17th Century Europeans Used Cocaine: New Evidence

Researchers from the University of Milan, working with a partner from the Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico di Milano, have discovered that cocaine use in Europe dates back to the 17th century.

Published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, their study involved analyzing the preserved brains of two people found in a crypt in Milan, which served as a burial site for patients from the nearby Ospedale Maggiore, a prominent hospital of the time.

While previous studies showed that people in western South America chewed on coca leaves for centuries, it was only in the 19th century that these leaves were processed into cocaine hydrochloride salts, making the drug widely known and popular in Europe.

This recent study indicates that the use of coca leaves in Europe occurred nearly 200 years earlier than previously recorded. The researchers found that two mummified individuals from the Ca' Granda crypt had traces of coca plant components in their brains, revealing they had chewed coca leaves.

Their investigation into the Ospedale Maggiore’s pharmacological records showed no evidence of coca leaves or cocaine being used medicinally, suggesting that these substances were used for other purposes. The mummified individuals' burial conditions implied they were of lower socioeconomic status, pointing to the possibility that coca leaves were inexpensive and readily available, likely consumed for recreational reasons.