1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of 2 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:10,320 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from 4 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind, focusing in on mythical creatures, 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: ideas and monsters in time. The two thousand and seven 6 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: track of the Satanic Rites of Drugula by Electric Wizard 7 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: paints exactly the sort of picture you might expect from 8 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 1: this horror obsessed doom metal in stone or rock mainstay. 9 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: While the vampires of old thirsted only for human blood, 10 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 1: the lyrics to this song speak of quote dope laced 11 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: blood that has only served to introduce the vampiric Hords 12 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: and its dark prints to new highs Now. We are 13 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: not here to question the wisdom of these lyrics, but 14 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: we might well wonder how this dark tale of dope 15 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 1: smoke matches up to the realities of the natural world now. Historically, 16 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,839 Speaker 1: the concept of blood drinking monsters being in any way 17 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: drawn to cannabis is interesting, in part because of cannabis's 18 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: historical associations with the treatment and prevention of parasites. In 19 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 1: the medical use of cannabis among the Greeks and Romans 20 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: by James L. Boutrica. The author points to Greek writings 21 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: in which cannabis seeds were prescribed in the treatment of 22 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 1: tape worms. Interestingly enough, fifth century see Greek physician Atheists 23 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: described the use of cannabis seeds as a means of 24 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: drying up the seamen and preventing nocturnal emissions as well. 25 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: Boutrica also writes that an ancient Greek work on farming 26 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: attest to the use of cannabis is a deterrent to 27 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: blood drinking mosquitoes. By spreading cannabis below your bed or 28 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: leaving a quote blooming sprig of fresh cannabis by your bedside, 29 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: it your blood might be protected from the nefarious thirst 30 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: of mosquitoes. Now why these notions don't sound encouraging for 31 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: Count Drugula and his spawn. It's also worth noting that 32 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: the Greek physician Galen wrote of the alleged blood purifying 33 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: properties of cannabis seeds, and that sounds like something of 34 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 1: interest to the vampiric children of the night. The study 35 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: of bat biology offers few answers, but it's worth considering 36 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:34,239 Speaker 1: that common vampire bats do not learn taste aversions, as 37 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: explored by Ratcliffe at all. In a two thousand three 38 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: study in animal behavior, the bats did not seem to 39 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 1: quote learn to associate a novel flavor with averse gastro 40 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: intestinal events. In other words, they're not capable of associating 41 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: the symptoms caused by a toxic, spoiled, or poisonous substance 42 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: with a particular taste. On the other hand, they're certainly 43 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: susceptible to some of the effects of various human drugs, 44 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:04,519 Speaker 1: but with these effects pass on through their blood to 45 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: a parasitic consumer. Well Randall Monroe explored a similar topic 46 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: on the what if website and found that a human 47 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: being would have to consume an absurd amount of human 48 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: blood to become drunk on the blood's alcohol content. We 49 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:23,239 Speaker 1: can apply a similar line of thinking to other substances 50 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: in the blood, but that need not dissuade Count Drugula. 51 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: After all, he is clearly an immortal, undead being, and 52 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: perhaps he does consume the copious amounts of rock stone 53 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: or blood required to attain this level of high. But 54 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 1: our story does not end here. Perhaps Count Drugula would 55 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: be interested to know that a stroke medication dubbed draculine 56 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: has been derived from the anticoagulant properties of vampire bats 57 00:03:52,040 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: Saliva arise, arise, count drugula arise m Tune into additional 58 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: editions of The Monster Fact throughout the months of September 59 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: and October. As always, you can email us at contact 60 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com. Stuff to 61 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: Blow Your Mind is production of I Heart Radio. For 62 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: more podcasts for my Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 63 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.