Caves were and still are the focus of attention of scientists and researchers, and when we talk about caves, we are talking about homes that people have inhabited for many years, and some of them carry glimpses of human history, its effects, civilizations and cultures in distant times.

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last month (October 8) examined the Pinwheel Cave art, south of Bakersfield, California.

The art of that cave bears the first evidence of Native American eating of hallucinogenic plants, and this was revealed after studying a painting of a plant dating back more than 4 centuries, which was found on the walls of the cave.

Cave arts

The ceilings and walls of ancient caves were rich in many arts, where the most famous cave art can be found in Spain and France, and the famous ancient stone cave art dates back to about 21 thousand years, while Indonesia recorded traces of cave art dating back about 40 thousand years.

The recent study says that the California cave bears the first evidence that humans ingested hallucinogens on the rocky walls of the cave, and it is possible that the indigenous California people who gathered in the cave painted a fan-like figure and a moth with large eyes in red on the cave walls.

According to Live Science, researchers from the United Kingdom and the United States found that the fan's spiral art resembled a flower of the "sacred datura" plant, and next to the drawing were found traces of fibers from chewed flowers.

The sacred flower of the Datura plant is similar to the drawings that were discovered (Cannes - Wikipedia)

According to the new study, it is possible that this mysterious "fan" was a representation of the white flower of the "sacred datura" plant, containing a powerful hallucinogen that the Chumash people took not only for ceremonial purposes but also for medicinal and supernatural purposes.

The researchers said it was possible that the moth was a type of hawk moth, known for its "spiral" drunk flight after devouring the nectar of the flowers of the datura plant.

Chew balls

The "sacred datura" plant (Datura wrightii) is a beautiful flowering perennial herb that blooms at night, common in arid regions of the United States and northern Mexico.

The word "Datura" is derived from a Hindi word meaning "thorn apple". Other common names for this unique plant include moon flowers, Indian apple, angelic trumpet, and devil's trumpet. Toxic hallucinogens are found in most parts of the plant and can cause delirium and even death. For animals, as well as humans.

The plant produces dozens of large white flowers, and since this plant blooms at night, its flowers are pollinated by different types of moths, and some indigenous American cultures use the sacred datura in religious ceremonies, and have been used by medicine men and magicians since ancient times.

Although Native Californians have historically documented using the Datura to enter into states of trance, there is little evidence linking it to rock art.

Researchers have found tobacco chew balls containing mind-altering drugs (PNAS).

No conclusive evidence of hallucinogen consumption had been reported from any rock art site in the world before, until this painting that may represent the flowers of the Datura plant was discovered on the ceiling of a rocky art site in the cave along with some quids, which are chewing balls. Of tobacco.

A multi-analytical approach was taken to analyze the alkaloids, the rock art and the archaeological context of this site, and the researchers said that these blocks contain mind-altering drugs, and the results of mass spectrometry revealed the presence of hallucinogen alkaloids such as scopolamine and atropine, while an electron microscope examination confirms that most of them are remnants of the Datura plant. Holy ".

3D analyzes indicate that the quinoid was consumed in the cave below the panels.

Archaeological evidence and chronology show that the site was well used as a temporary residence for a range of activities from late prehistoric times to colonial periods.

The "Holy Datura" plant is distinguished by the beauty of its flowers (Dennis Jarvis - Wikipedia)

This research indicates that Datura was covered in the cave, and that the rock painting represents the plant itself, and this cave image may have served to transfer knowledge about plants in preparation for collective hallucinogenic experiences, which confirms the ancient use of hallucinogens in rock art sites.