Cannabis Through Time: A Tapestry of Tradition and Transition
Seeds of Civilization The legacy of cannabis is as old as civilization itself. Historical remnants, tracing back to 500 B.C. in regions of Asia, suggest that both the psychoactive and industrial variants of the plant were pivotal to ancient societies. While China leaned into cannabis for its medicinal attributes, addressing ailments such as rheumatism, in the subcontinent of India, it interwove with cultural and religious festivities. Classical Cultures and Cannabis The narrative of cannabis continued in the chronicles of classical civilizations. Ancient Greeks found utility in its seeds for treating tapeworms and leveraged its leaves for pain alleviation. The Roman compendiums, meticulous in their record-keeping, detailed the therapeutic aspects of cannabis, recognizing its anti-inflammatory prowess. The Middle Eastern Mosaic In the tapestry of the Islamic Golden Age, cannabis was painted with multifaceted strokes. While physicians like Al-Razi documented its medical potential, the p...