U.S. study revealed that Africans have used - by some 80 thousand years of use of chemical pesticides to eliminate insect pests - mattresses are made from plants, insect repellents to ensure quiet sleep.
The study, published on the journal "Science" the U.S. that these results were drawn from the analysis of components of the mattress is made from plants found in a cave province of KwaZulu, South Africa, dating back to about 77 thousand a year.
The oldest bed about 50 thousand years out of any bed is due to the prehistoric period.
The study emphasizes that the potential of insect repellent bed clearly showed that the ancient people were aware of the great medical and chemical characteristics of some plants.
The effects of professor at the University of Witwatersrand Lin made - one of the contributions to the study - "The papers contain chemical compounds expel mosquitoes and other insects, so we see that they were aware of the medicinal plants."
She made the bed discovered that contributed to reducing insect-borne diseases, although the first generations of people were not aware of the existence of a relationship between mosquitoes and malaria.
Stresses made that "the purpose of it was comfort .. Those Africans they knew that these papers excluded insects and other pests may be."
The bed consists of newly discovered thick layers of compressed and trunks and rush papyrus (a type of herbal plants) were collected from the banks of rivers.
The researchers have achieved over the past few years a series of startling discoveries in South Africa, shed light on the early stages of human existence.
Including the discovery of researchers in the October / November last drawing equipment, including pigments and spoons of ivory, in the Blombos cave located about 300 km east of Cape Town.
Source: Reuters
