The First Known Uses of Medical Marijuana for Health Benefits
Medical marijuana may feel like a modern innovation, but its use as a healing remedy goes back thousands of years. From ancient herbal medicine to 19th-century pharmacies, medical cannabis has played a key role in human health and healing for millennia. Let’s take a journey through history to explore the earliest known uses of medical marijuana and what they tell us about cannabis as a therapeutic plant.
Ancient Roots: Cannabis in Early Civilizations
China: The Birthplace of Herbal Medicine
The earliest documented use of medical marijuana dates back to ancient China around 2700 BCE. The legendary Chinese Emperor Shen Nong, known as the “Father of Chinese Medicine,” reportedly included medical cannabis in his pharmacopeia. It was used to treat ailments such as gout, rheumatism, malaria, and memory loss. The seeds, leaves, and resinous flowers were all utilized in traditional remedies.
India: Healing in Ayurveda
In India, medical cannabis was revered both spiritually and medicinally. Ayurvedic texts dating back to 1000 BCE describe medical marijuana as a treatment for insomnia, headaches, digestive issues, and pain relief. Known as bhang, cannabis was often blended with milk, spices, and herbs and used in both religious ceremonies and healing rituals.
Egypt: Land of Pharaohs
Ancient Egyptian papyri, such as the Ebers Papyrus (circa 1550 BCE), reference medical marijuana as a treatment for inflammation and glaucoma. It was commonly applied as a topical remedy and sometimes mixed with other botanicals for internal use.
Cannabis in the Classical and Medieval Worlds
Greece and Rome
Greek and Roman physicians, including Galen and Dioscorides, documented the use of medical cannabis to treat conditions such as earache, edema, and inflammation. Cannabis was appreciated for its analgesic (pain-relieving) and anti-inflammatory properties, and its seeds were also used for their nutritional value.
Middle East and Islamic Medicine
Between the 8th and 13th centuries, Islamic scholars like Avicenna included medical marijuana in influential medical texts. It was used for epilepsy, nausea, and as an anesthetic in surgical procedures. It spread widely throughout the Islamic world as both a recreational and medicinal plant.
Cannabis in Early Western Medicine
19th-Century Europe and America
In the 1800s, medical cannabis made its way into Western pharmacopeias. Irish physician William Brooke O’Shaughnessy introduced it to European medicine after studying its use in India. It quickly gained popularity as a treatment for muscle spasms, chronic pain, seizures, and mental health disorders.
Medical marijuana tinctures were commonly available in pharmacies across the U.S. and Europe until the early 20th century. It was considered an effective remedy for numerous ailments and was often prescribed alongside other herbal treatments.
Modern Reflection
While the legal and medical landscape around cannabis has changed dramatically over the past century, the plant’s therapeutic legacy remains strong. As modern science catches up with traditional knowledge, we continue to rediscover cannabis’s diverse health benefits, many of which have been known for thousands of years.
Today, medical marijuana is prescribed to help manage conditions such as chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, cancer-related symptoms, anxiety, PTSD, and sleep disorders. Patients can access cannabis in various forms, including oils, capsules, tinctures, edibles, and topical treatments, under medical supervision and legal guidelines.
The use of medical marijuana is anything but new. From ancient China to Victorian apothecaries, cannabis has been a trusted healing ally across cultures and continents. As we look to the future of medical marijuana, understanding its past helps us appreciate the rich history behind today’s growing acceptance and research.
