Experiments suggest Neanderthals could have applied birch tar, found at their sites, as an antiseptic for wounds due to its antibiotic properties. Researchers replicated ancient production methods and tested the tar against bacteria causing skin infections. The findings build on evidence of Neanderthals using medicinal plants.
Birch tar has been identified at Neanderthal sites across Europe from the late Pleistocene. While commonly used as an adhesive, such as for attaching stone spearheads to wood, researchers propose it may also have served medicinal purposes, similar to its traditional use by Mi’kmaq communities in eastern Canada as maskwio’mi, a broad-spectrum antibiotic ointment for wounds and skin issues. Tjaark Siemssen at the University of Oxford notes, “Birch tar as a substance has been known for quite a while from the late Pleistocene, specifically from Neanderthal sites across Europe.” He adds that “reducing the use case to just one single thing, when it has so many different purposes, is potentially quite misleading.” Siemssen's team collected bark from downy birch (Betula pubescens) and silver birch (Betula pendula) in Germany. They produced tar using three methods accessible to Neanderthals: a “raised structure” involving a clay-encased bark pile fired for two hours; a simple “condensation” method burning bark under a fireproof stone; and a modern sealed tin for comparison. Tests showed all tars except one from downy birch via condensation were effective against Staphylococcus aureus, a common skin infection bacterium. The silver birch tar from the raised structure proved most potent. Karen Hardy at the University of Glasgow acknowledges the identified medicinal value but cautions that birch tar production is complex and time-consuming. She argues for evidence of its superior benefits to confirm deliberate medicinal use. Prior studies indicate Neanderthals consumed painkilling plants for dental issues and ate yarrow and camomile, which lack nutritional value but have medicinal properties. The research appears in PLoS One (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0343618).
