Overview
- The study published Tuesday in Antiquity analyzed hair and nail samples from eight high‑altitude Inca child mummies and detected cocaine metabolites in every individual.
- Researchers found traces of alcohol in about half the mummies and cocaethylene — a compound formed when cocaine and alcohol are used together — in several samples, indicating simultaneous use.
- Harmine, an alkaloid linked to ayahuasca preparations, was detected in at least one famous mummy (the Ampato Maiden), while tests for mescaline, DMT and bufotenine were negative.
- Authors interpret the varied chemical profiles as site‑specific preparations probably intended to reduce hunger, fatigue and emotional stress during long ritual journeys, not as evidence of a single standardized drug regimen.
- The team highlights limits to the data — small sample size and keratin’s inability to record single short exposures — and plans expanded chemical analyses and remote surveys to better link substances to local ritual practices.