Scientists at the University of Washington were the first to extract nicotine from the tartar of ancient people. The discovery will allow us to learn more about the use of intoxicating plants by the ancestors of modern man.
“The ability to identify nicotine and other herbal medicines in plaque will help answer old questions about ancient human consumption of intoxicants. For example, we can find out which members of the community used tobacco,”said Shannon Tuzingham, associate professor of anthropology at WSU. Scientists have traditionally tracked the spread of cigarettes in the United States by analyzing hair, feces, and charred tobacco seeds, but these are rarely found in archaeological records. With tartar, everything is easier, it sticks to the enamel, mineralizes and retains all the substances that have been in the mouth. The researchers studied the teeth of 8 individuals buried between 6,000 and 300 years ago. For the analysis, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used, which makes it possible to identify nicotine and other plant-based drugs,such as caffeine and atropine. Two samples tested positive for tobacco, one of which belonged to an old woman. Dzhanabilova Tatiana P