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In the process of human beings seeking short-term relief, opium has a special "magic power". Every day, it provides comfort to thousands of people and ensures the normal operation of the medical care system; at the same time, it also makes many people addicted to drugs, exacerbating the bad depravity and exploitation of human society. From ancient times to the present, opium has been an unrivaled commodity, available as a legal or illegal commodity around the world. In this book, the famous cultural historian Lucy Inglis will lead us on an epic journey from Mesopotamia to today's United States, from poppy milk to heroin, from morphine to synthetic opium. She objectively examines opium, a substance of concern, starting with human beings' use of it and the reasons behind it, and showing the history of human interaction with this fascinating substance. A history of opium, half of which is a mockery of human nature by money, and half of which is a tragedy of body and spirit. This is a story about addiction, trade, crime, war, literature, medicine, and especially money. As this sweeping, all-encompassing work profoundly reveals, the history of opium is the history of our species, and it can teach us a lot about who we are.