Cannabis sativa, hemp

Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae), commonly known as hemp, was used more than 5,000 years ago in what is now Romania. Romania. Cannabis has been used for at least 3,500 years in China and Egypt.

Hemp was traditionally used to treat conditions such as 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.

The plant drug is mentioned in early works of Indian and Chinese medicine. Its use slowly spread through Persia to the Arabs. A Muslim sect later adopted it, known as the Hashishin, also referred to as the Assassins, who encountered Crusaders in the 12th or 13th centuries.

The drug came to European attention during Napoleon’s Egyptian expedition in the late 18th century. Cannabis was used in the mid-19th century in Europe as a hypnotic, antispasmodic, analgesic, sedative, and cough suppressant.

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