Smithsonian Magazine · People & society

Oldest Evidence of Habitual Drug Use Found in Ancient Teeth

Archaeologists have discovered what may be the earliest evidence of habitual drug use, found in the teeth of a hunter-gatherer who lived in Indonesia up to 25,000 years ago. This predates previous findings by thousands of years.

The individual, whose sex is unknown, habitually chewed betel nuts, likely for their numbing effect on toothaches. This habit caused distinctive grooves in their teeth and worsened dental disease, suggesting a potential dependence on the nuts.

Researchers found the remains, including molars and jawbone, in a cave on Sulawesi. A second individual from 6,300-7,600 years ago also showed similar dental wear and grooves, with traces of arecoline, the psychoactive compound in betel nuts, found in both sets of dental tissue.

This discovery pushes back the timeline for habitual drug use significantly, predating the development of agriculture in the region and surpassing the previous oldest evidence of 13,000-year-old beer found in Israel.

The study suggests that managing the effects of addiction and adverse health consequences from drug use was part of human experience long before common psychoactive substances like alcohol emerged.

Unlike modern users who often mix betel nuts with slaked lime for enhanced effects, these ancient individuals likely sucked on the nuts, experiencing weaker psychoactive effects but still facing negative health consequences.

The findings contribute to the study of addiction by shedding light on its prehistoric roots and the long-established cultural practice of betel nut chewing in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

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