Adults only (18+)

Origins and Early Domestication

Evidence suggests that humans domesticated cannabis roughly 12,000 years ago, likely in Central Asia near the Altai Mountains in what is now parts of China or Siberia. Archaeobotanical finds show that seeds travelled with migrating nomadic peoples, indicating cannabis was valued early on for fibre, food and possibly ritual use.

First Recorded Medicinal Use

The oldest written account of cannabis as medicine dates to around 2700 BC in ancient China, where the emperor Shen Nung is cited in classical texts prescribing cannabis tea for gout, rheumatism, malaria and even memory enhancement. These writings appear in the pharmacopeia attributed to Shen Nung and reflect early medicinal practices using the plant.

Ritual and Psychoactive Use in Antiquity

The earliest physical evidence of cannabis being consumed as a psychoactive substance comes from burials approximately 2,500 years ago in the Jirzankal Cemetery on the Pamir Plateau in western China. Archaeologists found burning bowls containing cannabis with high levels of THC, indicating deliberate use in funeral rites. Earlier still, Greek accounts from about 450 BC describe Scythians inhaling cannabis vapours in felt-covered tents, based on Herodotus’s observations and suggesting entheogenic use in ritual contexts.

Spread Through Ancient Civilisations

Over millennia, cannabis use spread across ancient civilisations. It appeared in medicinal and spiritual contexts in India, Persia and the Islamic world. The plant reached Europe and Egypt through trade and conquest. Written references in Roman, Greek and Middle Eastern texts record its use as fibre, food, medicine and for spiritual or recreational purposes. Its journey continued into medieval and colonial periods when it became globally distributed as hemp and a psychoactive plant in many cultures.

Cannabis in Religious and Spiritual Practices

Cannabis also played a significant role in spiritual and religious practices across various ancient cultures. In India, the plant became deeply entwined with Hindu rituals, particularly in the worship of Lord Shiva, who is often associated with the cannabis-based drink bhang. Ancient texts such as the Atharva Veda, dated around 1500 BC, refer to cannabis as one of the five sacred plants that relieve anxiety. In Zoroastrianism, which emerged in ancient Persia, there are references to a plant believed by some scholars to be cannabis, used in rituals intended to induce altered states of consciousness. These uses reflect a longstanding belief that cannabis could act as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, a concept echoed in several traditional belief systems throughout history.

Development of Hemp and Agricultural Utility

Alongside its ritual and medicinal use, cannabis was among the earliest plants cultivated for practical human needs. Its strong fibres made it a valuable material for making ropes, textiles and sails, long before cotton became widely available. Hemp fibre has been discovered in archaeological sites across Europe, China and the Middle East, indicating its widespread use as a versatile crop. Even before psychoactive use became prominent, cannabis sativa was appreciated as a robust and renewable agricultural resource. This dual-purpose cultivation for both industrial hemp and medicinal or psychoactive uses demonstrates how the plant adapted alongside human civilisation and became woven into the economic and cultural fabric of many early societies.

Summary

Cannabis is one of the earliest plants domesticated by humans, thought to have been cultivated around 12,000 years ago in Central Asia. The oldest recorded medicinal usage dates to around 2700 BC in ancient China, while the earliest archaeological evidence for psychoactive consumption dates to 2,500 years ago in funerary rituals in western China. Over time, use of the plant expanded across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and beyond, for purposes ranging from fibre to spiritual and medical practice.