The earliest uses of cannabis

There are two* types of Cannabis — Sativa and Indica — and to understand the differences between them, we have to go back to the beginning.

The earliest evidence of Cannabis use by humans comes from the Neolithic Age, which began about 12,000 years ago.

Cannabis was one of the first crops farmed by ancient people. In fact. the name Cannabis Sativa is Latin and translates to ‘farmed hemp.’

Neolithic people figured out that not only are the seeds and oil of the Cannabis plant good to eat, but the fibrous stalks can be processed and woven into things like rope, textiles and clothing.

Agriculture was born, which helped create civilization as we know it.

It didn’t take long for the use of Cannabis to spread and advance from the mountains of central Asia throughout the rest of the known world.

Pottery discovered at a site called Yuan-Shan, in modern-day Taiwan, dates to about 8000BC and had woven Hemp cord pressed into it during the drying stage, which could have either been for decoration or a way of labelling that Cannabis/Hemp seeds or oil was stored inside.

Perhaps both.

The oldest textile made from Hemp discovered so far is a piece of cloth from Mesopotamia — modern-day Iraq/Iran — dating to the same period, about 8000BC.

Cannabis originated in the mountains of modern-day Tibet and northern India and was spread throughout modern-day Iran, China, Japan, Taiwan and southern Siberia by ancient settlers and farmers over several thousand years.

The Scythian, nomadic warriors who lived on the steppes of Eurasia starting around 900BC, played an important role in spreading Cannabis throughout modern-day Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Their word for it, Kanab, is also widely considered the origin of the word, Cannabis.

The earliest use of cannabis in what is now China, Japan and Taiwan, was more as a textile, and became what we know as Cannabis Sativa.

The earliest use of cannabis in what is now India, Iran and southern Siberia, was more as a drug, and became what we know as Cannabis Indica.

Today we know both types produce THC and CBD and due to the fact there was only cross-breeding in the black market for nearly a century, it’s mostly hybrids in North America.

• There are actually three types of Cannabis when you add the little-known Ruderalis to the list.

Shen Nong — Sativa

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Some of the earliest written references to Cannabis involve the mythical Emperor Shen Nong, who is said to have lived around 2700BC and is considered the father of Chinese medicine.

Legends say he sampled 365 herbs — including cannabis — to test their effects as a way of teaching people to be self-sufficient. (He is also said to have died from eating a plant that made his intestines rupture before he could take an antidote).

Shen Nong — which means divine farmer — is credited with creating Chinese agriculture by inventing the ox yoke, the plow and the axe, as well as irrigation and the storage of seeds. He is also said to have discovered tea — which he named cha — after leaves from a tree blew into a pot of boiling water, producing a pleasant smell.

Drinking it gave him a warm feeling that also felt as though spirits were exploring his body, so he chose the character cha, which means to examine or investigate.

There’s no physical evidence of Shen Nong’s existence and whether he was an actual person is a matter of debate as the legend also says he was conceived when his mother inhaled the vapour of a dragon and was born with a transparent stomach, allowing him to see the effects of eating herbs.

Our knowledge of Shen Nong comes from writings that date to around 50BC that were based on oral tradition. These were eventually compiled into the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (some 2000 years after Shen Nong is said to have lived), which translates roughly to: The Divine Farmer's Book of Herbs.

It says seeds from the Cannabis plant — which was called Ma or DaMa — are good for gaining weight and improving blood flow and energy.

But eating too much, Shen Nong warned, “may make one behold ghosts and frenetically run about.”

Cannabis was still mainly used as a textile and food source but burial cairns found in modern-day western China that date to around 2500BC had ash residue that tested positive for THC.

This would be what we know today as Cannabis Sativa.