Ein Ausflug in die Welt der Ilias und Odyssee: Gift- und Rauschpflanzen in der frühen Antike.

In the epics "Iliad" and "Odyssey", Homer describes the world of the Bronze Age around 4000 years ago. Many food plants that we use today were already known at that time. Various poisonous and intoxicating plants were known and used as well: Monkshood, hemlock, autumn crocus, and oleander were notorious poisonous plants used as arrow poisons, for murders, for suicide, and for death sentences. The alkaloid cyclopamine from white hellebore can cause the development of a single eye in the middle of the forehead (cyclopia) as a deformity; this consequence as a result of poisonings was probably the basis for the figure of the one-eyed cyclops Polyphemus. Intoxicating plants, such as opium poppy, mandrake, henbane, contain psychoactive alkaloids. As a Nepenthes potion, the opium poppy served to forget worries and pain; plants with tropane alkaloids were used for magic. The sorceress and goddess Kirke used extracts from mandrake to turn Odysseus' companions into pigs. Odysseus knew the trick and, before visiting Kirke, ate the bulbs of the snowdrop, which contains the alkaloid galantamine as an antidote. The realization that wine and beer can reliably induce intoxication is probably even older; wine already played a major role in Homer's works and was never missing from any meal. The ancient world already knew many medicinal plants that were used to treat injuries, inflammations, infections, pain and other diseases. Some of these plants we still apply today in medicine, such as Milfoil (Achillea sp.), Wormwood (Artemisia sp.), Belladonna (Atropa belladonna), Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), Celandine (Chelidonium majus), Ergot (Claviceps purpurea), Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnalis), Willow-herb (Epilobium sp.), Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Hellebore (Helleborus sp.), Henbane (Hyoscyamus sp.), Lavender (Lavandula sp.), Mint (Mentha sp.), Myrtle (Myrtus communis), Peony (Paeonia sp.), Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum), Plantain (Plantago sp.), Pomegranate (Punica granatum), Oak (Quercus sp.), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Sage (Salvia sp.), Thyme (Thymus sp.), Sea Squill (Drimia maritima), Speedwell (Verbena officinalis), Mistletoe (Viscum sp.) and Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]