Forensic toxicologist Svetlana Balabanova tested nine Egyptian mummies at a Munich museum in the early 1990s and reported positives for cocaine, hashish and tobacco. Since cocaine comes from a New World plant, the hosts argue this implies earlier Old World–New World contact. The museum reportedly refused re-testing, and other groups found no cocaine — so this stays contested. 🍂🧪
Cocaine, hashish and tobacco reported in nine Egyptian mummies in Munich
Key facts
- Forensic toxicologist Svetlana Balabanova tested nine Egyptian mummies held at a museum in Munich in the early 1990s and reported positive results for cocaine, hashish and tobacco.
- The video argues that because cocaine derives from a New World plant, the findings imply Old World / New World contact far earlier than generally accepted.
- Richards says the museum refused researchers access to re-test the original nine mummies; other groups tested different Egyptian mummies and reported no cocaine.
- Richards argues that mummies from the coca-growing region showed higher cocaine levels than Egyptian ones, and that the active substance degrades quickly after harvest, weakening results from distant samples — his argument, not a published finding.
- Open Veil output asserted that follow-up testing reproduced Balabanova's results including nicotine metabolites; both hosts point out no such replication was possible because access was denied, so the statement cannot be checked.
Sources
(PDF) Mummies and 'impossible' drugs. A new look to the ...researchgate.net
In the 1990s, the Hungarian chemist Svetlana Balabanova undertook a series of chemical analyses aimed at searching for drugs in almost a ...
American Drugs in Egyptian Mummiesfaculty.ucr.edu
In a one-page article appearing in Naturwissenschaften, German scientist Svetla Balabanova (1992) and two of her colleagues reported findings of cocaine, ...
Cocaine in Egyptian Mummies? The Dr. Balabanova Mystery ...thelostcivilizations.transistor.fm
Svetlana Balabanova analyzed hair and tissue samples from 3,000-year-old mummies and reported surprising results that challenged established ...
Cocaine Mummies & the search for narcotics in historic ...blogs.ucl.ac.uk
In 1992, Dr. Svetlana Balabanova, a German toxicologist, found traces of cocaine, tobacco, and hash in several different mummies. For such an ...
What Were Cocaine, THC, And Nicotine Doing On Ancient ...iflscience.com
In that initial study, German toxicologist Svetlana Balabanova and colleagues tested material from one complete mummy, seven mummified heads, ...
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