MILAN: Residues of cocaine have been discovered in two people who died in Italy 400 years ago, suggesting that the substance has been used as a drug in Europe much earlier than previously known.
Researchers at the University of Milan discovered traces of the drug in two 17th-century corpses found in Milan.
The study found three key molecules (cocaine, hygerine and benzoyloxygenin) in the brains of these individuals, which they may have taken as drugs before their deaths.
Cocaine was probably used as a medicine by physicians (who did not treat in hospitals), researcher Gaia Giordano said.
Research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science revealed that the drug was taken by chewing coca leaves.
It was previously believed that the plant arrived in Europe from South America in the 19th century, but research has revealed that it is now clear that the plant arrived two centuries earlier than thought.
