A recent paper published in the European Journal for Chemistry explores the historical use of cannabis and its versatility. Entitled “From ancient Asian relics to contemporaneity: A review of historical and chemical aspects of Cannabis,” researchers Gabriel Vitor de Lima Marques and Renata Barbosa de Oliveira from the Brazil-based Federal University of Minas Gerais’ Department of Pharmaceutical Products, submitted the paper earlier this year in April, and it was printed in the journal in late September.

“From the Himalayan mountains to the South American coast, Cannabis, a general term for plants of the genus Cannabis, with thousands of years of contact with humankind, shows its versatility as food tools such as hemp, religious and hedonistic input, and other purposes through the millennia, according to the populations in question,” researchers wrote in the paper’s abstract. “In this paper, a review of the context of the use of Cannabis and its place in world history is presented, from ancient Mesopotamian relics, traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines, to the reasoning behind the isolation and structural elucidation of three phytocannabinoids and the spread of Cannabis throughout the world.”

Researchers described cannabis as one of the five main grains used by ancient people, alongside rice, soy, barley, and millet. It was often used as food, but also for the creation of many other goods such as soap. The hemp stalk was used to make ropes for tools and ship sails, as well as to make clothing and paper.

Current archeological evidence of cannabis plant use dates back to 8,000 years B.C.E. in ancient Mesopotamia (today the region is Iran and Iraq), as well as 4,000 years B.C.E. where hemp rope material in present-day China and Kazakhstan. Researchers allege that hemp was frequently used up until the 19th century, where an estimated 80% of fabrics, candles, rope, and more, were made with hemp.

It was also referenced in the world’s oldest pharmacopeia, the Pen Ts’ao Ching, which was originally compiled in the 1st century but dates back to 2,700 B.C.E. As translated by researchers, “The Ma-fen (‘fruit’ of cannabis)’ if ingested in excess, can cause the user to see demons.” Cannabis paired with ginseng was also “believed to help necromancers achieve premonitory powers and enlightenment of being.”

The use of cannabis for its entheogenic properties is seen in India around 1,000 B.C.E. Hemp is described in the ancient Hindu religious texts, the Vedas, as one of the five sacred plants: “…it was believed to have arisen from a drop of amrita (sacred nectar) that fell from heaven onto the earth and was able to bring joy and freedom to those who used it,” the researchers explained. At the time, the most common variations of cannabis were bhang, ganja, and charas.

Cannabis was often used to celebrate events such as the Holi festival, and Durga Puja. “It is understood that marijuana is as significant and respected for these people as communion wine or sacred host is for Christians,” researchers added. “For its other facets, ayurvedic medicine used Cannabis practically as a panacea: as an analgesic, antispasmodic, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory, aphrodisiac and anaphrodisiac, appetite stimulant, treatment of female tract diseases, abortifacient, inductor of childbirth, among several other applications.”

The benefits and widespread use of cannabis and other herbal medicines and knowledge in these cultures were demonized by the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages, and its properties were “hidden and omitted” in European territories.

Between the 18th and 19th centuries, as Napoleon invaded Egypt, French army scientists studied local people using hashish, and later took samples back to France to conduct research. In 1840, one particular researcher, Jacques-Joseph Moreau, “tested different preparations [of hashish] on himself and his students to test its psychotomimetic properties, with the justification that he ‘saw in hashish, more specifically in its effects on mental abilities, a powerful and unique method to investigate the genesis of mental illness’. Hash making its way to France also led to its use by famous authors such as Alexandre Dumas, Charles Baudelaire, Théophile Gautier, and Victor Hugo.

Irish physician William Brooke O’Shaughnessy recorded his observations about cannabis “in the treatment of pain, convulsions, and vomiting resulting from infectious diseases such as rabies, tetanus, and cholera, diseases that were major public health problems in nineteenth-century Europe, were of great importance to Western medicine.” Cannabis’ properties as a “sedative, analgesic, anticonvulsant, and in the symptomatic treatment of infectious diseases,” eventually led it to be included in the British pharmacopeia. “What was previously almost restricted to use by African and indigenous slaves has now been adopted for therapeutic purposes by the white Brazilian society,” researchers commented.

Throughout the late 19th century to present day, researchers continued to study cannabis’ scientific profile and uncovered many truths about cannabis. Although research was hindered by prohibition more than 80 years ago, today’s comprehension of cannabis was possible because of its use by ancient people.

The paper’s researchers stated that the “hedonistic” use cannabis and other narcotics in the mid and late 20th century was perpetuated by “cultural and even religious movements, such as jazz, blues, the hippie movement, Rastafarian, the recovery of literature from the previous century, and rock’n roll, starring famous artists such as Bob Marley, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and The Doors, whose works influenced popular culture to this day.”

“Cannabis is perhaps one of the greatest controversies in contemporary humanity,” the paper concludes. Despite the setbacks of prohibition, modern day research is well on its way to making up for lost time, with the plant’s use both as a psychedelic substance for medical or recreational purposes, as well as its continued use as a food and textile.

The post New Research Paper Showcases History of Cannabis Use, Including Necromancy appeared first on High Times.

The post New Research Paper Showcases History of Cannabis Use, Including Necromancy appeared first on Paradise Found.

An Ancient Egyptian vase with a face resembling the deity Bes was found with traces of a mixture containing several psychedelic compounds.

A recent preprint of a study intended for peer review, scientists discovered direct evidence inside a vase, indicating that the Ancient Egyptian cult of fertility god Bes used Syrian rue, Egyptian lotus, and royal jelly to trip on during religious ceremonies. Ptolemaic-era vases from the Tampa Museum of Art in Florida were analyzed.

Bes (and his female counterpart Beset) was worshiped during the New Kingdom, Ptolemaic period, and Imperial Rome as protector of households, i.e. women and children. Offerings to Bes usually were meant for fertility purposes. In the New Kingdom, Egyptians bore the image of Bes tattooed on their skin, and evidence suggests festivals in honor of Bes.

Researchers found traces of multiple plants and ingredients known for their hallucinogenic properties. “Our analyses revealed traces of Peganum harmala, Nimphaea nouchali var. caerulea, and a plant of the Cleome genus, all of which are traditionally proven to have psychotropic and medicinal properties,” researchers wrote. “Additionally, the identification of human fluids suggests their direct involvement in these rituals.”

Other Egyptian cults and Ancient Mayans also used Nimphaea nouchali var. Caerulea for psychedelic purposes. Researchers also detected cow DNA, and speculate the vases may have contained a fermented milk or some other cow product. Traces of royal honey or royal jelly was also found in the vase, known for both hallucinogenic effects and for increasing sexual vitality, (though the FDA warned about hawkers mixing it with Cialis). Some of royal jelly’s benefits, however, are backed by science.

“Furthermore, metabolomics and SR μ-FTIR analyses also revealed the presence of fermented fruit-based liquid and other ingredients such as honey or royal jelly,” researchers wrote. “The identification of specific chemical compounds, such as alkaloids and flavonoids, provides insight into the psychoactive and therapeutic uses of these in ancient ritual practices. This multidisciplinary study highlights the complexity of ancient cultures and their interactions with psychoactive, medicinal, and nutraceutical substances. These findings contribute to our understanding of ancient belief systems, cultural practices, and the utilization of natural resources, ultimately enhancing our knowledge of past societies and their connection to the natural world.”

Along with the Egyptian or blue lotus, the most popular psychoactive plants we know about among the Ancient Egyptians are opium, tobacco, and coca.

Ars Technica reports that ceramic vases and similar vessels depicting Bes have been found and now populate museums and private collections across the world. Researchers speculate they held beer or an elixir. He’s usually depicted with a bearded dwarf and sticking his tongue out, sometimes with a phallic symbol.

“The familiar image of Bes is a composite of anthropomorphic and theriomorphic elements, part dwarfish, part feline,” the report reads. “He emerged from the magical realm of the world of demons as a guardian figure, and gradually seems to have obtained a more numinous status until, in the Roman Imperial age, he sporadically acquired divine worship. In terms of his functions, Bes provided protection from danger, while simultaneously averting harm, and being able with his power to prevent evil. In critical circumstances, he was also placating in nature as told in the well-known Myth of the Solar Eye, when he stopped the wrath of bloodthirsty goddess Hathor serving her an alcoholic beverage, spiked with a plant-based drug, disguised as blood to a deep forgetting sleep on her.”

Chambers painted with the image of Bes were built at the site of Saqqara near the Egyptian capital Memphis, south of Cairo, but little is understood about the religion specifics.

Expanding the sampling chemical study to other examples of similar times would show a clearer picture, researchers said.

The post Evidence Shows Ancient Egyptian Cult Tripped on Hallucinogens appeared first on High Times.

The post Evidence Shows Ancient Egyptian Cult Tripped on Hallucinogens appeared first on Paradise Found.