Cannabis History: A Brief Timeline Pt 1
Some studies have placed cannabis use dated as far back as 10,000 years ago! Although not recorded, hemp plants have been speculated to have been one of the oldest agricultural crops first thought to have been harnessed in the Mongolian area of Asia. For centuries this amazing plant has been used for its myriad functions, and we believe that it is one of the most important plants in the world. Check out some of the recorded uses of this amazing plant below!
3000 B.C.: Burned cannabis seeds have been found in kurgan burial mounds in Siberia dating back to nearly 3000 B.C.
2900 B.C.: Chinese Emperor Fu Hsi (ca. 2900 BC), whom the Chinese credit with bringing civilization to China, seems to have made reference to Cannabis, noting that Cannabis was a “very popular medicine that possessed both yin and yang.”
2727 B.C.: Emperor Shen Nung first teaches the people of China to cultivate “ma” (hemp) for making hempen cloth. (Shen Nung’s existence is debated. Also recognized as a Chinese God Of Medicine)
2500 B.C.: Large quantities of mummified psychoactive marijuana have been found in the tombs of noble people buried in Xinjiang region of China and Siberia dating to around 2500 B.C.
2000 B.C.: Cannabis is introduced to Korea in about 2000 B.C. or earlier, according to the book “The Archeology of Korea” (Cambridge University Press, 1993).
2000-1400 B.C.: Cannabis is introduced to the Middle East, where the Scythians, a nomadic Indo-European group also likely carried the plant into southeast Russia and Ukraine
2000-1000 B.C.: Cannabis travels to the South Asian subcontinent when the region was invaded by the Aryans — a group that spoke an archaic Indo-European language.
2000-1000 B.C.: Cannabis is used in India, where it was celebrated as one of “five kingdoms of herbs … which release us from anxiety” in one of the ancient Sanskrit Vedic poems whose name translate into “Science of Charms.” It is still utilized today in Indian medicine and culture (although illegal) as Bhang ( a drink concocted with cannabis and spices), Ganja (the topmost parts of the flower) and Charas (similar to hashish).
70 A.D.: The first copy of Roman scientist Dioscorides’s a materia medic was published, referencing some 600 or so remedies 1 of which happens to be cannabis. This book was considered a staple among Roman doctors and scientists for many years.
200 A.D.: Chinese surgeon Hua T’o performed surgeries using a substance referenced as ma-yo, ( an anesthetic made from cannabis resin and wine).
400-500 A.D.: Germanic tribes brought the plant into Germany from there to Britain during the 5th century with the Anglo-Saxon invasions. (Cannabis seeds have also been found in the wrecks of Viking ships)
800-900 A.D.: Cannabis was used as a medicine in the Arabic World uses as an anesthetic. Hashish gained in popularity, warned to be poisonous by some.
500-1000 A.D.: “The Jews of Talmudic times were particularly concerned about certain precepts which prohibited the mingling of heterogeneous substances, and on at least one occasion the sages argued over whether hemp seeds could be sown in a vineyard. The majority opinion was that such intermingling was permissible, indicating that they recognized a certain similarity between cannabis and the grape. This similarity could not have been due to the appearance of the two plants and must have centered around the intoxication produced by each.” (Marijuana, The First 12,00 Years https://druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/history/first12000/1.htm)