I must confess that I only recently learned about the potential healing powers of cannabis here on steemit by reading this article. I was amazed by the videos and was instantly intrigued by this new (to me) phenomenon. If this wonder plant can alleviate or cure many illnesses, then EVERYONE should know about it. So, I purchased a couple of the products from Canabidol and recently became an ambassador. I thought my first challenge should be to delve into the past and I was surprised by my findings.
When did it all begin?
The earliest record I found for cannabis being used as a medicine was in 2900 BC! According to Legend, a Chinese Emperor called Fu Hsi made references to marijuana as a popular medicine. The first written reference was dated 1500 BC in the Chinese Pharmacopeia. There are even references made to cannabis in the Bible! In 1450 BC, the Book of Exodus refers to a holy anointing oil made from cannabis, olive oil and herbs which sounds like an interesting combination. Around this time cannabis was also being used in Egypt, the Middle East, India and Ancient Greece for a selection of ailments including: glaucoma, inflammation, anaesthetics and leprosy.
AD and beyond ...
One of the first encounters was found
By AD 70, a Greek physician called Pedanius Dioscorides wrote a book called "De Materia Medica" (On Medical Matters) which included references to cannabis for treating earache and, unusually, to suppress sexual longing. It was also claimed by an ancient Roman that when the roots of the plant were boiled in water, it could ease cramped joints, gout and similar violent pain. It's healing powers appeared to be never ending.
Some highlights 1500-1900
1578: a Chinese medical text describes cannabis being used for vomiting, parasitic infections and haemorrhage.
1600s: there are reports that William Shakespeare may have smoked cannabis.
1621: an Englishman, Robert Burton, recommends using cannabis to treat depression in his book "The Anatomy of Melancholy".
1700s: George Washington was growing cannabis for medicinal use.
1799: Napoleon brought cannabis from Egypt to France where it was being used for pain relief and sedative effects.
1842: William O'Shaughnessy reintroduced cannabis to British Medicine. It was used for a variety of ailments from muscle spasms to inducing sleep. It was reportedly used by Queen Victoria for menstrual cramps.
1850: marijuana was added to the United States Pharmacopeia which listed it as a treatment for ailments from tonsillitis to cholera.
Things start to change in the 1900s
There were at least 2000 cannabis medicines prior to 1937, produced by over 280 manufacturers but then legislation restrictions started to have an impact. In 1911 Massachusetts became the first state to outlaw cannabis. By 1927, ten other states passed Marijuana Prohibition Laws. On the other side of the globe, (1928) cannabis was added to UK's "Dangerous Drugs Act". Another step in the wrong direction happened when marijuana was removed from US Pharmacopeia in 1942.
The reduction of cannabis for medicinal purposes was also influenced by the development of new drugs such as aspirin and morphine. These began to take over as pain relief medication and the tall leafy plant was no longer in as much demand.
Where are we today?
Since the 1960's, using cannabis for recreational use became popular and consequently re-ignited the studies about it's active compounds for therapeutic use. We can see from the graph that the number of publications about cannabis increased dramatically this century.
Other cannabis compounds (cannabinoids) are also being explored, like Canabidiol (CBD). Evidence exists that CBD may have therapeutic effects in epilepsy, insomnia, anxiety, inflammations, brain damage and many other medical symptoms.
History definitely shows us that there is something great going on with this big green plant and I look forward to discovering more for future posts. This compelling article published recently by wearechange.org (@wearechange) is also an upvote for cannabis! I am going to leave you with this quote which sums up everything and I hope to see you next time.
research material:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_medical_cannabis
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000026
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-44462006000200015
http://cbdoil.life/blogs/news/plants-as-medicine-hemp-s-long-history-of-healing