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What is the Cannabis Sativa Plant?
Just what exactly is the Cannabis Sativa plant? Is it weed? Is it hemp? Well, technically speaking, it’s both. Cannabis sativa is a herbaceous plant in the Cannabaceae family, which means flowering plants. The two main ingredients of the cannabis plant are cannabidiol, or CBD, and tetrahydrocannabinol, THC for short. THC is the compound in cannabis that causes the psychological effects. CBD has no psychoactive effects, but it has strong medicinal qualities. The plant was classified by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1753.
There are several subspecies of the sativa plant, the two most known being Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Sativa L. Cannabis sativa is the plant that has psychoactive effects and contains THC, otherwise known as marijuana, weed, ganja, Mary Jane, reefer, etc. Cannabis sativa L., on the other hand, has no psychoactive effects and is otherwise known as hemp.
What is the history of Cannabis? It is believed that the cannabis plant originated in China more than ten thousand years ago after a hemp cord was found in pottery from an ancient village in modern-day Taiwan. Both cannabis sativa and cannabis sativa L. were utilized in China. The first documented use of the cannabis sativa plant was by Emperor Shen Neng in 2737 B.C. The Emperor used marijuana tea to treat malaria, gout, and rheumatism.
Hemp was essential to survival in ancient China, and large amounts of land were designated solely to growing hemp. The ancient Chinese used almost every part of the cannabis plant, including the root, stalk, leaves, and seeds. They used the plant for medicine, textiles, rope, paper, oil, food, clothing, pottery, and even war. They made paper by grinding hemp fibers and mulberry bark into a pulp and mixing it with water. They also used hemp to make bowstrings for bamboo arrows, which allowed them to fly further than their enemy’s arrows. The Chinese even used cannabis as anesthesia during surgery by combining the resin from cannabis with wine.
Around 2000 B.C., cannabis started to show up in Hindu texts as a sacred plant. They used the dried leaves, stems, and seeds and combined them with spices, nuts, poppy seeds, and milk to make a drink called bhang. It was also used for medicinal purposes such as treating anxiety, clearing phlegm, dysentery, diarrhea, and sunstroke. It was after cannabis came to India that it became widely used as an intoxicant. Even Hindu monks used it to meditate. As cannabis spread throughout Europe, it was used by Germans and Vikings for pain relief, commonly during childbirth and for toothaches.
Did you know that George Washington grew hemp? By the 1700’s, hemp was widely used for industrial purposes worldwide. It was grown in New England by most colonial farmers as an export to the British before the Revolutionary War. Some of the crops were used domestically since farmers were growing hemp partly because they could use it to pay their taxes. George Washington cultivated hemp on all five of his farms because it was so valuable. He also grew it for use on his plantation, Mount Vernon, to make rope, thread, sewing sacks, and canvas, according to the Mount Vernon website. The site goes out of its way to report that George Washington only grew the nonpsychoactive hemp. However, his own diary and letters about sowing Indian hemp for personal uses suggest that ol’ George was hitting the peace pipe. It’s not surprising that the site would downplay this because it sugarcoats the fact that George Washington owned human beings. Perhaps he used weed to alleviate his guilt for being a slave owner, but I digress.
So, Where Do Indicas Fit In? Cannabis sativa is the plant with psychoactive effects, and there are two main strains, indica and sativa.
Indica is derived from the cannabis sativa plant and has a high THC content. Indica traits include euphoria, relaxation, stress relief, and sedation. It is commonly used as a remedy for muscle spasms, insomnia, nausea, pain, seizures, and inflammation. People sometimes refer to it as a nighttime medication because of its heavy, calming effects. It is also used for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy because it can calm nausea and stimulate their appetite.
Sativa has a lower THC content than indica strains. Traits of the sativa plant include energy, euphoria, creativity, headache and migraine relief, and a general sense of well-being. Because of its energetic qualities, it is called a daytime medication. Many people use sativa to alleviate anxiety and depression. It is also used for motivation and focus on completing daily tasks, being creative, and socializing.
The cannabis sativa plant has many uses including everything from making industrial hemp for clothing and paper, to providing relief from a long list of health ailments.
Remember, Live Higher!
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