Thorough chemical analysis has uncovered intriguing details about an ancient Egyptian cult devoted to a deity called Bes. Their ritualistic practices involved the consumption of a peculiar concoction consisting of alcoholic beverages, honey, hallucinogenic plants, and, disturbingly, traces of human blood.
From All That's Interesting:
The strange cult practice was revealed thanks to an in-depth chemical analysis of an ancient Bes vase released on the pre-publication feedback site Research Square.
“We successfully identified the presence of various nutraceutical, psychotropic, medicinal, and biological substances, shedding light on the diverse components of a liquid concoction used for ritual practices in Ptolemaic Egypt,” researchers wrote.
Through their analyses, they made several interesting observations. First, they discovered the presence of trace amounts of Peganum harmala and Nymphaea caerulea — more commonly known as Syrian rue and blue water lily, both of which have psychotropic and medicinal effects.
Researchers noted that Syrian rue seeds “produce high quantities of the alkaloids harmine and harmaline, which induce dream-like visions.”
Even today, Syrian rue is sometimes combined with other plants like mimosa to create a similar psychedelic effects to those produced by ayahuasca.
“Additionally,” the researchers wrote, “the identification of human fluids suggests their direct involvement in these rituals.”
But the strange brew featured far more than just human liquids and psychedelic plants. Researchers also found evidence of “fermented fruit-based liquid and other ingredients such as honey or royal jelly.”
As for which “human liquids” researchers found in the vase, they identified blood, breast milk, and a third substance that may have been vaginal mucus discharge. It’s likely that the booze and sweetening agents were used to mask the taste of some of the more unsavory elements of the mixture.
Sounds like quite a delicious concoction, huh?
Based on some of the other "human liquids" found, we can come to a pretty logical conclusion of where the blood came from.
At least it wasn't from human sacrifice right?
