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Kykeon (, kykeȏn; from κυκάω, kykáō; "to stir, to mix") was an Ancient Greece drink of varied description. Some were made of water, barley and naturally occurring substances. Others were made with wine and grated cheese. It is widely believed that kykeon refers to a psychoactive brew, as in the case of the Eleusinian Mysteries. A kykeon was used at the climax of the Eleusinian Mysteries to break a sacred fast, but it is also mentioned as a favourite drink of Greek peasants.
Pennyroyal, or mint, was supposed to have digestive properties: In Aristophanes' Peace Hermes recommends it to the hero who ate too much dry fruit and nuts. Pennyroyal was also said to have medicinal qualities for women, acting as a contraceptive and abortifacient and in birthing and nursing the newborn. This possibly could have linked the Eleusinian mysteries to female sexuality. However, its use as a digestive aid could have also been useful in breaking a fast.
Aristocrats shunned it as a peasant drink: Theophrastus' Characters depicts a peasant who goes to the Ecclesia drunk with kykeon.
Albert Hofmann has confirmed that the ergot of barley would contain two psychoactive alkaloids, ergonovine and lysergic acid amide. Both of these alkaloids are soluble in water, meaning that it would have been relatively easy to prepare a hallucinogenic solution. However, there was a lack of evidence that the kykeon would have contained ergot until the excavations at a site in Girona, Spain, Mas Castellar de Pontós. According to Dr. Denise Demetriou, this site would have been multi-ethnic and contained open access sanctuaries, one of which being a part of the Eleusinian mysteries. During the excavations at the Girona site, Dr. Enriqueta Pons discovered a main chapel that happened to contain depicting scenes of the Eleusinian rites. This discovery confirmed the link between the site and the Eleusinian mysteries. Two artifacts found in the chapel were found to contain traces of ergot sclerotia, a chalice linked to the kykeon and between the teeth of a human jawbone. The presence of ergot found in items that are connected to the Eleusinian mysteries has compelled some historians to believe that this evidence confirms the use of entheogenic substances, primarily ergot which grew on barley. These proponents argue that while not every Eleusinian cult used ergot, it is more than likely that the use of ergot was not uncommon in the mysteries and was prevalent in helping the initiates find divinity. Others, such as Walter Burkert, have rejected the idea of ergot being used, but acknowledge the possibility of other entheogenic substances in the mysteries. Another possibility could be opium, as the poppy, alongside the grain of wheat, was a common attribution to Demeter. However, this theory lacks evidence to support the importation of opium to Eleusis to support thousands. Burkert argues against the use of entheogenic substances in the mysteries, and believes that the process of fasting before the initiation followed by a sacrificial meal would have been sufficient to create “communal bliss”. Because of the simplicity of this process, it would have allowed for mass religion to be easily accessible, he argues.
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