Around 1500 BCE, Egyptian papyri expressed fear of opium elixirs because of the hallucinogenic delusions they produced, despite using the drug as a kind of anesthetic for skull surgery. This ancient Egyptian text, originating in the Nile Valley, reveals an early awareness of the dual nature of opium as both a useful medicine and a dangerous intoxicant.

The Egyptian papyri are among the earliest written records of drug use, and their ambivalence toward opium foreshadows the complex literary portrayals of the drug to come. This ancient text provides a historical touchstone for poets and writers who have explored the tension between opium's healing and destructive powers, from the Romantic poets to modern addiction memoirs.