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Re: The Curse of The Mummies

At 06:55 AM 11/30/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Cocaine and nicotine found in (Egyptian ?) mummies.
>>The programe said that Nicotine could only come from tobacco found only 
>in
>>the "New World".
>>Are cocaine type compounds found in other plants
>
>Sorry about this Michael, but you did ask !
>
>Besides the various tobacco species found in Australia, Africa and the
>South Pacific there are other Solanaceous plants such as Duboisia hopwoodii
>"pituri" which contain nicotine. Other plant families also have nicotine
>containing genera including Pteridophytes like Equisetum and Lycopodium.

However they also documented the pressence of Tobbaco itself in eastern
asia several thousands of years before modern europeans reached the "new
world" In addition there was the presence of Sweet Potatoes, Maize, and
Peanuts all new world plants in eastern asia and the Indian Sub Continent,
all of which would be within trade reach of the Middle East and Egypt. That
said there was admitedly some question as to the positive identification of
the plant fibers as being specificaly Tobaco in the linnes and internal
packing in the mummies.

>In the Journal of Ethnopharmacology 10 (3) 1984 "Biological activity of the
>alkaloids of Erythroxylum coca and E.novogranatense" - M. Novák and his
>companions reported nicotine as a constituent of coca leaves.
>
>Cocaine (C17 H21 NO4) is the methyl benzoyl ester of a tropane alkaloid,
>ecgonine, sharing the same heterocyclic ring as scopolamine (C17 H21 NO4),
>hyoscyamine (C17 H23 NO3), and atropine (C17 H23 NO3).

However Gas Spetroscopy indicated Cocaine as the constiuent, specificaly
eliminating scopalomine, hyoscyamine and atropine. Also Electronmicrscopy
of the crystaline structure positively identified it as cocaine, according
to the program. 
>
>The ancient Egyptians recorded their knowledge of Hyoscyamus species and
>their brewing of Mandragora beer (mandragorine can be found by chemical
>analysis of coca). Atropa (A. belladonna containing traces of nicotine),
>and Datura species are also native to Mediterranean Africa.

All of which were frequently used by ancient peoples for medicinal and
psychotropic pperposes.
>
>One could propose that a Solanaceous species was used as a pain killer,
>this might in itself contain nicotine or might have been used in
>conjunction with a nicotine containing medicinal (Equisetum for stomach
>problems by example).

Do they actualy contain nicotine sulfate or a similar compound?
>
>Chemicals used in the embalming process, other medicines, or in the
>analysis of the mummies chemistry might further complicate things (perhaps
>forensic drug testing was involved, which might not include scopolamine
>as a comparative sample) and interpretation of the results is in the eyes of
>the researchers.

Acording to another article, which I have misplaced dangit, they
specificaly tested for scopalomine as one of the possible analogs for
cocaine when the results of the first tests came up with their VERY
surprising results. The tests were indeed forensic tests of the roots of
the hairs from the mummies, so it must have been from consumption rather
than topicaly applied post mortum.

>
>Best wishes,
>Matt Sleigh
>http://b-and-t-world-seeds.com/
>
Matt any additional info on the chemistry would be greatly appreciated,
thanks for the input.
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