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Transcultural use of narcotic water lilies in ancient egyptian and maya drug ritual
- Source :
- Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 3:39-83
- Publication Year :
- 1981
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 1981.
-
Abstract
- Comparisons are made between ancient ritual uses of the flowers of Nymphaea (Nymphaeaceae) in Maya and Egyptian civilizations. Recurrent motifs encountered in the art of both of these ancient civilizations suggests that the role fo the water lily was that of a narcotic (psychodysleptic) used to mediate ecstasis among a priestly caste. Relevant literature is reviewed as are chemical data. Elements in the complex belief systems of these two civilizations need to be reinterpreted in view of the use of two water lilies as ritual narcotics. The species implicated are Nymphaea caerulea Sav., in Egypt, and N. ampla DC., among the Maya.
- Subjects :
- Cross-Cultural Comparison
Narcotics
History
Egypt, Ancient
Ancient history
Water-Lilies
Drug Discovery
Botany
Animals
Humans
Maya
Anthropology, Cultural
History, Ancient
visual_art.artwork
Pharmacology
Plants, Medicinal
biology
Nymphaea
Religion and Medicine
Caste
Chemical data
Central America
biology.organism_classification
visual_art
Nymphaeaceae
Water lily
Caerulea
Art
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 03788741
- Volume :
- 3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Ethnopharmacology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....c43f05270b016098ec80f3c2c4916536