Archaeologists on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi have discovered the earliest evidence of regular psychoactive substance use. It appears that hunter-gatherers were regularly chewing areca palm seeds—betel nuts, which contain the psychoactive substance arecoline—as early as 25,000 years ago. Specialists reached this conclusion by studying unusual dental lesions found on two ancient individuals.
The two skeletons found on the island date to different eras. The first died between 16,000 and 25,000 years ago, while the second lived approximately 6,300 to 7,600 years ago. Deep grooves were observed on the teeth of both, which researchers believe were caused by long-term chewing of betel nuts. Experiments have shown that the arecoline present in the nut has a powerful psychoactive effect and can be addictive.
Ancient humans likely used betel to alleviate toothache, as it possesses temporary numbing properties in the mouth. However, this practice also had negative consequences, leading to severe dental damage. Archaeologist Adam Brumm notes that the tooth lesion on one of the ancient individuals had reached the pulp, which must have been extremely painful.
This is a significant discovery, as it indicates that humans were familiar with psychoactive plants long before the transition to sedentary life and agriculture. Today, the habit of chewing betel is shared by about 600 million people worldwide, although modern mixtures often contain tobacco, which increases the risk of cancer. It is possible that today’s cultural tradition originated from this simple pain-relief remedy from that distant era.
Interestingly, this discovery reshapes our understanding of human habits by showing how early humans began seeking and finding substances in their environment that affected their well-being. Although humans living 25,000 years ago were not yet engaged in farming, they already had established habits that often serve as the roots of modern traditions. Of course, the regular use of the substance at that time did not reach modern industrial scales, but the fact that the dental lesions testify to regularity is quite unexpected.
This demonstrates that human efforts to find pain-relieving or mood-altering substances in nature have much deeper roots than previously assumed. When we observe these 25,000-year-old lesions, we realize that the human urge to 'manage' the environment and find beneficial properties preceded even the foundations of civilization.
The question arises: would the habit of today's 600 million users still be part of our lives if ancient hunters had not discovered the effects of the areca palm in time? History shows that cultural traditions are often born out of simple survival necessities.
