Medicinal cannabis has been used by humankind for millennia.
Happy 4/20 to everyone!
Arbitrary holiday-esque cheer aside, today is a great day to raise awareness around the history of Cannabis as it relates to health and data.
Medicinal marijuana or cannabis has a surprising amount of applications in modern healthcare.
Not only a fabulous alternative medicine, the hemp plant strengthens economies and reduces reliance on cash crops like trees for paper and cotton for clothing since hemp can be refined to make these materials!
We will dive into a few topics, and hope it helps you explore further to learn what interests you.
It’s been used for thousands of years.
Around 2800 BC we find the first evidence of cannabis use in health care. Cannabis was listed in Emperor Shen Nung’s pharmacopoeia, which is a type of medicinal instruction book.
India has a particularly rich history of cannabis culture.
For centuries, Marijuana, in some form or the other, has been consumed in India. As per the Vedic scriptures, Marijuana (cannabis) is considered to be one of the five most sacred plants. It is also deemed to be a rich source of happiness, liberation, and compassion.
According to the Atharva Veda – The fourth book of the Vedas, ‘Cannabis’ is one of the ‘five kingdoms of herbs, which relieves anxiety’. Marijuana has medicinal properties and is taken from the Cannabis plant. Since time immemorial, it has been used in religious & spiritual rites.
One version of version of the Shiva and Bhang story is related to Samudra Manthan. During Samudra Manthan, the devas (Gods) and rakshas (Demons) churned the ocean together to obtain Amrita (nectar of immortality). However, one of the byproducts of this churning was the Vish (poison) named Halahala, known to be the most lethal poison in the Universe, the fumes of which were capable of killing both gods and demons. In order to protect everyone, Lord Shiva drank this venomous poison. He was later offered bhang to feel fresh.
Hindu legend holds that Shiva was given the title ‘The Lord of Bhang’ because the cannabis plant was his favorite food.
Some legends even claim that Lord Shiva moved to Kailash Mountain via the Gosaikunda Lake area, post the Samudra Manthan episode. Shiva’s head was covered with “Bilva Patra”. So you see everything was being done to cool Shiva off.
Marijuana is supposed to be a coolant. It lowers the body’s metabolism and that brings the overall body temperature down. The same is the case with Marijuana (Bhang) and Datura. Bhang and Datura are closely associated with Shiva as well.
Cannabinoids can change body temperature in a dose-dependent manner. High doses cause hypothermia while low doses cause hyperthermia. Cannabinoid administration decreases heat production.
T. Wenger, G. Moldrich
Psychedelics treating psychiatric conditions is not new!
Pre-victorian proto-physicians used Belladonna, Henbane, Mandrake Root and more to treat a range of mental disorders.
1950s LSD and mescaline research contribute significantly to the development of the phenothiazines, with chlorpromazine first synthesized in 1950.
2012 CBD has been shown to alleviate schizophrenia symptoms in patients compared to a conventional antipsychotic drug.
2020 Psilocybin-assisted therapy shown to produce rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in patients with major depressive disorder.
Pets benefit from cannabis too!
Not as studied, though reputably reported, pets can find relief from anxiety and pain with the use of CBD-based treats.
Quick Facts
- Cannabis and marijuana are interchangeably used in everyday conversation. You’re more likely to hear it called “pot” or “weed” though.
- Therapeutic indications of cannabis are mentioned in the texts of the Indian Hindus, Assyrians, Greeks and Romans. These texts reported cannabis to treat many different health problems, like arthritis, depression, amenorrhea, inflammation, pain, lack of appetite and asthma.
CBD (from medicinal cannabis) demonstrates reduction of seizures for epileptics.
In 2017, CBD was demonstrated to reduce seizures in childhood epilepsy in a placebo-controlled trial. For those who cannot find any relief and support to live the life they want, this provides massive relief.
“After getting the green light from our team of epileptologists, pediatricians, and the reluctant state of Colorado, I started Charlotte at low doses of a sublingual preparation of the plant extract. I treated as I would with any antiepileptic drug, starting low and slowly increasing the extract dose, keeping the THC content sufficiently low to avoid psychotropic effects. For the first time since her seizures started, Charlotte experienced seven consecutive days without a single seizure!”
Read more here.
Supporting good data means public policy moves in a direction that benefits more people.
In the United States, New Jersey and 17 others states, along with the District of Columbia, have legalized recreational marijuana. Thirty-seven states, including New Jersey, have legalized medical marijuana.
With the mounting pile of scientific evidence, historical support, and popular acceptance, many more governments will open their ears to listen if you speak up about the alternatives to opioids specifically, and other treatments that just don’t seem to be working for you or your loved ones.
It is more important that you know what your body is doing.
How can you tell? Using tools like the Best Life Health Diary by LLIF you can measure your health data without bias, without third-party interference, without Dr. Google. Learn what it feels like to live your best life. Support our mission today.
Sources
Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder. [Link]
The history of psychedelics in medicine. [Link]
The role of cannabis in body temperature regulation. [Link]
History of Cannabis in India, Spiritual and Medicinal. [Link]
History of Cannabis in medicine, a timeline. [Link]
New Jersey legalized sales of medicinal cannabis as of April 21, 2022. [Link]
Gaston, T. E., & Szaflarski, J. P. (2018). Cannabis for the treatment of epilepsy: an update. Current neurology and neuroscience reports, 18(11), 1-9. [Link]
Who we are
The Live Learn Innovate Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit entity that empowers software users to regain control of their personally generated health data, gain intuitive insights about their social data, learn the impact of their environment on health, and build a foundation of data analytics that empowers research, academics, and innovation in economic development.
Use cases for this secure, private method of data aggregation appear everywhere, expanding to family care, community growth, agricultural planning, and many more things still unseen. Help us keep going by getting involved today.