Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Recreational stimulant
(986 words)

1. Definition

Recreational stimulants are natural materials, commercially refined, that stimulate the nervous system, the circulation of the blood, and metabolism, and that make foods tastier and more palatable. They are consumed in food (sugar, spices), as hot beverages (coffee, tea, cocoa), or as “liquors” (beer, wine, spirits) or narcotics (tobacco, opiates; see Opium; Drug use). Many recreational stimulants increase feelings of strength in the short t…

Cite this page
Teuteberg, Hans Jürgen, “Recreational stimulant”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 02 June 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_019902>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210107



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