Generated by All in One SEO v5.0.0.1, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # The Drug History Podcast Telling the story of drugs in human health ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://www.drughistory.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [Blog](https://www.drughistory.org/blog/) - [A review of "Narcos" as a portrayal of the illicit drugs trade in Columbia](https://www.drughistory.org/a-review-of-narcos-as-a-portrayal-of-the-illicit-drugs-trade-in-columbia/) - "Narcos" is a crime drama series that was released on Netflix in 2015 and ran for four seasons. It depicts the rise and fall of the Medellín Cartel, one of the most powerful and violent drug trafficking organizations in Colombia during the late 20th century, led by Pablo Escobar. The show is a representation of - [History of drug misuse in Columbia](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-columbia/) - Drug misuse in Columbia has a long and complex history, dating back to the early days of the drug trade in the country. In the early 20th century, Columbia was a major producer of marijuana, but it wasn't until the 1970s and 1980s that the country became a major player in the global cocaine market. - [History of drug misuse in Mexico](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-mexico/) - Drug misuse in Mexico has a long and complex history, with roots dating back to the pre-Columbian era. The indigenous peoples of Mexico used a variety of psychoactive substances, including peyote, mushrooms, and tobacco, in religious and medicinal practices. According to research by anthropologists such as Peter T. Furst (1992), these substances were used in - [History of Drug Misuse in the Philippines](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-the-philippines/) - The Philippines has a long history of illegal drug use and trafficking, dating back to the early 20th century. According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the first known instance of illegal drug use in the country was in 1907, when opium and marijuana were introduced to the Philippines by Chinese immigrants. These drugs - [History of Drug Misuse in Japan](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-japan/) - Drug misuse in Japan has a relatively short history compared to other countries. The use of opium and other drugs was largely limited to foreigners in Japan until the late 19th century, when Japanese soldiers and traders began to use drugs while abroad. It was mainly used for recreational and medical purposes. After World War - [History of Drug Misuse in India](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-india/) - Drug misuse in India has a complex history, shaped by a variety of cultural, economic, and political factors. One of the most notable examples of drug use in ancient India is the use of opium. According to historical records, opium was used in India for medicinal and recreational purposes as early as the 16th century. - [History of Drug Misuse in Australia](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-australia/) - Drug misuse has a long history in Australia, with the use of opium and other substances for recreational purposes dating back to the colonial era. In the 19th century, opium was widely used in Australia, both legally and illegally. This led to concerns about the negative effects of opium use on individuals and society, and - [History of drug misuse in East Africa](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-east-africa/) - Drug misuse has been a persistent problem in East Africa for several decades. The region has been a major transit point for illegal drugs, particularly heroin and cocaine, which are trafficked from Asia and South America to Europe and North America. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that around 80% of - [History of Drug Misuse in Central Africa](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-central-africa/) - Drug misuse and trafficking have been ongoing issues in Central Africa for several decades. The region has become a transit point for illegal drugs, particularly for cocaine and heroin, en route to other markets in Europe and Asia. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Central Africa has seen a significant - [History of Drug Misuse in South Africa](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-south-africa/) - Drug misuse in South Africa has a long and complex history, spanning several centuries and involving a variety of substances. The earliest known instance of drug use in the region was during the colonial period, when European settlers introduced opium and other substances to the indigenous population. This was primarily for the purpose of labor - [History of Drug Misuse in China](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-china/) - Drug misuse in China has a long and complicated history. The opium trade, which began in the early 19th century, played a significant role in shaping the country's modern drug problems. The opium trade was initially brought to China by Western traders, who sought to balance trade deficits by exporting opium to China. This led - [History of Drug Misuse in Russia](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-russia/) - Drug misuse has a long and complex history in Russia, dating back to the Soviet era. During that time, the government heavily restricted access to drugs and punished possession and use severely. Possession of even small amounts of drugs could result in long prison sentences. However, despite these strict laws, drug use persisted and even - [History of Illegal Drug Trade between the United States, Mexico and South America](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-illegal-drug-trade-between-the-united-states-mexico-and-south-america/) - The history of illegal drug trade between the United States, Mexico, and South America is a long and complex one that spans several decades. The trade in illegal drugs between these regions dates back to the early 20th century, when opium and other drugs were smuggled into the United States from Mexico and South America. - [History of illicit drug trade between South America and Europe](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-illicit-drug-trade-between-south-america-and-europe/) - The history of illicit drug trade between South America and Europe dates back to the early 20th century, when opium, which was primarily grown in the Andean region of South America, was transported to Europe via various routes. The opium trade was primarily controlled by criminal organizations, and was associated with violence and corruption. In - [History of Cocaine in South America](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-cocaine-in-south-america/) - Cocaine has a long and complicated history in South America, dating back to the indigenous people who have used the coca plant for medicinal and spiritual purposes for thousands of years. The coca leaf, which is the raw material for cocaine, has been a part of Andean culture for centuries, and it is still used - [History of Drug Misuse in Europe](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-europe/) - Drug misuse in Europe has a long and complex history that spans several centuries. The use of drugs for medicinal and religious purposes can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. In the Middle Ages, the use of opium and other drugs was prevalent in Europe, and by the - [History of Drug Misuse in Canada](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-canada/) - Drug misuse in Canada has a long and complex history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, opium and cocaine were widely available and used for both medicinal and recreational purposes. Opium, in particular, was commonly used as a pain reliever and was available in a variety of forms, including pills, tinctures, and smoking - [History of drug misuse in the United States](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-the-united-states/) - Drug misuse in the United States has a long and complex history. The use of drugs has been present in the country since its founding, with the earliest settlers bringing over alcohol and opium. In the 19th century, the use of opium and opium-based products became increasingly prevalent, leading to the creation of laws regulating - [History of Drug Misuse in North Africa](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-north-africa/) - Drug use has been a part of North African culture for centuries. One of the most well-known traditional drugs in the region is khat, a plant native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The leaves of the khat plant contain cathinone, a stimulant that is similar in structure to amphetamines. Khat is - [History of Cannabis in Amsterdam](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-cannabis-in-amsterdam/) - Cannabis has a rich history in Amsterdam, dating back to the early 20th century. The drug was initially popular among the city's artists and intellectuals, and it was relatively easy to obtain. However, in the 1970s, the Dutch government began cracking down on the sale and possession of cannabis, and by the 1980s, coffee shops - [History of Drug Misuse in England](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-drug-misuse-in-england/) - Once upon a time, in the United Kingdom, drugs were not widely misused. However, as time passed, the use of drugs such as opium, cocaine, and heroin began to spread, particularly among the lower classes. These drugs were often used as a means of escape from the harsh realities of everyday life, such as poverty - [History of Amikacin](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-amikacin/) - Amikacin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that was first synthesized in 1972 by researchers at the Tokyo-based pharmaceutical company, Sankyo. I have not been able to find the names of the individuals involved in its discovery. It was initially developed as a more potent and less toxic alternative to other aminoglycosides, such as gentamicin and kanamycin. - [History of Gentamicin](https://www.drughistory.org/history-of-gentamicin/) - Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that was first discovered in the late 1950s by scientists at the pharmaceutical company Schering Corporation (now part of Merck & Co.). It was first approved for use in the United States in 1963 and has since become a widely used antibiotic for the treatment of a variety of bacterial - [Overview of Drugs Usage in the Scriptures (Bible)](https://www.drughistory.org/overview-of-drugs-usage-in-the-scriptures-bible/) - Note: This is an abridged, text version of the Podcast episode on Drugs and the Bible. I have a lot of friends who have an interest in this particular topic. To make it easier for them, I am publishing this alongside the full podcast. It follows on from the Podcast episode on Drugs in Babylon - [What is a drug?](https://www.drughistory.org/what-is-a-drug/) - The mention of the word, “drug” evokes different images in different people. For many ordinary people, the word is associated with illicit drugs used outside the boundaries of conventional medicine. Hence the first images that pop into their minds are those of street heroin or cocaine, speed or ecstasy. For clinicians, depending on where ## Pages - [Home](https://www.drughistory.org/) - Telling the story of drugs in human health Telling the Story of drugs Join the journey to understanding the story of drugs, medicines and their use in modern medicine. Become a Patron! - [About](https://www.drughistory.org/about/) - About Us The Drug History Podcast was started by the site owners in order to improve the understanding of patients, drug misusers and professionals about the origins and reasons for the uses of drugs. We share a passion for presenting information in a clear way to all who have an interest; taking care to minimise - [Contact](https://www.drughistory.org/contact/) - Newsletter Sign Up Only takes a few seconds! Get in touch ... Please fill in the following form if you wish to contact us regarding our website. ← BackThank you for your response. ✨ Name(required) Email(required) Website Message Submit Δ - [Privacy Policy](https://www.drughistory.org/privacy-policy/) - Who we are Our website address is: https://www.drughistory.org. Comments When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection. An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided - [Sample Page](https://www.drughistory.org/sample-page/) - This is an example page. It's different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will show up in your site navigation (in most themes). Most people start with an About page that introduces them to potential site visitors. It might say something like this: Hi there! I'm a bike messenger ## Posts - [Attribution](https://www.drughistory.org/attribution/) - This site has been created with the help of many different people and companies. In particular, a special thanks goes to the following for content running on this site: Author: Eyad ElbayoumiLicense: Author: virtusincertusLicense: Author: Ruth and DaveLicense: Author: ambernambroseLicense: Author: estheraseLicense: In addition, this site was built on a powerful, Inspirations based web builder ## Episode - [The fascinating story behind the discovery of Streptomycin](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/the-fascinating-story-behind-the-discovery-of-streptomycin/) - Streptomycin has been referred to as the "wonder drug" due to the transformative effect it had on the prognosis of patients suffering from tuberculosis when it was first discovered. It spurred the discovery and invention of antibiotic drugs within the category know as aminoglycosides. Over the decades, it has saved the lives of millions worldwide. - [Traditional Drug Therapy among indegenous American Peoples](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/traditional-drug-therapy-among-indegenous-american-peoples/) - Welcome to the Drug History Podcast, Series 1, Episode 13. In our last episode we looked at Drug Therapy in Traditional Western Samoan and Polynesian Medicine. In this episode we travel to North and South America and look at the drugs and medicines used by the indigenous populations in these regions. The references used for this - [Drug Therapy in Traditional Western Samoan and Polynesian Medicine](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/drug-therapy-in-traditional-western-samoan-and-polynesian-medicine/) - In our last episode we looked at Traditional Australian Aboriginal Drug Therapy. In this episode we move to Polynesia and look at Drug Therapy in Traditional Western Samoan and Polynesian Medicine. We start off with an article by Seeseei and others, published on the 9th of November 2021, in the Proceedings of the National Acedemy of Sciences - [Traditional Australian Aboriginal Drug Therapy](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/traditional-australian-aboriginal-drug-therapy/) - In our last episode we looked at Drug Use in the Renaissance, which brought us to the cusp of the modern age of medicine. So far, in our podcasts, we have looked at the Far East, the Middle East and Europe. In the next few episodes, we plan to cover Australia and the South Pacific Islands - [Drug Use in the Renaissance](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/drug-use-in-the-renaissance/) - In our last episode we looked at Drug Use in the Middle Ages. In this episode we look at Drug use in the Renaissance, the period from the 15th to the 18th centuries[1]. At this point it is useful to mark an important transition of relevance to this podcast. In the first two episodes we discussed the concept - [Drug Use in the Middle Ages](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/drug-use-in-the-middle-ages/) - In our last episode we looked at Drug Use in Hellenistic and Roman Times. In this episode we look at drug use in the Middle Ages. For clarifications purposes, the Medieval period started with the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD and lasted until the 15th century. As we saw in our discussion of drug - [Drug Use in Hellenistic and Roman Times](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/drug-use-in-hellenistic-and-roman-times/) - In this episode we look at Drug Use in Hellenistic and Roman times. We are specifically interested in Greece after the demise of Alexander the Great in 321 BC, up to the period of Imperial Rome, which ended around 476 AD. As we discussed in our episode on Drug Use in Ancient Greece, by the time - [Drug Use in Ancient Greece](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/drug-use-in-ancient-greece/) - In this episode we look at Drug Use in Ancient Greece a period stretching from about 800BC to 323BC. We start off with a brief overview of key developments in medicine in this period; before moving to a discussion of drug use in both therapeutic and non-medical settings. This follows our review of drug use - [Drug Therapy in Ancient Egypt](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/drug-therapy-in-ancient-egypt/) - In this episode we are reviewing drug therapy in ancient Egypt, between 3,300 BC and 525 BC. We draw our information from publications in the Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, The US National Library of Medicine[1], The World History Encyclopaedia and other sources. This follows our discussions on drug use in China, Babylon and Assyria, - [The Compelling Story of Drugs and the Bible, from the Perspective of the Authors](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/the-compelling-story-of-drugs-and-the-bible-from-the-perspective-of-the-authors/) - In this episode we get an overview the compelling story of drugs and the Bible, from the perspective of the authors. The Bible is a collection of sixty-six books, some, or all of which are regarded as sacred text by followers of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Rastafarianism, Samaritanism, and other faiths. Some excerpts from this week's - [Drugs in Babylon and Assyria](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/drugs-in-babylon-and-assyria/) - In this episode we look at drugs in the Assyrian and Babylonian eras, roughly spanning 1,900 B.C. to 539 B.C.[1] Here are some excepts from the episode: ... As might be expected from a knowledge of history, what is known about drugs and medicines from this period is gleaned from clay tablets on which were written - [Drugs and Ancient China](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/drugs-and-ancient-china/) - It is said that until the time of the European renaissance (14th to 16th century AD), the medicine of Asia was the world's most advanced. The main branches — Chinese, Indian (Ayurveda), Arabic (Unani) and Persian — gave rise to a large share of the medical learning that formed the foundation of modern European medicine. - [Drugs and Magic](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/drugs-and-magic/) - There is a well-known scene in the 1999 movie, “The Matrix,” in which the protagonist, Neo, is given a choice between a red pill and a blue pill. The red pill holds the promise of a higher revelation, in which he begins to see things as they truly are; whereas the blue pill keeps him - [What is a Drug?](https://www.drughistory.org/podcast/what-is-a-drug/) - In this episode we lay the foundation for subsequent podcasts by considering the question, "What is a Drug?" We acknowledge the negative connotations associated with the word, discuss some official definitions and come up with a comprehensive, all-encompassing definition. We take note of sociocultural, medical, legal and political factors behind understanding issues around drug use ## Categories - [Uncategorized](https://www.drughistory.org/category/uncategorized/) - [Alcohol](https://www.drughistory.org/category/alcohol/) - [Definitions](https://www.drughistory.org/category/definitions/) - [Recreational Drugs](https://www.drughistory.org/category/recreational-drugs/) - [Antibiotics](https://www.drughistory.org/category/antibiotics/) - [Aminoglycosides](https://www.drughistory.org/category/antibiotics/aminoglycosides/) ## Podcasts - [Drug Histories](https://www.drughistory.org/series/drug-histories/) - Looking at the use and development of drugs before 1900 - [Fascinating Drug Discovery Stories](https://www.drughistory.org/series/fascinating-drug-discovery-stories/)