The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name

by Brian C. Muraresku

But the real kicker was the distinctive medley of opium (Papaver somniferum), cannabis (Cannabis sativa), and two members of the nightshade family, white henbane (Hyoscyamus albus) and black nightshade (Solanum nigrum). The inclusion of the nightshades might as well have been lifted straight from the pages of Dioscorides, who specifically lauded the psychedelic properties of black nightshade with its “not unpleasant visions.” The opium and cannabis, both profoundly mind-altering in high doses, are just icing on the cake. Pushing the bizarre medley even further into witch territory, however, were the skeletal remains of lizards (Podarcis sp.), frogs (Rana sp.), and toads (Bufo sp.). Tendrils and berries of the domesticated grape (Vitis vinifera L.) were found alongside a profusion of grape seeds, suggesting the combination of plants, reptiles, and amphibians was steeped in wine.