Recent discoveries made on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia have provided new insights into human history. Ancient teeth dating back 25,000 years were found bearing circular indentations. These traces suggest the regular consumption of dried nuts, such as betel nut (supari).
Scientists hypothesize that hunter-gatherer communities used these substances to alleviate pain. This finding represents the earliest evidence of systematic human use of narcotics. Furthermore, this occurred thousands of years before the well-known processes of brewing beer.
Adam Bram from Griffith University in Brisbane noted that there is very little knowledge about the origins of the most common psychoactive substances. He emphasized that hunters were already accustomed to mind-altering plants 25,000 years ago. This study was published in the journal Science Advances.
Researchers examined the remains of two hunters. The teeth of one individual date from the period between 16,000 and 25,000 years ago. The scientific staff were astonished by the unusual circular indentations on the teeth, which had not previously been observed even by leading global experts on dental wear. It is important to note that modern methods of chewing supari involve grinding the nut and adding lime, which does not result in such markings; ancient people chewed the whole nut, which they sucked on.
Experiments conducted showed that soaking supari in artificial saliva releases a sufficient amount of a chemical compound called arecoline, which was also found on the ancient teeth, confirming the hypothesis. Arecoline is a brain-affecting alkaloid that causes excitation and can help reduce pain syndrome.
Scientists believe that ancient people sucked on supari to treat pain because it caused numbness in the mouth and reduced perceived pain. However, prolonged use led to more severe tooth wear, which in turn could intensify pain, prompting people to consume the nut again for relief, thus creating a cycle of dependence.
Bram personally conducted an experiment, tasting the substance, which turned out to be bitter and astringent, and felt numbness in his mouth. It is presumed that this effect attracted ancient people. This finding refutes the previous notion that the regular use of psychoactive substances began with the start of agriculture around 12,500 years ago, pushing this concept much further back in time.
Today, over 600 million people worldwide, especially in Asia, consume supari, and this tradition has proven to be thousands of years old. Ice Age hunters on the island of Sulawesi used wild-available plants to relieve pain and possibly for mental stimulation. They sought not only food but also substances that affected the brain.
This discovery helps to understand the origins of drug-using culture. Before the advent of alcohol, opium, and other substances, people obtained relief and excitement from plants. Since the traces on the teeth are rare evidence, this finding holds particular significance.
This research was made possible by the combination of archaeology and biochemistry. Chemical analysis performed on the tooth wear provided compelling evidence. In the future, studying other ancient remains may lead to the discovery of even earlier evidence. There is a need for research at other sites in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.
Understanding how humans experimented with nature sheds light on the origin of our behavior. These traces, dated to 25 thousand years ago, remind us that the attraction to drugs is as ancient as human history itself. A habit that began as an attempt to relieve pain continues to this day, making this discovery an important milestone for both science and history.