Cannabis History 101: Ancient and Eastern Cannabis
by Jeff Eckenrode
Quick Answer: Cannabis has been used by humans for over 10,000 years — as fiber, food, and medicine across Asia, the Middle East, Egypt, and beyond. Ancient Chinese physicians listed it as one of 50 fundamental herbs 4,700 years ago. Cannabis has been illegal for less than 1% of its history. Indica and Sativa varieties evolved from the same original plant in Kazakhstan!
Have you ever wondered how long humans have been getting high?
Although cannabis legalization is a relatively new phenomenon in the United States, cannabis has been completely legal in many countries for most of human history. In fact, cannabis has been illegal for less than 1% of the time that it has been used by humans.
Not only have people across the globe used cannabis to get high, cannabis also has a long history of use as a fiber, a food, and a medicine dating as far back as 5,000 years ago.
Cannabis was once an essential treatment for the ancient Chinese and the Indian Ayurvedics, as well as the Victorians who adopted it into the Western Pharmacopeia in the mid-1850s. It was even used in Europe and North America as a household tonic until its prohibition in 1937 in the United States.
According to cannabis researchers, the cannabis plant first emerged around 10,000 years ago in the Caucasus Mountains, most likely in current-day Kazakhstan.
Harsh environmental factors like wind and snow, as well as an unforgiving landscape typified by rugged and mountainous terrain, forced early cannabis plants to become hearty and, to a certain extent, inventive, in order to survive.
To grow quickly and reproduce before the short summer season ended, scientists believe that early cannabis plants evolved to tempt animals and birds to gobble up their seeds and then excrete them while migrating.
Humans did their bit too, carrying seeds out of Russia through trade along the Silk Road.
The seeds that moved east into the colder regions of the Himalayas developed into the so-called Indica or Kush strains. When consumed, the psychoactivity these plants produced tended to be more physical than cerebral, bringing on a sleepy condition (commonly referred to today as “couchlock”).
Physically speaking, Indica cannabis plants are shorter and bushier, with rounded leaves. They also mature and flower relatively quickly, in 12-16 weeks, to contend with their shorter growing season and grow comfortably outdoors between 30-50 degrees latitude.
Seeds that went west to the Middle East and Africa are today commonly called the Sativa varieties. These warmer-climate plants are sinuous and can reach heights of as much as 20 feet tall! They have narrow, finger-shaped leaves and airy, less-dense buds that take longer to mature (some can take up to 6 months).
Archeological evidence indicates that women once commonly consumed the sticky flowers to ease the nausea of pregnancy and to numb (and possibly forget) the pain of childbirth so they could repeat the experience and help our species proliferate—which would have provided a strategic evolutionary benefit.
The ancient Chinese used cannabis to treat an array of illnesses, including gout, rheumatism, malaria, and constipation. Considered to be one of the 50 fundamental herbs over 4,700 years ago, Shen Nung, considered the father of Chinese medicine, was the very first person known to write about cannabis’ medical and spiritual benefits.
Although cannabis is commonly smoked or vaporized today, it was most often used historically as a tincture or eaten. Evidence suggests that ancient Egyptians used cannabis in suppositories as well as to relieve eye pain. Pounds of cannabis have also been found in the burial sites of ancient Egyptian royalty.
In 1993, a 2500-year old mummy in Russia was found buried with meat, ornaments, and cannabis. An MRI of this mummy, known as the “Siberian Ice Princess of Altai”, who was perfectly preserved in ice, shows her body riddled with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Scientists say she may have used cannabis to blunt the immeasurable pain of her illness and that she was probably a shaman who used cannabis to treat others as well.
Throughout time and across continents, cannabis has and still remains to be a popular and essential therapeutic for people across the globe. Browse our menus at Hashtag Seattle and Hashtag Redmond to see what’s available today!
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FAQ Ancient and Eastern Cannabis History
How long have humans been using cannabis?
Cannabis has been used by humans for over 10,000 years — making it one of the oldest cultivated plants in human history! It originated in the Caucasus Mountains, most likely in present-day Kazakhstan, and spread across the globe through both natural seed dispersal and human trade along the Silk Road. For context, cannabis has been illegal for less than 1% of the entire time humans have used it. Legalization isn't a new trend — it's closer to a return to the historical norm!
Where did Indica and Sativa cannabis strains originally come from?
Both varieties trace back to the same original cannabis plant from the Caucasus Mountains! Seeds that migrated east into the colder, harsher regions of the Himalayas developed into what we now call Indica or Kush strains — shorter, bushier plants associated with more physical, sedating effects. Seeds that traveled west to the warmer climates of the Middle East and Africa became what we call Sativa strains — tall, narrow-leafed plants associated with more energetic, cerebral effects. Same origin, very different evolution!
How did ancient Chinese medicine use cannabis? Cannabis was considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine over 4,700 years ago! Shen Nung, revered as the father of Chinese medicine, was the first known person to document cannabis's medical and spiritual benefits. Ancient Chinese physicians used it to treat conditions including gout, rheumatism, malaria, and constipation. It was a cornerstone of Eastern medicine for thousands of years before Western cultures even knew it existed.
Did ancient Egyptians really use cannabis?
Yes — and the archaeological evidence is fascinating! Ancient Egyptians used cannabis in suppositories and to relieve eye pain. Pounds of cannabis have also been discovered in the burial sites of Egyptian royalty. And in 1993, a 2,500-year-old mummy known as the Siberian Ice Princess of Altai was found buried with cannabis alongside meat and ornaments. An MRI revealed she had Stage 4 breast cancer — scientists believe she used cannabis to manage her pain and may have been a shaman who treated others as well.
Was cannabis originally smoked the way people smoke it today?
Interestingly, not primarily! Throughout ancient history, cannabis was most often consumed as a tincture or eaten as food rather than smoked or vaporized. Evidence of edible and tincture-based use appears across ancient Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, and other Eastern cultures. Smoking and vaporization became more common much later. Today we've come full circle — edibles and tinctures are among the most popular cannabis products available, connecting modern consumers to thousands of years of human tradition!
How did cannabis spread from Central Asia to the rest of the world?
Cannabis spread through a combination of natural processes and human activity! Early cannabis plants evolved to attract birds and animals to eat and then disperse their seeds while migrating. Humans accelerated this spread dramatically by carrying cannabis seeds as trade goods along the Silk Road — one of history's great trading routes connecting Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and eventually Europe. Cannabis was so useful as a fiber, food, and medicine that virtually every civilization it encountered adopted it enthusiastically.