Circe was the sorceress in Greek mythology who drugged Odysseus’ crew to make them forget their homeland, then proceeded to turn the men into pigs. When Odysseus went to rescue his crew, he protected himself with an antidote derived from the snowdrop flower. Myths often have some basis in reality, as this same antidote is now being studied as a possible treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
The ancient Greeks knew that an extract of the plant Datura stramonium, known today as prickly pear or jimson weed, had the ability to rob people of their memories and throw them into a hallucinatory state, sometimes accompanied by delusions that they were transformed into animals. The active ingredient in Datura is atropine, which has the effect of blocking the action of an important neurotransmitter known as acetylcholine. Neurotransmitters are molecules that transmit information from one nerve cell to another and are responsible for effects ranging from controlling heart rate to preserving memory. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by a deficiency of acetylcholine, and the progression of the disease can potentially be slowed by drugs that increase acetylcholine levels in the brain. One way to do this is by blocking the action of an enzyme known as acetylcholinesterase, which breaks down acetylcholine. As it turns out, Snow White, Galanthus nivaliscontains a natural acetylcholinesterase inhibitor known as galantamine.
This is what Hermes, the messenger of the gods, advises Odysseus to use to protect himself from Circe’s drug-enhanced sorcery. And this is what peasants in the Balkan countries have used for centuries to treat various “nervous” problems. In the 1950s, the Bulgarian chemist Dimitar Paskov became interested in this folklore and alerted the medical community. Galantamine was eventually isolated and tested in Alzheimer’s patients. The results weren’t miraculous, but there was a definite slowing of the decline, and in some cases even an improvement in cognitive abilities. Isolation from the snowdrops proved difficult and the yield was low. However, researchers have found that the common daffodil is an excellent source of galantamine, and chemists have also discovered a way to synthesize the compound in the laboratory. This, then, allowed galantamine to be widely tested and paved the way for its appearance as Reminyl on the prescription market. The name was eventually changed to Razadyne after the deaths of two people who were mistakenly given the diabetes drug Amaryl (glimepiride) instead of Reminyl.
A side effect of galantamine is the induction of lucid dreaming, which has fueled interest in the use of galantamine as a recreational drug. Marketers have taken advantage of this and now market galantamine as “lucid dreaming, memory support”. Galantamine is a prescription drug, but it is available without a prescription from online sellers. In the US, because it can be extracted from a natural source, galantamine can be sold as a dietary supplement. In both cases, you don’t know exactly what you’re getting. The product may or may not contain the dose listed on the label. This is nonsense.
When Hermes introduces Odysseus to the snowdrop, he calls the plant “moli,” which may be where our expression “sacred molly” comes from.
@JoeSchwarcz
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