An Orang Asli woman folding a betel leaf for chewing, a practice with deep roots in the social and cultural life of this region. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: Long before betel nut was served from ornate trays at Malay weddings or offered to guests as a gesture of hospitality, people in this part of the world may already have been seeking out its stimulating effects.
Recent research published in "Science Advances" has found evidence that hunter-gatherers in Sulawesi, Indonesia, were habitually using betel nut as far back as 25,000 years ago. The findings push the known history of psychoactive plant use far deeper into the prehistoric past than researchers had previously been able to demonstrate.
