Research led by anthropology and Egyptology student Liam McEvoy at the University of California, Berkeley, has proposed a new hypothesis about the use of the blue lotus in ancient Egypt. McEvoy's study suggests that Egyptologists may have misinterpreted how the psychoactive blue lotus was used by ancient civilizations, indicating that the ancient Egyptians may have been onto something when they used the blue lotus to heighten their sensuality.
The researchers at the Center for the Science of Psychedelics at UC Berkeley conducted an analysis of authentic blue lotus samples cultivated in the university's Botanical Garden to verify their hypothesis. National Geographic Historia reports that the researchers compared the authentic blue lotus samples with flowers purchased from online stores, concluding that many of the samples sold in the international market belong to different species. Mass spectrometry revealed a key difference in chemical composition: the authentic samples had high levels of nuciferine, an alkaloid with psychoactive effects, while the flowers obtained online had much lower levels of nuciferine.
McEvoy's research proposes that the ancient Egyptians not only added the blue lotus to wine but also made an infused oil from it, which was later added to the wine. This method was more effective in releasing nuciferine, facilitating altered states of consciousness in ritual contexts. The study also links this practice with the Festival of Drunkenness, a celebration in honor of the goddess Hathor, who is a symbol of love, beauty, and fertility.
"The blue lotus was used for religious, medicinal, and possibly psychological purposes, including treatments for various ailments and psychoactive effects," reported IFLScience. The petals of the blue lotus, which open at dawn and close at dusk, were believed to reflect the journey of the soul. Al Jazeera Arabic noted that the Egyptian blue lotus was associated with the sun god Ra, as it "rises" every morning.
The significance of the blue lotus was confirmed in 1922 when Howard Carter found blue lotus petals covering the body of Tutankhamun. The flower was considered a symbol of life and immortality in ancient Egypt and was associated with resurrection and the sun due to its daily blooming cycle. Some spells in the Egyptian Book of the Dead reference the blue lotus's association with rebirth and immortality. IFLScience reported that the ancient Egyptians believed that the blue lotus flower helped the dead awaken in the afterlife.
Despite its significance in ancient Egypt, the blue lotus remains an enigma, with scientists and historians still uncovering its full importance and effects on the mind. "From the beginning, I knew this was going to be my specialty at Berkeley. I wanted the plant to tell its story and contribute to a debate amid all this pseudoscience circulating out there, pseudoscience that generates a lot of money for some people," McEvoy said, according to National Geographic Historia.
Modern challenges have arisen due to the blue lotus's rarity. Authentic Egyptian blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) is hard to come by these days. Many products marketed as Egyptian blue lotus actually correspond to a lookalike variety of water lily that has far lower nuciferine levels and no psychoactive properties. The construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile has been credited with destroying the blue lotus plant's native habitat. As a result, the blue lotus has been classified as a threatened species.
The research team plans to chemically break down flower samples using liquid chromatography. Liquid chromatography will separate the complex mixture of compounds into their individual chemical components. This will deepen their understanding of the flower.
The blue lotus was also believed to have been used during funerary rites in ancient Egypt and appeared in temples, ancient Egyptian papyri, and tomb paintings, underscoring its importance in religious and funerary rituals. Evidence for the use of blue lotus in these practices comes from ancient sources such as the Turin Papyrus, which depicts the blue lotus flower above the heads of women engaging in erotic acts.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.