World's Oldest Pot Stash Found In China

November 28, 2008

Researchers have discovered the world's oldest stash of marijuana.

Found in a tomb in China's remote Xinjiang province, home to the Uyghur people who are Chinese Muslims, the cache of dried cannabis was dated at 2,700 years old.

According to a research paper in the Journal of Experimental Botany , the plant was clearly "cultivated for psychoactive purposes," rather than as fibre for clothing or as food.

The 789 gram find was contained in a leather basket and in a wooden bowl. Alongside, was a blue-eyed, light-haired Caucasian man believed to be a shaman of the Gushi culture.

"It was common practice in burials to provide materials needed for the afterlife. No hemp or seeds were provided for fabric or food. Rather, cannabis as medicine or for visionary purposes was supplied,"  American neurologist Ethan B. Russo, the paper main author, said.

The lack of moisture and the alkaline soil preserved the stash so well that it still looked green though it had lost its distinctive odour.

"To our knowledge, these investigations provide the oldest documentation of cannabis as a pharmacologically active agent,"  Russo and colleagues concluded.

Comments

[Keith Kennedy]

I'm not surprised people used medicine and nature. Today we are trying to find our way back to the natural paths of medicine.
To long forgotten and lost.
Keep up the good work.

[Uncle B]

North American people, soon to be freed from industrial/military complex and oil baron slavery, will be able to return to a more communal, agrarian and simpler lifestyle. We may elect to smoke marijuana and if so will grow our own locally along with hemp for fiber and food. Our masters are deserting us for more easily enslaved folk in Asia, and we must be grateful for this! Let them fight, support unions, and otherwise struggle, and may the end up in better shape than we did!
Life in America will go on and the asinine "Amero" coin will be replaced by "Barter" and chits. We will never be rich enough to be taken advantage of again! We just aren't that stupid any more!

[DianaGainer]

If I had to guess at the reason for the inclusion of the marijuana in that burial, it would be that the dead person was a shaman. The marijuana had probably been used as part of shamanistic rites in life. In Central Asia today, shamans use a variety of plants in their rites in order to achieve the trance state, to demonstrate a link with the spiritual realm, or to obtain a sign from beyond the veil. I should think any medicinal value the plant had would have been secondary.

[Children Anxiety Disorder]

since old times the human use the nature to sane people... chamans, magicians, gitans, now doctors... the nature give us the life for sure she going to keep our health... the marihuana is just an example of that..., great article

[Affiliate Promotion]

"To our knowledge, these investigations provide the oldest documentation of cannabis as a pharmacologically active agent," Russo and colleagues concluded.

hey you Russo guy you discover the spicy route man... EVERYONE KNOWS THAT...

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If I had to guess at the reason for the inclusion of the marijuana in that burial, it would be that the dead person was a shaman.

[AlexSe]

The marijuana had probably been used as part of shamanistic rites in life.

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Hello guys I don't believe that people can't cultivate the marihuana plant as fibre for clothing or as food because that could be great.

[Online Pharmacy]

Hello guys very interesting your post I like it too much thanks.

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Very interesting this plant maybe had the same or other use many years ago is a interesting discovery.