Ancient Egyptian cocktail recipe revealed: Disgusting drink was made from psychedelic drugs, human blood, breast milk and vaginal mucus, study reveals

Ancient Egyptians consumed a gruesome alcoholic cocktail made with psychedelic drugs and bodily fluids, a new study shows.

Researchers have analyzed chemical traces in a 2,200-year-old ceramic drinking vessel found in ancient Egypt.

The palm-sized mug depicts the head of the strange deity Bes, who was believed to protect women and children, especially during childbirth.

Traces of a fermented alcoholic liquid derived from fruit were found, as well as psychoactive substances extracted from plants to induce ‘dream-like visions’.

For an extra kick, they added bodily fluids to the mixture, such as human blood, breast milk and even vaginal and oral mucus, the experts claim.

The concoction was also flavored with honey, sesame seeds, pine nuts, licorice and grapes, which were often used to make the drink resemble blood.

But it may have been drunk in moderation: a serving of the brew was 90ml, about a sixth of a pint.

Study author Davide Tanasi, a professor at the University of South Florida (USF), thinks the mixture was drunk by sick people who wanted to receive “prophetic dreams.”

“At this point we are 100 percent certain that psychotropic substances have been used for ‘incubation rituals’ associated with the cult of Bes,” he told MailOnline.

“Incubation rituals are religious practices in which people sleep in a sacred space to receive a dream from a deity that can provide healing.”

About 2,000 years ago, Bes was worshiped for protection, fertility, medicinal healing and magical purification.

The Bes ship analyzed for this study dates from the second century BC and is part of the collection of the Tampa Museum of Art in Florida.

It was said to be found in the Fayum district, a region south of Cairo known for its fertility and abundance of plant and animal life in ancient Egypt.

Professor Tanasi worked with USF researchers and partners in Italy at the University of Trieste and the University of Milan to conduct the chemical and DNA analyses.

Using a sample scraped from the inner walls of the vase, the team used multiple analytical methods, including to reveal more about what was last inside.

One of the plants used as a cocktail ingredient was Peganum Harmala, better known as Syrian rue, native to the Mediterranean basin, they found.

The plant’s seeds produce large amounts of the alkaloids Harmine and Harmaline, which cause “dream-like visions,” the team says.

These visions are often ‘oneirophrenic’: a person becomes confused about the distinction between reality and dream.

Also in lower concentrations in the plant is the alkaloid vasicine, which has ‘uterotonic’ properties at certain doses, the team says.

These can promote labor or cause abortion – referring to the concepts associated with Bes the deity.

Traces of the aquatic plant blue lotus flower (Nymphaea caerulea), which contains the psychoactive alkaloid aporphine, were also found.

The analysis also revealed the presence of fruit-based fermented liquid and other ingredients such as honey or royal jelly.

A compound was even found in the licorice plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra), indicating that licorice was cultivated in ancient Egypt.

Traces of wheat and sesame seeds were found, along with yeasts from fermentation such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae (still used in baking and brewing) plus pinolenic acid, indicating a source rich in this fatty acid such as pine nuts.

But most disgusting was the discovery of “a high presence of human proteins in the residue,” the team says in their study.

This indicates the ‘intentional addition of human fluids to the drink prepared for ritual purposes’.

‘This includes fluids such as breast milk, mucous fluids (oral or vaginal), and blood.’

One reason for drinking this brew may have been to recreate the myth of the solar eye, an important event in Egyptian myth.

In the story, Bes stopped the wrath of the bloodthirsty goddess Hathor by serving her an alcoholic drink to which a plant medicine had been added.

“In light of our results, it would be possible to conclude that this Bes vase was used for some kind of ritual of reenacting what happened during an important event from Egyptian myth,” the team says in their paper, recently published in Scientific reports.

Until this analysis, experts had speculated that Bes mugs could have been used for holy water, milk, wine or beer – making this bizarre cocktail a surprise.

According to the team, their research identifies for the first time all the chemical signatures of the liquid concoction in the Bes mug from the Tampa Museum of Art.

The next step will be to perform the same analyzes on other Bes mugs, of which fewer than 15 exist, including those kept in the Allan Pierson Museum in Amsterdam.

These other Bes mugs, produced using the same mold used for the Tampa mugs, could prove whether there was ‘one true recipe’ for this ‘magic drink’, Professor Tanasi told MailOnline.

The Tampa Bes mug – which is on public display at the Tampa Museum of Art in Tampa, Florida – has been recreated as a 3D scale replica.

“The 3D printing can also be used for public outreach experiences with audiences with visual impairments and cognitive disabilities,” Professor Tanasi added.

‘In addition, we were also able to calculate the amount of liquid that the original Bes mug contained by simply filling the 3D print with water – approximately 90 ml.’