14. Magic Mushrooms Rounded Off the Zulu Warriors’ Drug Cocktail, and Made Them Super Scary
The Boophone disticha extract used by Zulu warriors had both hallucinogenic and pain-deadening effects. That further reduced their fears of known dangers and made them that much harder to bring down. The drug concoction was then rounded off by psychedelic mushrooms that contained muscimol, whose effects included enhanced perception. The combined effect of all those drugs was to make the Zulu warriors highly alert and focused. They developed a tunnel vision on the task of charging their enemy no matter what, without the typical distractions of fear to hold them back. No wonder the British were repeatedly astonished by the extraordinary courage and super ferocity and fearlessness of their Zulu foes.
However, as things turned out in the end, courage and ferocity, whether natural or drug-induced, were not enough. The spear-armed Zulus eventually were overcome by massive British advantages in modern weaponry. After they got over the shock of their defeat at Isandlwana, the British regrouped for another go, in which they put their modern firearms and artillery to frightful use. The Zulus were crushed at the Battle of Ulundi in July of 1879, their kingdom was abolished, and its territory was divided amongst thirteen compliant chieftains.
