Not long ago, scientists were against the use of weed. Pot was outlawed in most states because people used it to get high. Don’t get your information all mixed up here, smoking marijuana for experiencing euphoria is still not legal or encouraged. However, in the past few years researchers have explored the hemp plant in more depth and realized its potential in improving health.
Several many studies have been carried out and a lot of reports agree that cannabis has quite a few medicinal properties. In fact, it would be unfair to say that it is anything less than a miracle herb that has more than 200 medical uses. Basically, cannabis comprises of several cannabinoids. Two commonly known ones which are well-researched are CBD and THC.
Now while THC is responsible for the psychoactive qualities of the plant, CBD can interact with the human endocannabinoid system to reduce chronic pain, improve mood, curb anxiety, help sleep, and more. In fact, it’s effect on cognition is such that it can help with the treatment of ADHD, Parkinson’s and epilepsy. However, the use of cannabis is not something that has been started in the last few centuries.
A new study has found that weed has been smoked for thousands of years. To be precise, scientists have dug and found that in China people used pot to get high some 2,500 years ago. It is expected that people in the modern China would do pot to get high during rituals such as those related to burial. Authors suggest that people of that time perhaps smoked weed to connect with the divine during burial ceremonies.
This is the earliest evidence that has been found with regard to marijuana use. Using chemical analysis techniques, study researchers found the residue of THC in tombs located in the Pamir mountains which are in a region close to the borders of modern China, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. Scientists involved in this report also think that the people who smoked this pot did so using weed that had high amounts of THC.
Perhaps they purposefully cultivated such cannabis. This indicates that those people were aware of the components of the cannabis plant. The study’s co-author, Nicole Boivin said, “The findings support the idea that cannabis plants were first used for their psychoactive compounds in the mountainous regions of eastern central Asia, thereafter spreading to other regions of the world.”
The study authors say that the location where this proof has been found was the Silk Road which was a trade route. This explains how the use of cannabis may have spread to various parts of the world. This study has been published in the Science Advances journal.
Recently, another study showed that scientists may have found the origin of cannabis. As per that report which was published in the journal Vegetation History and Archaeobotany cannabis’ roots can be traced back to the area of Qinghai lake.
