Drugs in the Bible People tend to think that ancient medicine was a barbaric, hit-and-miss affair until the advent of science, and that medicines known to the ancients were discovered by trial and error. Looking closer, we learn that Amazonians discovered centuries ago how to unlock the psychedelic effects of ayahuasca and how to extract the active substances in it. Western science only caught up in 1952, when Iproniazid's effects on depression were noticed. What is really interesting, however, is that enzyme inhibition was also known to the Israelites back when the Bible was written, and is described in the recipe for the holy anointing oil in Exodus 30 (the text says that the knowledge came not from trial and error but from God Himself). This is only one of several psychoactive mixtures described in ancient Jewish scriptures. As psychedelics come back into mainstream and secular use and therapists and venture capitalists set their agendas, what can we learn from the Torah and the Talmud about their use in the Israelite context, and how can that inform our thinking today?
Join Danny and Hillel Deutschland for a grain of myrrh and a trip into the world of ancient psychopharmacology.
Danny is an independent researcher and Bible nut fascinated by traditional approaches to altered states and the creativity and healing they unleash. He is the author of Science Revealed and Neuro-Apocalypse.
When: Tuesday, August 15th, 2023 at 18:30
Address will be sent in confirmation email a couple of days before the event.
