Neanderthals Utilized Antibiotics and Painkillers For Medicinal Purposes, New Study Suggests

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The Neanderthals were not as primitive as some people claimed to be. The ancestors of Homo Sapiens have more in common with the current bunch of humans roaming planet Earth than people give them credit for. A new study suggests that the Neanderthals used antibiotics and painkillers for medicinal purposes.

NBC News reports that scientists have discovered that the Neanderthals utilized primitive versions of antibiotics and painkillers to treat aches and pains. The researchers studied a dental plaque of a caveman that offered an insight into the Neanderthals' diet.

Alan Cooper, the study co-author and director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA in Adelaide, reveals that the dental plaque provides a record of what the cavemen ate during their lifetime. It also reveals what kind of bacteria lived in the guts of the Neanderthals.

The result of the study suggests that the diet of the caveman wasn't always meat, disproving common misconception with regards to the Neanderthals lifestyle. The research shows that the diet of the caveman depended on the location they lived.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the scientists studied dental plaques of Neanderthals from different cave sites including El Sidron in Spain and Spy Cave in Belgium. The jaw bone from an adolescent male discovered at the El Sidron site reveals that he had a painful dental abscess while the plaque suggests that the young caveman had an intestinal parasite that caused diarrhea.

According to Alan Cooper, while the sample suggests that the young Neanderthal was sick, the caveman was receiving treatment for his sickness. The research team suggests that the young man was eating poplar. Poplar contains the painkiller salicylic acid which is the active ingredient of aspirin.

Cooper, based on this find, concludes that the Neanderthals could produce natural medicines to treat aches and pains. The research also reveals that the Neanderthals had solid knowledge of the medicinal properties of plants, suggesting that they can self-medicate.

The samples unearthed in Spain and Belgium provided the researchers a window to the past. The result of the study shatters the misconception that the Neanderthals were simplistic and unintelligent.

The scientists conclude that the Neanderthals had complex hunting methods, suggesting intelligence. The researchers also surmised that these extinct human ancestors probably used language, symbolic objects, and could efficiently utilize fire.

Based on these conclusions, it shouldn't be a surprise that the Neanderthals could utilize primitive versions of antibiotics and painkillers. The study is a joint project of the University of Adelaide's Centre for Ancient DNA, the University of Adelaide's dental school, and the University of Liverpool in Britain.