Scientists find medicinal plants caught in Neanderthal teeth

Scientists find medicinal plants caught in Neanderthal teeth

Tooth scrapings from tens of thousands of years ago suggest that Neanderthals chewed on medicinal plants to soothe their upsets.

That's the conclusion drawn by an international team of researchers who conducted a chemical analysis on dental calculus from five sets of Neanderthal remains that were excavated inside El Sidron Cave in northern Spain. The calcified crud contained microscopic bits of plant material as well as chemicals associated with wood smoke.

The analysis indicated that the Neanderthals ate cooked plant food that was high in starch, and perhaps also nuts, grasses and green vegetables. One case was particularly intriguing: The scrapings from an individual known as Adult 4 contained chemicals known as azulenes and coumarins. Those are the sorts of chemicals that are found in yarrow and chamomile, two types of herbal remedies.

Like they said, even chimps have been shown to seek out and chew on medicinal plants. It was probably one of the earliest things one primate could teach another (through example) which plants have certain benefits from consumption. I'm sure the Neanderthals were a little more sophisticated in how they passed this knowledge along than chimps or primates in general are, given how rough their diet was it must have been fairly vital knowledge.

well duh, they weren't stupid.

our culture assumes anyone who isn't us, or subscribes to our way of life, is unintelligent.

ancient peoples were much smarter than us, simply because they knew not to own the earth and use it like a toy or a game.

our western medicine/science is infantile compared to the knowledge humans had before us.

Seriously...No Surprise there.

Just observe the domestic cat.......Cat's main diet is meat.
Very often, cats eat ordinary green grass...Ive witnessed it many times.
I would think they know it aids digestion or soothes constipation or stops a headache...who knows?
Animals are aware of herbal medicine too. Almost instinctively.
Perhaps that is why humans seem to shed a tear (if only inside) when a tree is cut down, particularly a significant tree. We are ALL part of the same life on Earth and indeed the Universe, we are all the same elements and atoms ..We are ...The Life Force...

I know this must seem like rudimentary knowledge as far as what plants to eat or chew for medicinal purposes, but as I look around at modern people, watching as they gorge themselves on Big Macs and gigantic sodas and then popping pills and supplements to make up for everything their diets lacks, I wonder if we haven't lost that connection to our natural world, when we still ate a natural diet.

Benjamin Franklin wrote a lengthy article on the benefits of medicinal herbs and grew an extensive garden to cultivate them. Everyone should cultivate their own medicinal herbs, chickweed, thyme, yarrow, yohimbe, etc., etc., etc. They've been used for thousands of years by modern humans and now we have proof they were used tens of thousands of years ago by Neanderthals. start a herb garden, it's one of the best investments of time you could ever make! (ps: sorry to get all new-agey on ya'll...)

Cats & dogs do the same. Still, why wouldn't nutritional reminants be found in their teeth? Now if it where platinum and diamonds they ate on, that would surprise me.

i didnt realise they had a "neanderthal" in the first place let alone check his teeth!....lol

Come on folks, get real.
Every living plant back then was potent in medicinal substance and properties.
Nothing mysterious about it, they were just hungry.

Originally posted by Alxandro
Come on folks, get real.
Every living plant back then was potent in medicinal substance and properties.
Nothing mysterious about it, they were just hungry.

research is your friend.

...then speak...if you have something novel to add, that is.