Sulawesi archaeological finds suggest drug use 25,000 years ago

New archaeological research published in Science Advances suggests that humans may have used psychoactive substances as early as 25,000 years ago. Scientists from Griffith University and Hasanuddin University analyzed the skeletal remains of two hunter-gatherers on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

The remains, dating from between 16,000 to 25,000 years ago and 6,300 to 7,600 years ago, exhibited unusual dental wear patterns consisting of deep, rounded grooves. Researchers believe these patterns were caused by the practice of sucking whole areca (betel) nuts to release arecoline, a neuroactive alkaloid. This finding predates the previously assumed timeline of drug use, which was linked to the rise of agriculture and alcohol production approximately 13,000 years ago.

While modern betel consumption typically involves chewing the nut with slaked lime to enhance effects, these ancient foragers likely used the intact nut for its mild euphoric properties or as a medicinal analgesic to numb toothaches. Betel nut remains the world’s fourth most widely used psychoactive substance, following alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine.