Wolf's Beans

Several species of lupine (Lupinus albus 1., 1. angustifolius 1., 1. luteus 1.) are found in the Mediterranean region. In ancient times, they were used for medicinal (described in Dioscorides 2.132), ritual, and apparently psychoactive purposes. The pilgrims who came to the Greek death oracle of Acheron (near Ephyra, Thesprotia, northern Greece)-the entrance to Hades-were required to eat large quantities of lupine seeds so that they could contact the souls of the dead (Dakaris 1989). "A strict diet was used to psychologically prepare them for communicating with the underworld in the narrow passages of the labyrinthine shrine.... The consumption of the alkaloid-containing lupine seeds induced in the pilgrims the state of inebriation that the priests desired and diminished their faculties of perception, preconditions that were necessary for the initiated to be able to feign a genuine communication with the shadow figures of the deceased" (Baumann 1982, 146*). Since the oracular priests jealously guarded their secrets, we unfortunately know nothing precise about the ways in which the lupines were actually used (Vandenberg 1979*). It is likely that, in addition, sulfur was burned as a fumigant (Dakiris 1989, 160). According to other sources, the pilgrims ate not lupine seeds when they visited the oracle but "pig beans;' which were probably Hyoscyamus. These induced "states of dizziness, unreal sensory perceptions, and passivity" (Dakaris 1989, 162 f.). Lucian described a seance in which the sea onion was used as a magical plant (cf. moly). Lupine seeds contain a number of toxic substances: lupanine, 13-hydroxylupanine, angustifoline, 13-tigloyloxylupanine, albine, multiflorine, ex-isolupanine, 4-hydroxylupanine, ammodendrine, anagyrine, and sparteine (Roth et al. 1994,473*). Lupanine is chemically related to cytisine. A new alkaloid, (-)-(trans-4'-r3-D-glycopyranosyloxy-3'methoxycinnamyl)- lupinine, has been detected in the yellow lupine (Lupinus luteus) (Murakoshi et al. 1979). However, nothing is known about the pharmacology of this substance. Lupine seeds were once brewed as a coffee substitute (Coftea arabiea). In Mexico, the lupine species Lupinus elegans H.B.K. is known as hierba Ioea, "crazy herb" (Martinez 1987, 427*). It may have inebriating effects (cf. Astragalus spp.).

Literature Dakaris, Sotiris. 1989. Das Totenorakel am Acheron. In Tempel und Stiitten der Gotter Griechenlands, ed. Evi Melas, 157-64. Cologne: DuMont. Murakoshi, Isamu, Kazuo Toriizuka, Joju Haginiwa, Shigeru Ohmiya, and Hirotaka Otomasu. 1979. (-)-( Trans-4' -~- D-glycopyranosyloxy-3'methoxycinnamyl)- lupinine, a new lupin alkaloid in Lupinus seedlings. Phytochemistry 18:699-700.