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Few plants are as renowned in Egyptian mythology as the blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea), a perennial aquatic plant that grows in freshwater environments. It features prominently in some of the most significant archaeological discoveries. Researchers found that the body of Tutankhamun—the Egyptian pharaoh who ruled ancient Egypt between 1332 and 1323 BCE, and was the 11th king of the 18th dynasty—was covered with the blueish-white petals of the flower when his tomb was opened in 1922. Additionally, the plant's flowers frequently appear as decorations on ancient papyrus scrolls.
Researchers have long speculated that the blue lotus, also known as the blue water lily, was used in religious rituals in ancient Egypt around 3,000 years ago due to its psychoactive properties when infused in wine. It is, therefore, unsurprising that a plant resembling the blue lotus is now marketed online as a calming flower, which can be smoked or steeped in tea. However, according to Liam McAvoy from the University of California, Berkeley, the blue lotus used in ancient Egypt and the plant sold online are entirely different species, even though both belong to the water lily family (Nymphaeaceae).
McAvoy, a fourth-year anthropology and Egyptology student, has dedicated much of his time to studying the blue lotus. His research involved translating hieroglyphics to trace its historical use and conducting a comparative study between the original plant and the one sold online. His findings revealed not only that the ancient Egyptian blue lotus is a completely different species from the one currently sold online but also that Egyptologists may have misunderstood how the psychoactive blue lotus, which grew along the banks of the Nile, was consumed thousands of years ago.
While learning to read hieroglyphics—an ancient Egyptian script that uses drawings of celestial bodies, natural phenomena, animals, plants, gods, humans, and dwellings—McAvoy uncovered the plant’s significance in ancient scrolls and its role in festivals dedicated to Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of beauty, love, music, and war. During these festivals, people reportedly became intoxicated, fainted, and upon awakening, briefly saw the face of the goddess.
As McAvoy's research questions took shape, he aimed to determine whether the plants used in ancient Egypt were the same as those now marketed online. He also sought to understand how different preparation methods impacted the release of the psychoactive alkaloid nuciferine, thought to induce euphoria. However, the authentic Egyptian blue lotus has become exceedingly rare. The construction of the Aswan Dam in southern Egypt drastically altered its natural habitat, leaving the plant endangered and on the brink of extinction.
Although the botanical garden at the University of California, Berkeley, houses an extensive variety of research plants, the Egyptian blue lotus was not among them. Other botanical gardens worldwide also failed to supply the plant. Undeterred, McAvoy turned to Reddit, a social media platform and online bulletin board where registered users can share content on virtually any topic.
On a page dedicated to the blue lotus, McAvoy connected with an individual from Arizona who claimed to possess the original plant. After conducting several tests to verify its authenticity, McAvoy purchased petals of the plant through Etsy, an e-commerce platform established around 20 years ago. With the help of chemists, McAvoy used a mass spectrometer—a device that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles—to analyze the chemical composition of two samples.
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The researchers discovered that nuciferine levels were significantly higher in the authentic Egyptian blue lotus compared to the plant purchased on Etsy, which is often a visual imitation but lacks the same psychoactive properties. To extract the psychoactive compound from the authentic plant, McAvoy immersed its petals in wine mixed with a substance resembling olive oil. The fats in the mixture allowed the nuciferine to fully dissolve into the wine.
“It’s possible that the ancient Egyptians didn’t simply steep the plant in wine but instead created a type of oil that was added to the wine to enhance the release of the blue lotus’ psychoactive properties,” McAvoy explained. He plans to continue analyzing the chemical composition of 3,000-year-old chalices, which could lead to discoveries that add a new chapter to the story of the blue lotus and its psychedelic attributes.