Evidence of cocaine use by Europeans dates back to the 17th century.

A team of biomedical and medicinal specialists from the University of Milan, in collaboration with a colleague from the IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico di Milano Foundation, has found evidence of cocaine use by at least two people as early as the 17th century in Europe.

In their study, published in the Journal of Archaeological SciencesThe group analyzed the preserved brains of two people found in a Milan crypt used as a burial place for people who died in the nearby Ospedale Maggiore, a well-known hospital of the time.

Previous research has shown that for thousands of years, people in western South America chewed coca leaves to experience its chemical effects. After it was discovered in the 19th century that the leaves could be processed into cocaine hydrochloride salts, the drug’s psychotropic effects became more widely known, and it became a popular recreational drug in many parts of Europe.

In this new study, the research team found evidence that people were chewing the plant’s leaves to get high in at least part of Europe nearly 200 years ago.

The team studied the remains of people buried in the Ca’ Granda crypt, which served as a burial place for most of the 17th century. As part of their work, they discovered the remains of two people who had been mummified. Study of the remains showed that both had active components of the coca plant in their brains, meaning they had chewed its leaves.

The research team also studied the pharmacological records of the Ospedale Maggiore and found no evidence of cocaine or coca use for medicinal purposes. This suggests that both individuals chewed the leaves for other reasons. The team noted that both mummified individuals were buried in a location and manner that suggests they were poor, further suggesting that coca leaves were cheap and likely plentiful and were chewed for recreational purposes.

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