Mentats and Spice?, do they require it?

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this... I don't recall reading it in any of the six books that the process of becoming or maintaning mentat powers requires the use of spice in any way...
am I wrong? 0o

Hm. I seem to recall from the 1984 Lynch movie that Mentats use a drug of some sort, but it's not melange. I would think they would probably use the spice if they could afford to, though, or if their employer/patron made it available. After all, spice is supposed to make one able to think faster and better and be more aware of what's going on.

you are thinking of the juice of sapho.
Mentats don't need to use it but it extremely accelerates their powers. It is addictive like spice but as far as i know its just made from the root of the ecaz tree (though I thought I read in one of the books it was a combination of ecaz and spice). More questions instead of answers! how appropriate

From Dune :

SAPHO: high-energy liquid extracted from barrier roots of Ecaz. Commonly used by
Mentats who claim it amplifies mental powers. Users develop deep ruby stains on
mouth and lips.

That's it ! No other books talk about sapho IIRC... :)

I don't get why they don't use straws... so they don't get the stains.

They DO use straws !! Why do you think it's so addictive ? :Laugh: :Laugh: :Laugh:

Oh, man -- I just got a mental image of battle-hardened Thufir Hawat with his cute little sapphu juice tetra box and straw... 0o

Actually, they probably consider the stains on their lips to be some kind of mark of honor -- sort of "hey, look at me, I'm a Mentat." It's likely something they don't ever worry about, just accept as "part of the job."

:errm: :Laugh:

In the post-Dune books, there's no mention of sapho when we see Mentats (Duncan or Miles Teg). I wonder if the use of sapho as disappeared at the same time that Leto II forbidden the development of Mentats ? :huh:

interesting point...

I remember thinking about some of the mentats in dune and not liking the idea of them having stains all over their faces (Muad'Dib, Duncan, Miles).

In that case, we can probably infer that sapho was not essential to a Mentat's ability to function, but perhaps just something that was "in fashion" during the Imperial times. It's possible they may have found something else to use that wasn't so noticeable to other people, or maybe Mentat training improved/changed in some way to compensate so they no longer needed the "extra boost."

humans will always need and be looking for an extra boost of some sort imo...


<_< :ninja: like i will always need and be looking for emoticons :Laugh:

I agree that new Mentat training may have change things; if the BG still had Mentats in GeoD (Anteac), they could have improve on it after the Tyrant's death. Miles Teg was the son of a BG after all... ;)

it would be silly to not think that mentats power increased after Leto's tyrannical oppression, everything did but... my argument is that everything could use an extra boost.... example being Taraza drinking the dangerous amphetamine in her quarters when she needed to concentrate under stress (I believe it was an amphetamine they may have just said narcotic).

now back to working on my Senior degree project which is on dune!