rheumatism
Modern Medical Marijuana Debate is simply Opening a Closed Case
As the debate wages on today regarding the effectiveness of medical cannabis, it is easy to assume that the discovery of marijuana being able to bring relief is a new discovery. This could not be further from the truth as evidence suggests that marijuana medicine predates most of our organized religions.
Thousands of years before the Marihuana Tax Act, the 1960’s, and federal dispensary raids, Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was quite familiar with the healing properties of marijuana. He was an expert on botany during his time and discovered the healing properties of ginseng, ephedra, and cannabis. According to The National Academic Press an ancient text that recorded much of his findings was published later but is still considered to be the oldest pharmacopoeia. In this text Shen Nung recommended marijuana for over 100 ailments including gout and rheumatism. He also is thought to have developed acupuncture and the idea of using tea leaves in beverages, showing his true brilliance.
This makes many wonder about other ancient knowledge that is being withheld from us. Our technology is far more advanced than ancient China’s, and yet their knowledge of the natural remedies the cannabis plant offers is an embarrassment to modern culture. It simply seems arrogant to hear so many opponents question the collective knowledge of several millennia. Several decades of propaganda should not be able to outweigh thousands of years worth of shared medical information.
As in many areas we should try to learn from our past instead of mocking or ignoring it. Western medicine is only about a century old. Marijuana has probably been around since before mankind could walk upright, it is a very short sighted act to lose sight of this. In ancient China there was no moral debate regarding marijuana’s medical properties. We can only wonder what would have been had we continued the research conducted by ancient scholars and doctors instead of being marveled at our newfound technological glory.