This episode uncovers how a sacred South American leaf turned into Victorian society’s favorite “miracle” drug. Ray and Eliza explore coca’s ancient uses, its transformation into cocaine, and the irony of prudish Victorians throwing eye-drop parties and praising Freud’s favorite stimulant. From mummy girlfriends to botched surgeries—this is the strange trip from ritual leaf to pharmaceutical gold rush.

Sources:

National Geographic: How Coca Leaves Become Cocaine

Public Broadcasting Service: How ‘Miracle Drug’ Nearly Destroyed Sigmund Freud, William Halsted

Drug Enforcement Administration: Coca

Postgraduate Medical Journal: The Case of Emma Eckstein

British Broadcasting Corporation: Peruvian delivery man carried ancient mummy around in his bag