By Luke Sumpter

Ancient China was a highly developed civilisation, with some claiming that it has continued unbroken up to this very day, making it the world’s oldest. Ancient Chinese medicine was also a highly developed practice, with a continual stream of writing and research throughout the last millennia.

Though not the most famous plant or technique used, cannabis is referenced in various texts as a plant that could be utilised to treat a range of conditions. In this article, we look at how it was used, and ponder the question of whether they were able to extract and use the psychoactive cannabinoids that this plant is nowadays revered and feared for.

Identificación y tratamiento de las enfermedades más comunes del cannabis

The Ancient Art Of Chinese Medicine

Chinese traditional medicine (CTM) is a much-evolved, yet ancient medicinal practice which dates back at least 5000 years. CTM takes a holistic and philosophical view of health, seeing the body and the universe as one, with treatments following this line of thought.

Some of the more well-known treatments—at least in Europe and the US—are acupuncture, tai chi, dietary therapy, and qigong, all of which seek to create harmony within the body, and between the body and the universe.

An essential concept in CTM is that of Qi (Chi). Qi is a vital energy that flows through channels in the body. When the flow is uninterrupted, a person is healthy, happy and at one with the universe. If the channels become blocked or somehow disrupted, then problems can occur, depending on whether the blockages are.

If you’ve ever wondered how acupuncture works, then Qi is the answer. The needles are placed along the channels through which Qi flows, unblocking them and releasing this vital energy. Tai Chi is a movement-based practice that seeks to unblock and balance Qi through bodily flow.

Qi, the vital force of the universe, exists in all things, including throughout nature, and therefore in plants and foods. So, TCM supposes that if a person consumes appropriately, they can help to maintain harmony with the universe.

Though not always the most well-known facet of TCM, cannabis (or “da ma”) is thought to have beneficial properties.

What Is The Oldest Reference To Marijuana?

Once emperor Sheng Nung (2696–2737 BCE), now deceased, first recorded the use of cannabis in traditional Chinese medicine, around 4800 years ago—so it’s been used for quite some time.

But it wasn’t until around 2000 years ago that cannabis was recorded in The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica, a sort of medical encyclopedia outlining medicines and medicinal practices, and which is still in use today.

However, the ancients of China, on the whole, weren’t smoking cannabis and rather used the crushed seeds, leaves and inflorescences in conjunction with other foods.

Below, we will outline some of the ways in which cannabis was used in Ancient Chinese medicinal practice.

Identificación y tratamiento de las enfermedades más comunes del cannabis

What Was The Use Of Cannabis In Ancient China?

Cannabis was a common crop in ancient China, mostly grown for food and the once-revered fibres produced by the hemp plant, which until very recently were a key material across the world, for thousands of years.

It’s probably fair to say that cannabis was not primarily a medicine, and that its medicinal uses were varied and unclear (more on this below).

  • Fibre

Primarily, cannabis (or hemp), was cultivated for its fibres. These tough, stringy fibres are an incredibly versatile and strong material that could be put to use making textiles, ropes, sails, paper, fishing nets and more.

The agricultural text Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People (Qi Min Yao Shu) described techniques for the cultivation of hemp in great detail, even featuring, in its monograph, one of the first textually documented applications of fertiliser. The same text also recognises the dioecious nature of these plants, and explains that the removal of male plants prior to the flowering period will result in female plants not producing seeds. But they did not suggest doing this, indicating that the ancients did not seek to grow seedless female cannabis plants—indicating they were not after cannabinoid-rich flowers.

  • Food Crop

Cannabis seeds and roots were consumed as foods in ancient China. Although, at this point, it can be hard to draw a clear distinction between food and medicine, many foods were thought to have medicinal, preventative properties, much like in Indian Ayurvedic practice.

Using seeds and roots as food can be seen as a natural progression, given that large quantities of the plant were cultivated for fibre anyway—and it would not have made sense to waste the rest of it.

Whether cannabis-as-food would have existed had it not been grown for its fibres is unclear. But given that wild (or “feral”) cannabis grows quite commonly across China, it is possible that this plant would still have been foraged as a food.

  • Holistic Therapies

There is dispute and confusion over exactly how cannabis was used in TCM. Today, the only parts of the plants that remain in use are seeds (achenes). But there is evidence which suggests[1] that this was not always the case.

The Chinese Bencao (medical texts) outline the use of cannabis regularly, but diverge in how it should be used, and which parts of the plants should be used. What’s more, it is not entirely clear whether plants would have contained meaningful quantities of cannabinoids, nor whether they would have been processed and consumed in ways that made these bioavailable.

Evidence indicates that, whilst most cannabis grown in ancient China was hemp cultivated for its fibres, the ancients did distinguish between this type of hemp, and that with psychoactive properties. But it seems the use of psychoactive cannabis was intermittent and poorly understood.

For instance, texts vary in how they name different parts of the plant, indicating that practitioners had differing understandings of it, and that, even if some knew how to extract the psychoactive compounds from the plant, that this was not common knowledge.

There is limited reference to plant flowers (where the cannabinoids are contained), and no evidence from texts that these were ever prepared in ways which made the cannabinoids bioavailable. That being said, certain prescribed uses of the plant do indicate that at least some were extracting the psychoactive effects. These uses will be outlined in the following section.

However, for now, it’s important to note that they are all uses we would today recognise as coming from the effects of CBD and THC. But in short, it is unclear exactly how cannabis was used in ancient Chinese medicine. Whilst it seems likely that some were experiencing the drug effects of the plant, it seems likely that this was not commonplace.

Furthermore, reference to the plant flower dwindled over time, until mainly the seeds were referenced in medical texts (which do not contain psychoactive compounds).

Identificación y tratamiento de las enfermedades más comunes del cannabis

Cannabis In Chinese Medicine

As mentioned, cannabis is referenced in various texts as being a viable treatment for a variety of conditions and disorders that it is today being researched in relation to.

  • Cannabis And Mood Disorders

In the 7th Century AD, Sun Simiao wrote of how cannabis could be used to treat “wind withdrawal”. Wind withdrawal was characterised by depression and an excessive desire to be alone.

Much later texts, from as recently as the 20th Century suggest a similar use for cannabis, as a potential treatment for agitation, hysteria, and insomnia. These texts include Li Chengh’s Pharmacognosy and Yang Huating’s illustrated Analysis of Medicines.

  • Cannabis And Physical Discomfort

There are at least three distinct references to using cannabis to treat pain.

One comes from Tao Hongjing, another from Su Song and another from Sun Simiao. Interestingly, these specifically mention taking seeds as pain relief, or in the case of Su Song, taking seeds alongside wine to treat the pain caused by broken bones.

This raises an interesting question: why was cannabis thought to have pain-relieving properties, but the seeds prescribed?

Was it a mere coincidence that parts of the cannabis plant were suggested for these purposes, or were their psychoactive effects known, but not understood fully enough to prescribe the correct parts of the plant?

  • Cannabis And Anaesthesia

There are some references to using cannabis as an anaesthetic in TCM. The first comes from the 3rd Century AD, courtesy of Hua Tuo. Fascinatingly, he claimed to have created an anaesthetic which was used for surgical procedures, making him well ahead of his time. Unfortunately, the techniques and recipe were lost with his death.

Another author, Bian Que, wrote about how a combination of cannabis and other herbs would bring patients to a tranquil state where they would be numb to pain, allowing surgeons to operate. How effective this was remains a mystery.

Modern Cannabis: Chinese Medicine Vs Western Medicine

The use of cannabis as a medicine has, as you can see, a very long history in ancient Chinese medicine. The same cannot be said for modern medicinal practice, where cannabis has only seriously entered the scene in the last few decades, just several millennia behind the curve!

For now, it remains unclear exactly how cannabis was used in TCM, with modern interpretations using only seeds. Were the ancients onto something, utilising the effects of THC and CBD, or did they accidentally just use the wrong parts of the right plant?

Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: