In Greek mythology the lotus-eaters were a race of people living on an island dominated by lotus plants. The lotus fruits and flowers were the primary food of the island and were a narcotic, causing the inhabitants to sleep in peaceful apathy.
When Alexander the Great conquered a new area of unknown culture and people he would distribute wines laced with the lotus narcotic to make the people whom were conquered into mindless accepting masses to subjugate and instill in them the values of his Greek cultures. This way it was much easier to add the new ideas of the Greeks without further fight.