Drugs: Difference between revisions

As a hegemony of multiple client species, not all drugs found in the [[Covenant]] can necessarily be traced to only a single one. These formulations were used widely amongst the citizens of the empire, and some continue to evade firm classification in the post-war era. One of the most easily recognizable examples of a shared drug formulation was the [[sealant mesh]], a thin sheet of bronze-colored material that, when properly affixed, formed a partial seal over wounds.<ref name="ch258">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 258''</ref> The most important part of this mesh was a coagulant that would attenuate clotting of the blood. Sealant meshes were staples found in every [[portable aid station]], but were considered a short-term option at best.<ref name="ch258"/>

In Forerunner society, it was the [[Lifeworker]] [[rate]] that specialized in medicine's research, production, and use.<ref>'''[[Halo Waypoint]]''': ''[[Halo: Cryptum/Glossary|Halo: Cryptum Glossary]]''</ref> Lifeworkers also employed specific [[Huragok]] designed specifically for medical purposes.<ref name="hll122">'''Halo: Last Light''', Chapter 10, ''page 122'' (Google Play edition)</ref> These Huragok were able to treat injured or diseased Forerunners and other species partly through the administration of chemical compounds they produced endogenously. Technological advancement allowed Lifeworkers to efficiently produce drugs through the use of synthesizers. This technology was later adapted for use by the [[Covenant]] in the form of its own [[herbal synthesizer]]s, a technology which principally benefited [[ascetic]] [[San'Shyuum]] [[cleric]]s, and which they also closely guarded.<ref name="ch143">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 143-144''</ref> Though this marvel of theirs would not be discovered and appropriated by the [[San'Shyuum]] for many years to come, some Forerunners were happy to indulge in a San'Shyuum creation when they two species were contemporaries: [[kasna]]. This alcoholic beverage was a greenish color and had a pungent, sweet and sour odor.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 181''</ref> Originating purely out of Forerunner ingenuity, on the other hand, was the chemical known as [[inchukoa]]. Inchukoa was used to purge an individual of most of their fluids before that individual entered a state of [[xankara]] inside a [[cryptum]].<ref name="s50">'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 50-55''</ref> The inchukoa would be ingested and diaphoresis would commence quickly. The Forerunner affected would become noticably dessicated and soon lapse into an unconscious state before being placed in the cryptum by others.<ref name="s50"/> When the time finally came for the Forerunner to awaken, pharmaceutical drugs played a key role as well. An initial dose of essential nutrients, electrolytes, and other substances would be administered before simply placing them in a restorative bath rich with more chemicals. This process usually required several days, as the drugs worked to restore the body's muscle mass. These life-giving chemicals, appearing as three distinct colors (red, blue, and silver) also were commonly provided by Forerunners' personal armor, allowing them to live for years without any other sustenance.

Doctors are rare among [[Sangheili]] due to the widespread aversion to surgery in the species' cultures.<ref name="Cole Protocol">'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 143''</ref> However, the stigma against the cutting of flesh outside of battle has not kept them from using medicinal substances. Sangheili have drugs that are used not only for healing, but also for memory improvement and for dealing with anxiety.<ref name="anvil">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/anvil-s-legacy-preview '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Anvil's Legacy Preview'']</ref> It is common to find all of these varieties of medications in temples built for [[kaidon]]s, which traditionally have been visited by them prior to planning a military campaign. In such hallowed places, all manner of compounds are dispersed throughout flowing water, which has led to the label, "healing water".<ref name="anvil"/> Included among these are nootropics, which naturally would be very useful for kaidons making plans for war. Anti-anxiety medications in the water, interestingly, take the form of micro-biotic organisms that evidently can produce this effect in Sangheili. The species also has a penchant for alcoholic beverages, including those produced by humans;<ref name="HE5">'''[[Halo: Escalation]]''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 5|Issue #5]]''</ref> but draughts can be found on Sanghelios as well. In the previously-mentioned temples, these may be laced with specific herbs.<ref name="anvil"/> In addition to substances for healing, Sangheili also employ those that are designed to harm. The radioactive ammunition fired by [[Type-51 carbine|Type-51]] and [[Type-57 carbine]]s is in large part actually a compound mined from a moon and several other locations in the [[Urs system|Urs–Fied–Joori system]]. This toxic substance is released into a victim's bloodstream after the round it was previously encased in shatters. If the one being shot doesn't die immediately, chances are high that they will succumb soon thanks to the toxin. If they hope to live, medical care must be applied right away and they should be monitored for some time afterward.<ref name="EVG">'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 38''</ref> In order to prevent infections, Sangheili have used antibiotic microscopic nanoagents for thousands of years.

Medicinal comforts are mainstays of [[San'Shyuum]] culture. The drugs that are known to be consumed by the species are almost all those which provide pleasure and are used recreationally. Remedial substances do exist, of course, and some of those things used for pleasure also have healing properties. In the time prior to the firing of the [[Halo Array]], the alcoholic [[kasna]] made on [[Janjur Qom]] was even held in high regard by certain [[Forerunners]].<ref name="hc182">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 182''</ref> Thousands of years later, it is tea, not alcohol, that was prevalent among the San'Shyuum of the Covenant. These teas could be flavored with herbs such as [[sky spice]] and [[sea flower]]. One herbal tea in particular was used as a quick-acting analgesic for those with headaches, commonly brought on by the smoking of [[hookah tobacco]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 143''</ref> Hookah tobacco used by the Covenant's San'shyuum was smoked with the aid of a water pipe. Being a stimulant, individuals used it to grant themselves extra focus and mental acuity for a short duration. The aforementioned herbal tea that could be used to alleviate hookah-induced headaches, was produced with the aid of an [[herbal synthesizer]], a device which could formulate any number of prescriptions. These synthesizers relied on [[Forerunner]] technology and were almost exclusively set aside for the use of privileged San'shyuum [[ascetic]] [[cleric]]s.<ref name="ch143"/> In the [[tower districts]] of [[High Charity]], a large room known as the [[Chancel of Recovery]] was filled with the gas of vaporized herbal ointments that were beneficial for the skin and lung tissue of San'shyuum.<ref>'''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''', ''page 211''</ref> These vapors had no narcotic properties; the chancel was a place of healing and meditation. The herbs cultivated for the Chancel of Recovery were not meant for [[Sangheili]] biology, and it was taboo amongst San'Shyuum and Sangheili alike for a Sangheili to enter. Herbal steaming stations, similarly, existed apart from this large space.<ref>'''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''', Kindle edition, ''page 143''</ref>  

The San'Shyuum of millennia past, like [[humans]], were often owners of [[pheru]]. This meant that when a fine, desiccated powder consisting of inert, short-chain organic molecules was discovered aboard derelict ships of unknown origin and determined to have psychotropic properties when given to animals such as pheru, San'Shyuum gladly administered it to their pets.<ref name="c268">'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''pages 268-270''</ref> The effects made the pheru more docile, but the powder altered the genetic code of the creatures over time so that malformations appeared. Pheru began to eat one another and abortions were the norm among those that became pregnant. This led to widespread euthanasia administered by San'Shyuum caretakers.<ref name="c268"/>