Researchers have uncovered proof of drug consumption in teeth that date back 25,000 years. This finding extends the record of when humans first used drugs to a much earlier period than previously known.
A hunter-gatherer’s teeth, recovered from a cave on the island of Sulawesi, date back to a period spanning roughly 16,000 to 25,000 years ago, according to scientists.
The Grooves on the Molars
When betel nuts are chewed, they release psychoactive stimulants, and researchers think the deep grooves found on the molars came from sucking on them.
The habit of chewing betel nut remains widespread across southeast and south Asia. Today, people in places such as Indonesia, India, and China, along with other regions of the area, continue to consume it on a regular basis.
A mix of leaves from the same plant, slaked lime, and various other ingredients is what goes into the nuts. Among these added materials are:
- Coconut
- Menthol
- Cloves
- Tobacco
The mixtures vary by region.
A Global Tradition With Serious Health Costs
The habit of chewing betel nut carries several names across various regions. People call it paan, buai, doma, and ngangà depending on where they live. According to the study’s authors, it is “reputed to be the world’s fourth most popular psychoactive substance after alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine.”.
The habit is not without cost to health. Research ties betel nut chewing to cancer, heart disease, liver injury, diabetes, and problems with reproduction. Even those who can still father children risk causing birth defects in their offspring.
Another clear sign of prolonged chewing is a reddish stain that forms on teeth. This staining has been observed on ancient human remains from southeast Asia, dating back to around 5,000 years ago.
The Wear Patterns Told the Story
The wear patterns on the teeth were what counted in the case of the Sulawesi skull, not their color.
Griffith University professor Adam Brumm led the study. He hypothesized a “negative feedback loop” in which betel nuts damaged the teeth of ancient peoples, but also offered the only way to relieve the pain from that damage.
If a single thing appears to be the source of your troubles while also offering the means to solve them, you should likely stop using it, regardless of whether that moment comes now or 25,000 years from now.
Related Stories on Ancient Drugs
This new finding expands upon prior work into the history of drug use. Related reports include cannabis consumption in China dating back to roughly 2800 BC, the substances employed by ancient Greeks and Romans, and a Roman container holding seeds made from an animal bone that produced hallucinations.
A video essay asks whether psychedelic mushrooms appeared in medieval Christian art. A 2002 documentary revisits the history of LSD, titled “Hofmann’s Potion.”
A paper published in Science Advances has revised our understanding of when humans first began using drugs. The authors employed teeth to move the date of human drug use further back in time.
The teeth came from a cave on Sulawesi, and the way they wore down showed that someone had sucked on betel nuts again and again for a very long time.
This research provides a look at a custom that has endured across centuries. Chewing betel nut remains common throughout much of Asia, despite growing awareness of its risks.
The financial toll is considerable. Several illnesses have been tied to the habit, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver damage, diabetes, and infertility.
Birth defects in children can be caused by fertile chewers, and the danger applies to all people who take up the habit.
Long-time chewers develop a distinct red tooth stain at minimum, and that stain has turned up on nearly 5,000-year-old skeletons found in southeast Asia.
The research demonstrates that the practice is long established, yet it also prompts questions about why people continued to engage in it even when it caused harm.
According to Brumm’s theory, the explanation is straightforward: the pain brought on by the nuts was met with relief, which kept people returning despite the growing harm.
This research builds upon a rising collection of studies into the use of drugs in ancient times. Related articles include cannabis consumption in China around 2800 BC, the substances employed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and a Roman container holding hallucinogenic seeds derived from an animal bone.
A video essay asks whether psychedelic mushrooms appeared in medieval Christian art. A 2002 documentary revisits the history of LSD, titled “Hofmann’s Potion.”
Source: openculture.com
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