The Butlerian Jihad - Entry #6

The spice melange.

The fact that melange is found only on Arrakis and was exported to the League Worlds to the point of widespread addiction is known by all who have read Dune ... the first book published in this vast story.  But the story of its discovery by "offworlders" and how it came to be exported is found in The Butlerian Jihad.

I won't give away who discovered it and who first envisioned exportation and exploitation but these passages are revealing.  This first passage is by the first person to actually export a cargo hold of melange, but considering how far off the beaten path Arrakis was, he had trouble envisioning a profitable future in melange exportation.

Realistically, he doubted if melange would ever be more than a mere curiousity. (The Butlerian Jihad, p. 372)

Hah!

But this person shared the idea with another who had more vision and more resources leading to this later passage.  In this passage, the venture capitalist had just tried his first taste of melange ...

The melange seemed to seep into every cell of his body, transmitting energy and vitality directly to his brain, but without the usual sensory distortions.  The was pleasure ... but much more than that.  [Name] sat back and felt the substance seduce and relax him, controlling him without controlling him.  It was a paradox.  He felt mentally sharper than at any time in his life.  Even the future itself seemed clear.  (The Butlerian Jihad, p. 517)

How could you NOT become addicted!