25,000-year-old caveman remains reveal mind-altering drug use much longer than previously thought

It’s a trip back in time.We walked upright starting 7 million years ago, but when did we take our first 12 steps? Analysis of caveman remains in Indonesia reveals that we might’ve taken mind-bending drugs thousands of years earlier than once thought, per a psychoactive study in the journal Science Advances.Researchers from Griffith University in Australia reported the discovery of skeletal remnants belonging to two inhabitants from Sulawesi, the oldest of which date back to between 16,000 and 25,000 years ago, per a press release from the institution.The deceased’s chompers displayed unusual wear and tear caused by what the researchers deduced was a previously unknown behavior at the time: chewing a psychoactive plant known as a betel nut.Known to induce mild euphoria and heightened alertness, among other effects, these psychedelic seeds are used by millions of people throughout India and the South Pacific to attain a buzz, per the report.“It is the world’s fourth most widely used psychoactive substance, after alcohol, caffeine and nicotine,” said the study’s lead author Professor Adam Brumm.If the researchers’ prehistoric drug test rings positive, this means we were enjoying chemically-enhanced experiences as far back as the Late Pleistocene.

That far predates the previous earliest evidence of drug use — 13,000-year-old barley-based drinks from what is now modern Israel.“This theory fails to account for the possibility that very ancient drug-taking lies at the roots of our most commonly used psychoactive substances,” said Brumm.Unfortunately, the prevalence of betel nut usage during prehistoric times was uncertain as these seeds were rarely found at archaeological sites.To prove that early Indonesians were indeed tripping on betel nuts, also known as areca seeds, the team first had to prove that chewing the seeds could get you high without cutting agents.

Modern users achieve the desired effect by chewing on a seed that’s been seasoned wi...