A Breif Overview of the Use and Reverance of Cannibis

Throughout history, human beings have attempted to use the plants around them to improve their quality of life. Through trial and error we have learned a great deal about what natural resource best serves what purpose. Certain plants ease certain maladies while others supply nutrition or thread. There is, however, one plant that seems to stand out as an amazingly renewable and versatile resource. The various strains of cannabis available to mankind have contributed to such a degree as to become a component of spirituality to many - revered as a blessing.

The book of Exodus, in the Old Testament, records an ancient recipe for anointing oil. This included about six and a half liters of olive oil along with over nine pounds of flowering cannabis tops, Hebrew “kaneh-bosm.” In the Temple of Solomon, 20,000 incense burners were passed around filled with kaneh-bosm, followed by the biggest meal of the week. The title “Christ” is Greek, means “Anointed One”. The title in itself at least implies that Jesus was anointed in the typical method used for Hebrew kings who were completely soaked in the oil.

After the discovery of the Book of Law (1 Kings 23), the holy anointing oil was associated with pagan worship and banned. Some sects of Judaism still practiced the older religion in secret, waiting for another Messiah-king of the line of David. For these people, amongst others, Jesus was the return of the Jewish Messiah-kings, and the holy anointing oil re-emerged. There are many parallels between the anointing of Saul and David by Samuel in the Old Testament and the anointing of Jesus by John the Baptist including “visions” (Herer, pages 232-235). Today we would call it a “high”. To the ancients, it might have been referred to as “being possessed with the spirit of the Lord”.

Hundreds of years later, another social movement invited cannabis into their traditions. After their discovery of cannabis, certain Sufi Muslims came to believe it held the spirit of the prophet Elijah. The legend of the Sufi master Sheik Haidar of Khorasan’s personal discovery of cannabis is one of the earliest known narratives about the intoxicating effects. For Sufis, eating ma’joun, a chewy cannabis confection was part of worship. According to Sufi al-Is’irdi there was a hidden benefit in cannabis use which allowed the user to experience peaks of disembodied understanding.

Scythians probably spread cannabis use along with goddess worship through the Near East on to Europe. Their version of a goddess mother of life and death was Rhea Krona. In Scythian mythology, she would reap her children after their death with a scythe. This agricultural tool, named after the Scythians, had been designed for reaping cannabis harvests. Popular images today depict The Grim Reaper with a scythe stemming from this mythology. Herodotus told of the Scythians use of cannabis in the fifth century BCE:

“On a framework of tree sticks, meeting at the top, they stretch pieces of woolen cloth. Inside this tent they put a dish with hot stones on it. Then they take some hemp seed, creep into the tent, and throw the seed on the hot stones. At once it begins to smoke, giving off a vapour unsurpassed by any vapour bath one could find in Greece. The Scythians enjoy it so much they howl with pleasure.”

One group of ancient worshipers worth mentioning is those of the goddess Ashera. Ashera seemed to be revered even by the Hebrews. Supposedly, King Solomon burned incense to Ashera, Queen of Heaven. Images of Ashera often depict her holding snakes, and her worshipers believed the serpent in the Garden of Eden was sent by her. The Tree of Knowledge was cannabis and brought enlightenment to the earth when the serpent advised Eve to ignore the male god’s command not to partake of it. Worshipers praised her for the knowledge she brought through the Tree of Life.

Although some argue that there may be negative consequences to cannabis use, it has been noted as one of the least harmful medicines available, even today. Ancient Egyptians knew well the ability of cannabis to heal. They were some of the first people outside of Asia to discover the antiseptic and analgesic properties of the plant. However, neither Egypt nor Europe knew of the psychoactive properties of the plant until the middle ages when crusaders and Arabs spread Cannabis Sativa. Both the Egyptian and European climates had yielded mostly Cannabis Indica which contains much lower levels of THC.

The first documentation of cannabis in ancient Egypt was around 2,000 BCE. It was apparently used to treat eyesores and perhaps cataracts. Eber’s Papyrus (circa 1600 BCE) offers a treatment for gonorrhea where cannabis is ground in honey and administered to the vagina. It was also used in simpler maladies such as preparing a compound for in grown toe nails or enema preparations. According to Deodorus Siculus, a Sicilian Greek historian who lived from 90 BCE to 21 BCE, it was used to cure sorrow by Egyptian women as well.

During the Dark Ages, the Roman Catholic Church dispersed a number of edicts against scientific research, medical research in particular. Arabic medicine, however, was way ahead of it’s time. Their medical practices were delicate enough to perform cesarean sections as well as complicated eye surgery. Cannabis was used for numerous treatments ranging from swelling and post-partum depression to seizures and mania and was administered in various ways.

As mentioned, for some Sufi Muslims, cannabis holds the spirit of the prophet Elijah. Medieval alchemists such as Paracelsus also refer to Elias, which is equal to Elijah, when discussing Cannabis. A major contributor towards the practical use of cannabis during medieval times was a Benedictine monk and qualified Bachelor of Medicine named Francois Rabelais (1494-1553). He was familiar with the alchemical writings of the Sufis. One of Rabelais’s books, “Pentagruel”, being a metaphor for the good works of cannabis, was greeted with outrage by the Roman Catholic Church who considered it heretical. He was known to have taught common people Greek so that they could translate scriptures directly and prescribed cannabis to those who yearned for enlightenment, noting ignorance as a malady. One can assume this angered the Papacy further, eventually forcing Rabelais into exile and it is mainly unknown what happened to him thereafter. Rabelais even went on to consider cannabis the greatest of plants and spoke in great length about the transcendental properties available. He was completely enamored with the plant, always emphasizing the infinite beauty of it.

One of the most common medical uses of cannabis across the board has always been for labor pains during childbirth. This may be due to the fact that most deities associated with cannabis were female. The goddess Ashera in the Near East was closely associated with the Egyptian goddess Seshat, “Queen of the Seven Points.” However, there may be a more intricate aspect. Some active compounds in cannabis have a molecular resemblance to the female hormone estrogen. Although ancient peoples had no way of knowing this, many did know that menstrual fluid and cannabis were equally good fertilizers. Also cannabis seeds contain gamma linoleic acid which is only found in three other seed oils and human mother’s milk (notendur.centrum.is/~snorrigb/cult-fem.htm). Perhaps the connection between the fairer of the sexes and cannabis is instinctual. One very obvious reason for cannabis use during childbirth was that the only other option at any given point was opium which caused drowsiness among mother and child.

Hemp for textile use comes from the stalk of the cannabis plant. During the Middle Ages, flax was most widely used, but hemp held second place and was less costly. Even with church mandates against it, cannabis grew naturally from the northern Baltic region to southern Italy. It was easily accessible because of this. It was used in Europe for fuel in the form of oil and it was used for underclothing because it could me made to have a silky texture. It could also be used as a coarse fiber. The word “canvas” originates from cannabis and it was common for things such as dish towels to be made of it. Another common use was for cordage, particularly used for long bows since it was both strong and pliable (de Bonnevile, pages 67-78, 117, 312).

There are mass amounts of necessary nutrition in cannabis. Scythians ate it regularly. Throughout Europe it was used for gruel, and most ancients ate the seeds during travel at some point, especially nomads. Aside from the confections of the Near East, Polish, German and Russian natives made it into pies.

There are too many references and too much information about the uses and reverence of cannabis to be mentioned here. It appears that the only opponents of cannabis throughout known history have been those in a position of authority. Proponents of cannabis use in any form have felt oppressed and the common thread between them has been a desire for enlightenment, merriment, and good health. According to many, the oppression of cannabis use is a fight between good and evil. To this day, the fight continues.