The ancient Greeks knew that an extract of the plant Datura stramonium, known today as thorn apple or jimsonweed, has the ability to steal people’s memory and throw them into a hallucinatory state, sometimes accompanied by delusions of turning into animals. The active ingredient in datura is atropine, which works by 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 heart rate control to memory retention. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by a deficiency of acetylcholine, and the progression of the disease may 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, the avalanche, galanthus nivaliscontains a natural acetylcholinesterase inhibitor known as galantamine. This is what Hermes, the messenger of the gods, advised Odysseus to use to protect himself from Circe’s drug-enhanced magic. And this is what peasants in the Balkan countries used for centuries to treat themselves for various “nerve” problems. In the 1950s, Dimitar Paskov, a Bulgarian chemist became interested in this folklore and alerted the medical community. Eventually, galantamine was isolated and tested in Alzheimer’s patients. The results weren’t miraculous, but there was a clear slowing of decline, and in some cases, even an improvement in cognitive function. Avalanche isolation proved difficult and performance was poor. Researchers, however, have discovered that daffodil provides an excellent source of galantamine, and chemists have also found a way to synthesize the compound in the laboratory. This, then, allowed galantamine to be extensively 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 a 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 offer galantamine as “lucid dreams, memory support”. Galantamine is a prescription drug, but it is available without a prescription from online vendors. In the US, because it can be extracted from a natural source, galantamine can be sold as a dietary supplement. In either case, you don’t know exactly what you’re getting. The product may or may not contain the dose listed on the label. It is a joke. When Hermes introduced Odysseus into the snowdrift, he referred to the plant as “molly”, from which the expression “holy mole” may be derived. @JoeSchwarcz
