Through its time in history, cannabis plants have played a major role in medicinal uses as well as functional textiles and pottery. The history of cannabis cultivation dates back as far as the Stone Ages when its fiber was discovered in pottery shards.
The first written record of cannabis plants, which were used for therapeutics dates to 2737 BC Chinese medicine for the treatment of gout, rheumatism, and poor memory.
Fast forward to the first English settlement in America – 1616. This multi-faceted crop was one of the oldest domesticated crops in the United States seeing as it was used to make ropes, sails, and clothing.
By the 19th century in America, Dr. W. B. O’Shaughnessy introduces the use of medicinal cannabis through his studies for the treatment of rheumatism, tetanus, and infantile convulsions.
This healing cannabis plant was even included in the United States Pharmacopeia – where it stayed from 1850-1941. American medical journals published multiple recommendations for the use of cannabis plants for the treatment of the following health issues:
- Inflamed skin
- Venereal disease
- Incontinence
- Chorea
- Anorexia nervosa
- Migraines
- Depression
- Uterine atony
- And more
But “The War on Drugs” lead by President Richard Nixon in the 1970s stunted the medical research on cannabis plants. Due to its psycho-active properties from the cannabinoid compound THC, all cannabis species were labeled as a Schedule I drug—claiming no use for medicinal treatment with a high potential for abuse.
This unfortunately also outlawed one of the oldest domesticated crops in America—hemp. And this is what started the confusion of the safety of hemp plants and CBD hemp oil.
