Indonesian foragers may have sucked on mind-altering nuts 25,000 years ago, research finds
Analysis of two skeletons reveals tooth wear and traces of psychoactive substance in what may be earliest known evidence for human drug taking What may be the earliest known evidence for human drug taking has been traced to ancient Indonesian foragers who sucked on mind-altering nuts as long as 25,000 years ago. Analysis of two exceptionally rare skeletons from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi…
Analysis of two ancient Indonesian skeletons suggests that human drug use may date back 25,000 years. Researchers discovered evidence of psychoactive substance traces in the teeth of the foragers, indicating that they regularly consumed mind-altering nuts. These findings provide the earliest known evidence of human drug use. Betel nuts, commonly chewed in the Asia-Pacific region today, have been a widely used psychoactive substance for centuries.
This study reveals a millennia-old tradition of psychoactive drug use, predating previously known fermented drinks such as barley beer.
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