Cannabis is one of the oldest cultivated crops. At over 38 million years of age, this plant is older than humanity. The idea of plant-as-medicine dates back before written history. Over the past decades, we have seen a return to plant medicines and treatments.
Origin of medical cannabis
Cannabis has been used for medical purposes since at least 2800 BC and was listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia until the 1940s. In ancient times, cannabis was mainly used for physical ailments such as rheumatic pain, menstruation and fever. Nowadays, it is also regularly used to reduce stress or anxiety.
The earliest reference to the use of cannabis as medicine is somewhere around 2800 BC in China. The legendary Chinese emperor Shen-Nung mentioned in his herbal book that the female plant contained the most powerful medicine. He prescribed cannabis to treat constipation, malaria, beriberi, rheumatism and menstrual problems, among other things.
It is estimated that the first use of cannabis in India began between 2000 and 1400 BC. It was claimed to clear the mind, induce sleep and soothe headaches. Until the nineteenth century, cannabis was used in the Middle East to reduce pain during periods and childbirth.
Europe only discovered medical cannabis in the eighteenth century. Cannabis is said to have been brought to Europe from Central Asia. Here, it was mainly used as a hemp oil or ointment to treat various diseases such as measles and jaundice.
Over the centuries, Chinese doctors continued to prescribe cannabis and new discoveries were made about its properties. In ancient Mesopotamia, cannabis was used medicinally to anoint swelling. Preparations containing cannabis were also used to treat certain diseases of the chest and lungs, stomach problems, swollen joints and a variety of other ailments. The use of cannabis as a pain reliever and sedative was widespread between 1850 and 1940, and researchers have documented more than 600 cannabis medicines from before 1937.
Herbal medicine schools
In the 18th century in the United States, there was a lot of experimentation in all branches of medicine. During this time, colleges were opened that focused on herbs (including cannabis) and other alternative aspects of medicine. The experiments ended because of Abraham Flexner's report. This influential report contributed to the decline of alternative medicine, including herbal medicine.
Around the first decades of the 20th century, cannabis use declined. This was partly due to the difficult dosage and the effectiveness of other drugs. In 1937, when the Marihuana Tax Act was being debated, there were no more herbal medicine schools to offer a professor who would speak for cannabis. The Marihuana Tax Act in America restricted the use and sale of cannabis. Cannabis got a bad rap because it was associated with offences committed by Latin American immigrants.
The endocannabinoid system primarily controls pain perception and appetite regulation.
Research
In the last fifteen years, scientific research has been conducted into cannabis as a medical product. The discovery of the endocannabinoid system and CB1 and CB2 receptors has increased the popularity of cannabis again. The CB1 receptors are one of the most abundant receptors in the brain, while the CB2 receptors are mainly found in the immune system and the central nervous system. CB receptors in the body are over 600 million years old, which means that their origin does not lie in the use of the cannabis plant. The endocannabinoid system primarily controls pain perception and appetite regulation.
Medical cannabis in the Netherlands
In 1976, the use of cannabis was no longer punishable in the Netherlands. A few years later, dried sales started via the coffee shops. In the 1990s, demand for medical cannabis rose from the medical world and among patients.
The Netherlands was the first country to legalize the medical use of cannabis through a national office (the Office for Medical Cannabis). From 2003, patients were able to obtain their cannabis from a Dutch pharmacy under a doctor's prescription. However, the requirements for which cannabis can be prescribed are limited. It is mainly prescribed when conventional treatments and medicines do not help enough or when the patient has too many side effects.
There is one company in the Netherlands that legally grows medical cannabis and delivers it to pharmacies. Since 2003, Bedrocan has been producing medical cannabis through EU guidelines.
This article is for informational purposes. For medical advice, always consult your doctor first. If you plan to experiment with self-medication, read carefully and make sure you have thorough information. Nowadays, the internet is full of articles and studies about the medical use of cannabis. Because medical cannabis is hot.