Neanderthals May Have Used Birch Tar as Natural Antibiotic
New experiments show that tar made from birch bark – long known as a tool adhesive – can inhibit harmful bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureussuggesting that Neanderthals may have used it to treat wounds and manage infections during the Ice Age.
Neanderthals likely used birch tar for several purposes, including treating wounds. Siemssen and others. confirm that birch tar has selective antibacterial properties, showing consistent inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus.
Birch tar is commonly found at Neanderthal archaeological sites, and in some cases this tar is known to have been used as an adhesive for assembling tools.
Recently, some researchers have raised the question of whether Neanderthals had multiple uses of this substance.
For example, indigenous communities in northern Europe and Canada used birch tar to treat wounds, and there is growing evidence that Neanderthals also used a variety of medical practices.
To study the medicinal potential of birch tar, Dr Tjaark Siemssen of the University of Cologne and the University of Oxford and colleagues extracted tar from modern birch bark, specifically targeting species known from Neanderthal sites.
They used several extraction methods, including distilling the tar in a clay pit and condensing the tar on a stone surface, both methods that would have been available to Neanderthals.
When exposed to different strains of bacteria, all tar samples were effective in hindering the growth of bacteria. Staphylococcus bacteria known to cause wound infections.
These experiments not only support the effectiveness of indigenous medicinal practices, but also reinforce the possibility that Neanderthals used birch tar to treat wounds.
The authors note that there are other potential uses for birch tar, such as an insect repellent, as well as other plants that Neanderthals had access to.
Further exploration of the multiple potential uses of these natural ingredients will allow for a deeper understanding of Neanderthal culture.
“We found that birch tar produced by Neanderthals and early humans had antibacterial properties,” the researchers said.
“This has important implications for how Neanderthals were able to mitigate the burden of disease during the last ice age, and adds to a growing body of evidence on health care in these early human communities.”
“By bringing together research in indigenous pharmacology and experimental archaeology, we are beginning to understand the medicinal practices of our distant human ancestors and their closest cousins.”
“Additionally, this paleopharmacology study may contribute to the rediscovery of antibiotic cures as we face an increasingly pressing crisis of antimicrobial resistance.” »
“The disorder of birch tar production deserves special mention.”
“Each stage of production is a sensory experience in itself, and getting rid of the tar after spending hours near the fire has been a challenge every time. »
The study was published online in the journal PLoS ONE.
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T. Siemssen and others. 2026. Antibacterial properties of experimentally produced birch tar and its medicinal properties in the Pleistocene. PLoS One 21 (3): e0343618; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0343618
