Uses of The Hemp Plant

C.) (Selden, Clark, & Curry, 1990, pp. 527). Somewhat later, ganja withal used in ancient Egypt. During the sixteenth century B.C., scribes save the medicative use of Cannabis sativa in the Egyptian Ebers papyrus. In addition, the plant's medicinal characteristics were mentioned by the Assyrians, the Greeks, and the Romans (Zias, Stark, Seligman, Levy, Werker, et al., 1993, p. 215). According to Alice O'Leary, cofounder of the Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics, "It appears that each society that encounters marijuana acknowledges its healing(p) properties (Weiss, 1988, pp. 122-123)."

During the nineteenth century, marijuana--administered either through with(predicate) ingestion or inhalation--was employed against a diverse rate of medical afflictions. The plant was used as an antiemetic, appetite stimulant, analgesic, sedative, antidepressant, antiparasitic, lactogen, bronchodilator, antidiarrheal drug agent, and antimigraine agent. In addition, it was applied to such ailments as postpartum psychosis, tetanus, dysmenorrhea, opiate addiction, and gonorrhea. several(prenominal) medical publications also record its use in obstetrics. In 1851, for example, Christison (cited in Zias et al., 1993, p. 215) concluded that cannabis had "the remarkable power to affix the force of uterine contractions, concomitant with a significant decline of labour pain."

Despite its widespread use though, the actual therapeutic efficacy of marijuana remains in question. For example, during t

Overall, the data obtained from controlled studies on this effect atomic number 18 farthest from conclusive. Few casecontrolled, doubleblind studies squander even been performed on marijuana in its natural form (Hollister, 1976, pp. 59-67).

Perhaps the most wide recognized effect of marijuana involves the gastrointestinal tract. Anecdotal reports and descriptive studies indicate that one or much of the cannabinoids stimulates ingestive behaviors. "Marijuana famish" has been described as an increased appetite and, in particular, a craving for sweets (Hollister, 1976, pp. 59-67). The condition generally occurs between 3 and 6 hours later on marijuana administration.

Hollister (1976) tested marijuana's hunger stimulating personal effects by measuring the food consumption of fasted subjects treated with marijuana, alcohol, dextroamphetamine, and a placebo. Although the experiment did demonstrate a statistically significant tie between increased food intake and the administration of marijuana, the data contained a high degree of variability. In fact, only passably more that half of the study's subjects ate more food after receiving marijuana than after receiving placebo. Furthermore, in certain cases, the results were opposite to what would leave been expected (Hollister, 1976, pp. 59-67).

Nightingale, S. L. (1993, March 17). From the Food and Drug Administration. Jama, 269, 1361.

Most of the medicinal uses for marijuana have largely been superceded by the advent of more powerful medicines. In past centuries, diseases were poorly understood and on that point were few effective therapies. At one time then, cannabis was perhaps one of a few possible intercession alternatives for certain conditions. In recent decades though, medical and pharmacological technologies have advanced considerably. This progress has ultimately resulted in the development of drugs that are both safer and more effective.

Voelker, R. (1994, June 1). Medical marijuana: A rill of science and
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