Cannabis sativa, hemp

Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae), commonly known as hemp, was used more than 5,000 years ago in what is now Romania. Cannabis has also been used for at least 3,500 years in China and Egypt. The plant drug is mentioned in early works of Indian and Chinese medicine. Its use slowly spread through Persia to the Arabs. The drug gained European attention during Napoleon’s Egyptian expedition in the late 18th century.

For a long time, hemp has been cultivated for its seeds and fiber. In traditional medicine, Hemp was used to treat catarrh, leprosy, fever, dandruff, hemorrhoids, obesity, asthma, cystitis, loss of appetite, inflammatory conditions, and cough. Ancient Chinese literature describes the sedative effects of cannabis, among other things.

Cannabis was used in the mid-19th century in Europe as a hypnotic, antispasmodic, analgesic, sedative, and cough suppressant. Cannabis preparations were listed in many older pharmacopoeias for their narcotic properties, in England until 1949.

Due to hemp’s narcotic properties and legal requirements, the medicinal plant hemp has been partly overshadowed.