Describe a condition in your world caused by a drug or medicine.
Lotus Narcosis
In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus and his men land on the island of the Lotophagi or Lotus-Eaters. The only available foods on the island are the flowers and fruits of an odd-looking lotus tree native only to that island. Luckily there's plenty to go around, and the oddly lethargic inhabitants are more than willing to share. Upon sampling the fruit, the men forget their friends and lose their desire to ever return to their homes. These sailors, carried back aboard their ship by Odysseus, had become the first recorded cases of lotus narcosis.Transmission & Vectors
The tree of the Lotus-Eaters no longer exists, but may have been related to either the diospyros or ziziphus lotus trees, with soporific and psychotropic compounds similar to those of the nymphaea lotus.
The diospyros lotus is a sub-evergreen tree that grows to about 25 feet tall. It bears yellow-green flowers that ripen into orange-colored persimmons, known to the ancient Greeks as "fruits of the gods" or "date-plums" for their blend of flavors.
The ziziphus lotus is a deciduous shrub that grows to about 15 feet tall, bearing orange-colored jujube fruits.
The nymphaea lotus, or "blue lotus," is a water lily known to the ancient Egyptians, who used it to produce a narcotic for religious ceremonies.
Symptoms
Consumption of the lotus causes an immediate sensation of sleepiness, a sense of apathy, and the elimination of all bodily pain. In small doses, lotus compound can be used during surgery or as a temporary cure for insomnia.
Repeated usage alters brain functioning, resulting in permanent alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior. Continued exposure to the lotus compound becomes necessary to regulate the sufferer's mood and activity levels.
Treatment
Sufferers removed from the source of the lotus compound will experience a sense of loss and sadness, and may become suicidal. Limited exposure can be overcome with time. However, withdrawal from long-term exposure is nearly always fatal.
History
Legends ascribe the effects of lotus narcosis to the myth of Priapus and Lotis.
Priapus was a rustic fertility god with an unsavory reputation, a Roman addition to the already-crowded Greek pantheon. Priapus had an unnervering tendency to lurk in the background during godly social events, permanently afflicted with lust. Although he called himself a god of fruits and vegetables, beekeeping, livestock, and gardens, Priapus was more accurately the god of being super creepy.
Lotis was a nymph and daughter to Poseidon. Little is known about her, except that she once fell asleep during a festival that Priapus was also attending.
In response to her prayers, the nymph was instantly transformed into a lotus tree. Specifically, she was transformed into a pissed-off, forever traumatized lotus tree that only wanted to go back to sleep and forget that anything bad ever happened to it.
The flowers and fruit of the tree still remember their origin.
Lotis woke to the sound of a startled donkey, just in time to see Priapus coming at her with a certain look in his eyes. This warning gave Lotis just enough time to jump to her feet and run like hell.
Pirapus gave chase. As Priapus bore down on his intended victim, Lotis prayed for help.
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Type
Chemical Compound
Origin
Natural
Rarity
Extremely Rare
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