Were Italians consuming cocaine in 17th century to curb hunger and thirst? Study says...

A new discovery in the mummified brains of residents who lived in 17th-century Italy has left scientists wondering if they were addicted to cocaine or perhaps were consuming its leaves to curb their hunger and thirst.

In an unexpected find, the preserved mummified human brains of people have tested positive for cocaine, which has confirmed the use of the drug centuries before it became popular in Europe.

The mummified brains were part of the Ca’Granda crypt which is a burial site close to a famous hospital of that time.

The hospital Ospedale Maggiorewas famous for treating the poor and disadvantaged people of Milan.

The University of Milan's researchers conducted different studies on the remains discovered in the crypt and sought to determine what the day's medical treatments may have appeared like.

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In the latest study, which was published in theJournal of Archaeological Science,the scientists carried out toxicology tests on brain matter inside the skulls.

Among two of the nine samples tested, the researchers discovered active components of Erythroxylumcoca - the plant from which cocaine is derived.

The traces of cocaine were found by University of Milan forensic toxicologist Gaia Giordano and her teamafter the archaeologists found the human remains while wearing protective equipment under the toxicologists' supervision and keeping them in sealed, sterilised jars.

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Giordano and his team found benzoylecgonine in the brain samples, which hinted that the cocaine had passed from the bodies of the two people before they died.

There was also the presence of hygrine - which is an alkaloid present in the leaves of the coca plant Erythroxylum - that confirmed that the people consumed drugs in its plant form.

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"The molecules detected in these human remains derived from the chewing of coca leaves or from leaves brewed as a tea, consistent with the historical period," concluded the team.

The coca, in its tea form, is a mild stimulantin comparison to a strong cup ofcoffee. The way the former hospital patients were buried also indicated that they were underprivileged, which further hinted that coca leaves were cheap in 1600s Milan.

"The effects of the plant, includingreduced hunger and thirst, as well as a sense of well-being, were known and controlled by the Spaniards and subsequently diffused to the rest of Europe," wrote the researchers, as they explained how Spanish ruled Milan at the time.

However, the researchers were not able to rule out the possibility of coca leaves being administered as a medicine to the patients at the hospital, however, there were no records of the plant's medicinal use during the 1600s.

(With inputs from agencies)