Our Research
We investigate the pharmacological knowledge preserved in the ritual and medicinal traditions of the ancient Greek world. Bringing together archaeology, classical studies, chemistry, pharmacology, and neuroscience, the Center studies ancient pharmaka as both historical evidence and scientific questions.
Our work is organized across three research areas:
Psychopharmacology & Analytical Research
We advance the scientific study of entheogenic compounds through rigorous pharmacognosy, focusing on the analysis, biosynthesis, and quantification of psychoactive alkaloids using state-of-the-art techniques such as quantitative NMR and MS. Our work investigates both traditional preparations and modern analogues of naturally occurring substances (e.g. psilocybin, ergolines, tryptamines), with a particular emphasis on Greek flora and pharmaco-historical hypotheses.
Biotechnological Innovation & Strain Development
Through advanced fungal biotechnology, we develop high-yield natural production systems for key compounds like psilocybin using submerged liquid-state fermentation and mutagenesis breeding. This work supports GMP-aligned pathways for therapeutic research, enabling scalable and sustainable alternatives to synthetic manufacturing.
Archaeochemistry & Kykeon Reconstruction
We explore the entheogenic hypothesis of the Eleusinian Mysteries via interdisciplinary methods that include archaeobotany, mycology, and the analysis of ancient ritual preparations. Our studies on ergot alkaloids in barley (Claviceps purpurea) and synergistic compounds in mint (Mentha pulegium) aim to experimentally reconstruct the psychoactive composition of the ancient kykeon.
PSYCHEDELIC SCIENCE CONFERENCE 2025
"From Ancient Psychedelics to Modern Psycho-pharmacognosy"
This presentation traces our efforts to revive and analyze the entheogenic formulations of the Mysteries using NMR and mass spectrometry. It includes our work on ergot alkaloids, pennyroyal pharmacodynamics, and strain optimization for natural psilocybin production.