RESUMO
Iliad and Odyssey are two major literary sources on various phenomena related to human experience and knowledge. In the Odyssey we find references to the nepenthes, a mythical substance which can change the mood, causing sorrow and anger to be forgotten. We can not identify it with any of the well known substances that have these properties, such as opium from the opium poppy, the Egyptian kyfi or cannabis in the Scythians. Ancient Greeks used various anxiolytic, hypnotic and narcotic substances, but phenomena of addiction or withdrawal are not clearly described, with the exception of wine. Wine was used to lighten peoples minds and hearts, as well as a vehicle for drugs. Many ancient sources describe the negative effects of wine abuse. The study of ancient texts, from Homer's epics to Christian literature, allows a fundamental insight into the influence of psychotropic substances and alcohol on the human psyche.