Marijuana, Medicine, and Religion

During the reign of the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung Shennong (circa 5000 BP), considered the Father of herbalogical studies, cannabis was cited in the most widely-read herbal of the time, recommended for malaria, constipation, rheumatic fever, absent mindedness, insomnia, nervousness, and a variety of female disorders.  In India, hemp has been used for centuries to quicken the memory, lower fever, induce sleep, relieve headaches, and cure venereal disease.  And in Africa, marijuana has been used for malaria and other fevers–with documented results–and even today, indigenous groups continue to use cannabis poultices for snake bites and brew hemp tea for women during childbirth.  Read more . . .