VALLADOLID, SPAIN—Science News reports that evidence for the ingestion of hallucinogenic drugs has been detected in a 3,000-year-old sample of human hair discovered in a wooden box in Es Càrritx Cave, which is located on the island of Menorca. Archaeologist Elisa Guerra-Doce of the University of Valladolid said that more than 200 graves, ranging from 3,600 to 2,800 years old, have been found in a chamber at the entrance to the cave. Strands of hair on some of the bodies had been dyed a reddish color, and locks had been cut and put in containers left near some of the graves. The wooden container holding the hair sample used in the study was one of six recovered from an inner cave chamber, where a wooden comb and other artifacts were also found. The hair sample found in the box may have come from more than one person, Guerra-Doce explained. The analysis identified three psychoactive plant substances that had been ingested over a year-long period. Two of these substances, atropine and scopolamine, could have induced disorientation, hallucinations, and altered physical sensations. The evidence of ephedrine found in the hair could have boosted energy and alertness. Guerra-Doce and her colleagues suggest that shamans would have known how to handle and consume these plant substances safely. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Scientific Reports. To read about traces of psychoactive plants detected in mummified heads from Peru, go to "Earliest Ayahuasca Trip."
