Neanderthals may have used prehistoric glue as an ancient antibiotic

Neanderthals may have used a sticky substance made from birch bark to treat wounds thousands of years before antibiotics existed. Researchers recreated ancient birch tar production techniques and discovered that every sample could inhibit the growth of bacteria responsible for dangerous wound infections. Previously known mainly as a prehistoric glue, birch tar may have doubled as a surprisingly effective natural medicine.

Neanderthals may have used prehistoric glue as an ancient antibiotic. Scientists have discovered that birch tar, a material commonly associated with prehistoric toolmaking, has antibacterial properties that could have made it useful as an ancient form of medicine. The findings come from a study conducted by researchers at the University of Cologne, the University of Oxford, the University of Liège, and Cape Breton University in Canada.

By recreating techniques believed to have been used by Neanderthals, the team produced birch tar and tested its ability to inhibit harmful bacteria. Their results suggest that this prehistoric adhesive may have served a second, previously overlooked purpose: helping protect wounds from infection. The research was published in PLOS One under the title "Antibacterial properties of experimentally produced birch tar and its medicinal affordances in the Pleistocene." Ancient Neanderthal Glue May Have Had a Medical Purpose Birch tar is a thick, sticky substance obtained by heating birch bark.