bodily movements and behavior. Just like the Mayan's balché, these hallucinogenic mushrooms were consumed not for entertainment purposes, but during religious rituals, Live Science explains.

Lastly, researchers say that a hallucinogenic cactus dubbed peyote and a plant commonly referred to as devil's herb were often used by people who lived in North America's southernmost region centuries ago to induce an altered state of consciousness and get in touch with the gods.

The cactus' nodules were either chewed or turned into an infusion. As surprising as this may sound, it appears that people discovered this plant's psychoactive properties as much as 5,000 years ago and started consuming it to alter their own perception of time and space, and induce hallucinations.

As for the devil's herb, it is understood that this plant chiefly served to treat wounds and alleviate the pain caused by various health conditions. Every once in a while, the plant was also used to toy with people's consciousness during religious rituals.

People are still using these plants and concoctions

Interestingly enough, researcher Francisco Javier Carod-Artal with Spain's Hospital Virgen de la Luz in the city of Cuenca and colleagues claim that even today people living in indigenous communities in North America's southernmost region turn to such drugs for medicinal purposes.

More precisely, the researchers say that the same substances that early Americans used in medicine or religious practices are still being used to treat neurological and mental health issues such as migraines, seizures and even depression. The people who use these drugs have limited access to modern medicine.

The early Americans were no strangers to drugs (5 Images)

Early Americans often used drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness
They were no strangers to magic mushroomsThey even used a psychedelic cactus dubbed petoye
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