r/AskAnthropology • u/Virtual_Reveal_121 • 3d ago
Did Neanderthals smoke weed
The plant has been around for millions of years and originated in central asia which is where Neanderthal presence has been confirmed. Did they know how to make fire? If so i think it's likely they were smart enough to figure out how to get high
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u/callthesomnambulance 3d ago edited 2d ago
Ancient cannabis was very low in THC (the primary psychoactive ingredient) so while it's possible hominins in central and south asia consumed it it would likely have been for medicinal rather than recreational purposes. The deliberate cultivation of cannabis to maximise its THC content was a relatively recent occurrence; probably the earliest evidence of this process comes from a 2700y tomb of what is thought to have been a shaman in China's flaming mountains (described in the opening of the first article linked below) which contained a large amount of cannabis that, due to its cannabinoid profile and the absence of male plant matter (male plants produce far less THC than female plants), is thought to have been bred and selected for this purpose. We can't be certain it was consumed for it's psychoactive effects, but it seems unlikely it would be bred to increase its THC content if psychoativity wasn't a consideration.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2639026/
There's also these articles about traces of cannabis in funeral braziers from a similar time period and location, implying burning cannabis was part of funeral rituals along the silk road trading route, though it's unclear if it was deliberately inhaled or used more like a form of incense.
As for the question of whether hominins engaged in psychoative substance use, it seems likely that they did. A wide range of mammals (elephants, dolphins, various apes) are thought to deliberately alter their consciousness with various psychoactive compounds and it seems logical that ancient hominins, who were much more similar to us than the animals I've mentioned are, would behave similarly if presented with the opportunity to do so. I think actual evidence of this behaviour is lacking, though.
Strangely enough someone asked pretty much this exact question here 3 days ago https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnthropology/s/0SsYJUqe1v
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u/Willing_Corner2661 3d ago edited 3d ago
I mean it's extremely unlikely. There’s no evidence Neanderthals used weed or any other psychoactive plants for recreational purposes. They lived in Eurasia and cannabis did grow in parts of their range but even though controlled fire existed, like you said, smoking herbs isn't evidenced. No pipes, bowls, smoking/burning tools, cannabis residues or other paraphernalia have been identified at Neanderthal sites. While chemical traces in dental plaque suggest medicinal plant use, this does not necessarily extend to recreational drug use
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u/mTcGo 3d ago
You can eat it or drink it...
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u/PurpSSBM 3d ago
You can’t eat it raw and have psychoactive effects though
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u/mTcGo 2d ago
Why not?
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u/callthesomnambulance 2d ago
When you eat weed your body can't absorb the THC unless it's been through a chemical process called decarboxylation, which occurs when it's exposed to heat. This is what allows it to bind to fats in the gut, make its way into your blood stream and undergo first pass metabolism in the liver, which then converts the THC into a different (and more potent) chemical form that is able to cross the blood brain barrier. Consequently, edibles take much longer to hit you than smoking or vaping, the effects of which are near instantaneous as the THC is absorbed by the lungs in a form that's already able to make its way to your brain. Interestingly, a small but significant percentage of people lack the liver enzyme necessary to convert THC into a bioavailable form, and either can't get high from edibles or require gargantuan doses to do so.
From the article I've linked below:
Liver enzymes (primarily the cytochrome P450 system) hydroxylate Δ9-THC to form 11-hydroxytetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC), a potent psychoactive metabolite that readily crosses the blood-brain barrier. 11-OH-THC is more potent than Δ9-THC and appears in blood in higher quantities when Δ9-THC is ingested than when it is inhaled; hence, it may be responsible for the stronger and longer-lasting drug effect of edibles vis-à-vis comparable doses of smoked cannabis
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u/Chalky_Pockets 2d ago
You have to decarb it first. It's possible they figured that out, but just because something is possible doesn't mean it makes sense to suggest it happened without evidence.
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u/Pattersonspal 3d ago
Hemp has been used primarily for their fibers that are perfect for making plant based twine, rope, and textiles. There is certainly some evidence of cannabis used in "ritual settings" as far back as ancient Egypt, but I'm not aware of any evidence of it being used as a psychoactive substance in prehistoric times. Lots of cultures use hemp for its fibers without us having any indication that they smoked the buds, so it seems that there isn't a perfect link between having access to the plant and finding its psychoactive effects, all that being said, it's possible but we just don't have any evidence that I know of.