Archaeologists Discover the World's Oldest Evidence of Habitual Drug Use in the Teeth of a Hunter-Gatherer Who Lived Up to 25,000 Years Ago
- On September 9, 2026, researchers published findings in Science Advances identifying betel nut residue on ancient teeth from Sulawesi, suggesting habitual drug use occurred 25,000 years ago, pushing back previous estimates by over 10,000 years.
- Archaeologists previously believed psychoactive drug use emerged roughly 13,000 years ago in Israel alongside agriculture, while betel nut usage was thought to have started only 3,500 years ago.
- Professor Adam Brumm of Griffith University's Australian Research Center for Human Evolution analyzed two hunter-gatherer skeletons from Sulawesi dating 25,000 to 16,000 years old. Biochemical analysis confirmed Arecoline residue, while dental grooves indicated habitual seed-sucking.
- While the seeds may have been used as a toothache remedy, Professor Brumm noted that habitual sucking caused severe dental damage, exposing inner pulp chambers and leading to chronic infections and difficulty eating.
- The study implies modern drug-taking behaviors are deeply rooted in forager traditions. Today, betel nut use remains almost ubiquitous among 10% of the world's population in the Asia-Pacific region, despite links to gum disease and tooth decay.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Research shows that hunter-gatherers who lived between 16,000 and 25,000 years ago used drugs. Researchers examined teeth from human remains from Salwali in Indonesia. Traces of betel nut use were visible on those teeth. Mans Schepers, an archaeologist at the University of Groningen, explains that art may even have been created under the influence during that time.
Researchers found evidence of drug use 25,000 years ago
Years ago I spent a couple of months in Malaysia. In the capital, Kuala Lumpur, I noticed little stalls selling betel nut. It's a psychoactive stimulant. I bought some from a vendor to try it. He gave me a kit with some sliced betel nuts, fresh betel nut leaves, and a dollop of lime (not the fruit, a white, moist powder made from burnt shells). — Read the rest
This Is How People Intoxicated Themselves Thousands of Years Ago. The Oldest Traces Have Been Found.
Inhabitants of South Asia and the Pacific Islands crush areca seeds and combine them with slaked lime and betel leaves. Chewing this substance increases alertness and induces mild euphoria. The lime facilitates the absorption of the alkaloids in the seeds, but also, through chemical processes, stains the teeth a characteristic reddish-brown color. Adam Brumm from Griffith University in Australia and Marlon N. R. Ririmasse from the Indonesian Pus…
Deutsche Welle
TerraTraces of arecoline in fossils in Indonesia suggest that humans had been searching for the effects of plant stimulants for 25,000 years, long before they were supposed to.
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