The History of Opioids

A Brief History of Opioids

Ancient Civilizations

The earliest references to opium – the natural or main source of opiates – dates back to the time of Sumerians in Mesopotamia. This ancient civilization cultivated poppies, or opium poppies, for their useful abilities to alleviate pain. Also called Hul Gil (the “Joy Plant”), opium's usefulness was acknowledged for centuries. Eventually, the art of poppy-culling was passed along to the Assyrians, and later to the Babylonians, and from there to the Egyptians.¹ After that, it received recognition from more and more people.

Arabs, Greeks, and Romans all used opium as a sedative. Hippocrates, the “father of medicine,” acknowledged the plant’s efficacy as a narcotic. He approved of this plant so much that he even prescribed it in a drinking juice to patients. Records indicate that even Alexander the Great took opium as he expanded his empire and introduced it to the people of Persia and India in 330 B.C.¹

Opium from The 14th to 18th Century

In the 1300s, opium almost completely disappeared from European records. This was due to the belief that things from the east were evil. However, Portugal eventually came across opium while trading in China and initiated smoking it. The Portuguese were blown away by the immediate effects of opioids. The drug was reintroduced to Europe during the peak of the Reformation in 1527. At the time, a medical journal by Paracelsus introduced opium as laudanum. People began calling these black pills "Stones of Immortality" and often used them to treat various conditions.¹ Because they found the side effects of opioids to be so appealing, recreational use was introduced by Persians and Indians when they began to eat it and mix it into liquids to drink.

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Skip to the 1600s, and leaders like Elizabeth I chartered ships to bring back opium from India.¹ Nearly 80 years later, English apothecary Thomas Sydenham introduced Sydenham's Laudanum, a mixture of opium, wine, and herbs. This mixture was made into pills and sold as a remedy for different ailments.¹ Then, in the 1700s, The Dutch introduced the idea of smoking opium in a pipe to the Chinese. The Chinese rejected the idea and, in fact, the Chinese emperor at the time (Yung Cheng) prohibited the smoking and domestic sale of opium unless done under a license for medical use.²

Over the years, the cultivation and distribution of opium became a serious trade. In 1799, China responded to this growing trade similarly, with the emperor (Kia King) banning opium completely.² However, despite these efforts, the opium trade in China continued to flourish. The Portuguese imported opium from India and sold it in China for a bigger profit. The British eventually became a part of this trade and even became the leading opium supplies of the Chinese drug market. The British East India Company established a monopoly on the trade and forbade all Indian growers from selling to competitor companies.

Europe mainly utilized the opium trade concerning China because of the high demand for Chinese products. However, there was little demand in China for European products. As a result, Europe had to pay for Chinese products with gold or silver, leaving them with very little gain. The opium trade granted Europe the opportunity to trade for Chinese products and make a profit.

Opium in The 19th Century

The history of opioid abuse became more apparent when writers like John Keats and Thomas De Quincey became public about their recreational drug use. Eventually, a well-known opioid called morphine was manufactured by E. Merck & Company of Darmstadt, Germany. Meanwhile, the demands for opium continued to grow. China’s attempt to suppress opium traffic resulted in the First Opium War in 1839.³ The British won the war and, from this, gained the upper hand of the opium trade.

Many continued to experiment with opium and soon discovered different ways to use it. For example, in 1853, Dr. Alexander Wood of Edinburgh discovered that injecting morphine with a syringe produced instant and more powerful side effects.⁴ Eventually, the dangers of opioid abuse were discovered. In 1878, Britain passed the Opium Act trying to reduce opium use, but to no avail. Heroin was eventually cultivated by English researcher C.R. Wright in 1874, opening another Pandora’s box.¹