The consumption of cannabis in modern times (1)
D.Anton

In the seventeenth century the English introduced hemp in Virginia, and from that moment its use spread to all the English colonies of North America.
 It is known that the Declaration of American Independence was written on hemp paper and its editors, called “fathers of independence” of the country, were all consumers of this plant. 
In 1791 George Washington himself sought to promote domestic production of cannabis and somewhat later, President Thomas Jefferson proposed hemp plant rather than tobacco.
In the early nineteenth century when Napoleon’s armies conquered Egypt, the  administration of French invaded territories sought to restrict the consumption of hashish without success. The result was the opposite, due to contact between French soldiers and merchants to Egyptian society, cannabis use spread to certain intellectual sectors of French society.
In the 1840s several famous writers such as Baudelaire, Dumas, Balzac and others formed the “ Club des Hashischins “where dawamesc(a type of Algerian hashish) was consumed.  However, the prestige of the writers of this club failed to fully open the doors to the consumption of hashish. In 1848 during the rebellion of the Paris Commune, the students carried banners demanding free access to cannabis and ether.
The scientistic and naturalistic approach that prevailed in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century allowed cannabis for a time, and the use of cannabis began to expand to African countries.
Several doctors advocated its use as a remedy for various ailments. Some were O’Shaughnessy, England, Aubert-Roche in France, and finally JJ Moreau, also in France (Tours), who published a book entitled “Du Hashish Mentale et de l’Alienation” (Hashish and Mental alienation), triggering a wave of experimentation in certain circles of the Parisian elite.
Gradually, Europeans and Americans began to become familiar with hemp, and already during the first half of the twentieth century trade had become global.
At that time hashish was consumed in many different ways. Smoked in water pipes was only one of the modalities. Its consumption was much more common in candy ingestion, usually imported from the Middle East.
The effect of cannabis when “eaten” instead of smoking it, it’s very intense.
The description of Bayard Taylor published in Atlantic Monthly in 1854 is illustrative:
“ The sense of limits, the confinement of our senses in the borders of our own flesh and blood, fell instantly. The walls of my body fell exploded outward and demolished; without thinking that it was my way, I lost all idea of form, I felt that there was over a vast expanse of space .... The spirit (demon shall I say more) of hashish had complete possession of me. It was wrecked in the flooding of their illusions, and drifted helplessly wherever they wanted to take ... as I tried to describe my feelings to my friends who had not yet been affected by the drug and were sitting watching me incredulous, I suddenly found myself at the foot of the Great Pyramid Cheops ...  I wanted to climb it and just with the desire I was able to locate myself at its peak, above thousands of feet on the wheat fields and palm groves of Egypt. Looking down, and, to my amazement, I saw that was built, not limestone but of square blocks of tobacco Cavendish ...
The atmosphere was light, parfum, music ... sublimated beyond what the senses can receive in sobriety. In front of me, a thousand leagues, a vision of rainbow arches of sapphire, emerald, topaz and amethyst ruby ​​stretched. Thousands and tens of thousands flew in front of me, as my boat sped into the wonderful arcade; however the view stretched still far in front of me .  any sense of feeling was gratified. .But Above all things my mind was filled with a boundless sense of triumph.
Almost from the beginning, the spread of the plant was fought with varying intensity in the central countries. Religious and political elites had their reasons. Regular use of cannabis produces effects of “ego dillution” tend to erase gender differences and reduce aggression. And this clearly goes against the basic principles of the domination society.
(to continue)
From "Peoples, Drugs and Serpents", Danilo Anton, Piriguazú Ediciones.

The major psychoactive plants

The major psychoactive factors include many substances, generally of plant origin. Below is a list of the main synthetic plants that have been used historically and psychoactive compounds extracted from them ends.

1.  Poppy ( Papaver somniferum ) is a herbaceous flowering plant from which opium-bearing seeds are obtained. It contains several active substances with psychoactive properties: morphine (from which heroin is extracted), codeine and others.

2.  Hemp ( Cannabis sativa ), also improperly called marijuana, is a, native to southern Asia shrubby plant, which has psychoactive alkaloids with well defined properties. Hashish is obtained.from cannabis

3.  Peyote ( peyote ) is a cactus whose main active ingredient is mescaine. The peyote grows in arid subtropical areas of North America.

4.  Teonanacatl ( Mexican Psilocybe and Stropharia cubensis ) is formed by several species of psychoactive mushrooms that grow in the mountains of Mesoamerica (Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guatemala). They contain psilocybin and psilocin

5.  Fly agaric ( Amanita muscaria ) is a psychoactive mushroom that grows in the Nordic and temperate mountain forests in Eurasia. It contains muscarine and muscimol.

6. Ayahuasca is an infusion prepared from a vine that grows in the Amazonian region. This vine called  Banisteriopsis caapi contains harmina13   (C 13 H 12 N 2 O), an alkaloid with strong sicoativas properties.

7. Ergot  ( Claviceps purpurea ) is a fungus that parasites rye, wheat and other grasses. It is strongly psychoactive and has significant toxicity that can be removed in its preparation. It is of Eurasian or North African origin. It contains several psychoactive alkaloids including lysergic acid, closely related to LSD-25 (d-lysergic acid diethylamide) the known synthetic psychedelic compound.

8.  Ololiuhqui ( Turbina corymbosa ), also called “seeds of the Virgin” is a vine found in Mexico whose seeds have visionary properties.Like the ergot alkaloids lysergic acid containing, with strongly psychoactive character.

9.  Aguacolla, also called San Pedro or giant ( Trichocereus pachanoi ) is a large-sized cactus (5-8 meters high) that grows in central and northwestern South Andes (Ecuador, Peru) America. Just as the peyote contains mescaline.

10. Coca is a very bushy plant of the Andean foothills in South America whose leaves contain numerous alkaloids, including cocaine.

11. Tobacco is a shrub native American origin grown in most of the native societies. It has several alkaloids, including nicotine.

12 Beleño ( Hyoscyamus niger ) is a herb of the family Solanaceae characteristic of Europe and the Mediterranean region. It contains tropane alkaloids, including hyoscyamine and scopolamine. The latter has visionary properties.

13. Belladonna ( Atropa belladonna ) is a typical European continent herbaceous plant of the family Solanaceae, which contains several tropane alkaloids including hyoscyamine and scopolamine.

14. Mandragora ( Mandragora officinarum ) is a herbaceous plant of European origin that has a thick and irregular root of anthropomorphic appearance. It contains several tropane alkaloids including hyoscyamine, scopolamine, atropine and mandragorina.

15. Iboga ( Tabernanthe iboga ) is a shrub of Central Africa whose roots are used for its visionary properties. It is a species of milkweed family, consisting of shrubs and trees characterized by their simple leaves, colorful flowers and a milky juice. It contains ibogaine and 11 more indole-alkaloids.

16.Syrian rue ( Peganum harmala ) is a small shrub native to the desert areas of the Mediterranean East. It contains beta-carboline alkaloids such as harmine, harmaline and harmine tetrahydro-with visionary properties.

17. Datura ( Datura inoxia ) is a perennial herb that can reach more than 1m high that grows in Mexico. The root is used, seeds and leaves lesser extent. It contains scopolamine and hyoscyamine.

 There are many other plants rich in alkaloids. Some of them are commonly used in industrial preparations and mass consumption (coffee, tea, chocolate, kola, mate, etc.) (see Chapter 6). Others are known only locally. Surely there are many whose properties are unknown. A complete list would include several thousand species.

From: Peoples, Drugs and Serpents, Danilo Anton, Piriguazú Ediciones

The consumption of cannabis in modern times (1)
D.Anton

In the seventeenth century the English introduced hemp in Virginia, and from that moment its use spread to all the English colonies of North America.
 It is known that the Declaration of American Independence was written on hemp paper and its editors, called “fathers of independence” of the country, were all consumers of this plant. 
In 1791 George Washington himself sought to promote domestic production of cannabis and somewhat later, President Thomas Jefferson proposed hemp plant rather than tobacco.
In the early nineteenth century when Napoleon’s armies conquered Egypt, the  administration of French invaded territories sought to restrict the consumption of hashish without success. The result was the opposite, due to contact between French soldiers and merchants to Egyptian society, cannabis use spread to certain intellectual sectors of French society.
In the 1840s several famous writers such as Baudelaire, Dumas, Balzac and others formed the “ Club des Hashischins “where dawamesc(a type of Algerian hashish) was consumed.  However, the prestige of the writers of this club failed to fully open the doors to the consumption of hashish. In 1848 during the rebellion of the Paris Commune, the students carried banners demanding free access to cannabis and ether.
The scientistic and naturalistic approach that prevailed in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century allowed cannabis for a time, and the use of cannabis began to expand to African countries.
Several doctors advocated its use as a remedy for various ailments. Some were O’Shaughnessy, England, Aubert-Roche in France, and finally JJ Moreau, also in France (Tours), who published a book entitled “Du Hashish Mentale et de l’Alienation” (Hashish and Mental alienation), triggering a wave of experimentation in certain circles of the Parisian elite.
Gradually, Europeans and Americans began to become familiar with hemp, and already during the first half of the twentieth century trade had become global.
At that time hashish was consumed in many different ways. Smoked in water pipes was only one of the modalities. Its consumption was much more common in candy ingestion, usually imported from the Middle East.
The effect of cannabis when “eaten” instead of smoking it, it’s very intense.
The description of Bayard Taylor published in Atlantic Monthly in 1854 is illustrative:
“ The sense of limits, the confinement of our senses in the borders of our own flesh and blood, fell instantly. The walls of my body fell exploded outward and demolished; without thinking that it was my way, I lost all idea of form, I felt that there was over a vast expanse of space .... The spirit (demon shall I say more) of hashish had complete possession of me. It was wrecked in the flooding of their illusions, and drifted helplessly wherever they wanted to take ... as I tried to describe my feelings to my friends who had not yet been affected by the drug and were sitting watching me incredulous, I suddenly found myself at the foot of the Great Pyramid Cheops ...  I wanted to climb it and just with the desire I was able to locate myself at its peak, above thousands of feet on the wheat fields and palm groves of Egypt. Looking down, and, to my amazement, I saw that was built, not limestone but of square blocks of tobacco Cavendish ...
The atmosphere was light, parfum, music ... sublimated beyond what the senses can receive in sobriety. In front of me, a thousand leagues, a vision of rainbow arches of sapphire, emerald, topaz and amethyst ruby ​​stretched. Thousands and tens of thousands flew in front of me, as my boat sped into the wonderful arcade; however the view stretched still far in front of me .  any sense of feeling was gratified. .But Above all things my mind was filled with a boundless sense of triumph.
Almost from the beginning, the spread of the plant was fought with varying intensity in the central countries. Religious and political elites had their reasons. Regular use of cannabis produces effects of “ego dillution” tend to erase gender differences and reduce aggression. And this clearly goes against the basic principles of the domination society.
(to continue)
From "Peoples, Drugs and Serpents", Danilo Anton, Piriguazú Ediciones.

The origins of cannabis

D.Anton

There are references to the use of cannabis several thousand years ago in its area of origin (India) and China. Around 2700 BC the Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung encouraged hemp cultivation to produce fibers (perhaps also for other purposes), and in the third century bce Hoa-Thom, doctor of Chinese origin, recommended cannabis preparations wine as an anesthetic, noting that “ after a few days or end of the month, the patient feels is restored without experiencing any pain during the operation “.   .

It is thought that cannabis came to Europe around 1500 bc. There are references to its use by Scythians, nomadic herders natives of southeast Europe (areas of the rivers Don and Dnieper), who introduced it in Greece around the eighth century bc.

Herodotus described the Scythian custom as follows.

“ They have a type of grass that grows in this country (Scythian) as hemp ... When the Scythians harvest the sprouts of this hemp, they take refuge in their felt tents and throw the sprouts on  a hot stone, which produce smoke and steam stronger than the most energetic Greek sweat bath.  The Scythians carried by the vapor steam, they soon cry of pleasure ... ‘.

In another fragment the Greek writer said:

“ The Scythians have discovered other trees producing a special fruit and people gathering around a fire through it into the fire, sit around in a circle; and inhale the fumes of the burned fruit, they feel intoxicated in the same by its odourpir or feel the smell of mismomodo as the Greeks do with wine; and the more fruit is thrown become more intoxicated, until you get up to dance and sing. “   

From that time hemp was adopted by many Middle Eastern peoples who consume its products, including hashish.

Commenting on the description of Herodotus, Werner Keller 11   states: “ Herodotus must never felt personally the effects of hashish. Otherwise he would have known that it does not  produces only pleasure but ecstasy. And these “baths” were not intended for cleaning or healing. They were religious rituals of the Scitinas.

Keller’s comments are not acceptable. First the difference between pleasure and ecstasy is difficult to establish. Likewise also the distinction between “cleaning” and “healing”, and religious rituals are well appreciated. Many religious ceremonies are designed specifically for cleaning or healing.

The Roman naturalist Pliny (23-79 AD) quotes a fragment  of Democrates in relation to a plant called thalassaegle or potamaugis  that many think it was hemp.

“ Ingested in drink produces a delirium that includes beautiful visions of an extraordinary nature. “

At present, there are still groups in the region of Altai “who get drunk in the same way ... burning twigs of hemp in a closed tent “(Keller, 1975).

To this we must add the various modalities of  this type of ceremony,  from the Finnish sauna to the Mexican bathhouse. During these practices herbs or leaves that introduce smoke are usually added. They are often psychoactive, the concentrated vapor inside the tents. Probably the Scythians ceremonies were related to such practices.

In India there was a clear awareness of the role of cannabis as a psychoactive substance. For many centuries, both Hindu and Muslim, cannabis consumption was related to the esoteric aspects of spirituality, yoga practices and emphasis of their use as ways to access the experiences of the transcendent.

Due to the mentioned properties, according to McKenna, the cannabis plant was indicated to replace the oldest psychoactive plants (such as soma) when they were banned and forgotten. Indeed, this occurred in much of the Middle East. This author believes that the presence of cannabis in the Hindu and Islamic societies may have slowed the expansion of societies of domination in these countries.

In Europe the diffusion process was much more complex. The famous Venetian traveler Marco Polo, in their travel stories (1290), includes the popular tale “The Old Man of the Mountain” of Ibn Saba, leader of the cult of the hashishin consumers of hashish. From hashishin emerge the term “assassin” Then, in sixteen century Europe, Johannus Weier mentioned the use of hashish by certain witches, maintaining its character of prohibited or unknown substance for three hundred years.

In the seventeenth century the English introduced hemp in Virginia, and from that moment its use spread to all the English colonies of North America.

 It is known that the Declaration of American Independence was written on hemp paper and its editors, called “fathers of independence” of the country, were all consumers of this plant. 

In 1791 George Washington himself sought to promote domestic production of cannabis and somewhat later, President Thomas Jefferson proposed hemp plant rather than tobacco.

In the early nineteenth century when Napoleon’s armies conquered Egypt, the  administration of French invaded territories sought to restrict the consumption of hashish without success. The result was the opposite, due to contact between French soldiers and merchants to Egyptian society, cannabis use spread to certain intellectual sectors of French society.

In the 1840s several famous writers such as Baudelaire, Dumas, Balzac and others formed the “ Club des Hashischins “where dawamesc(a type of Algerian hashish) was consumed.  However, the prestige of the writers of this club failed to fully open the doors to the consumption of hashish. In 1848 during the rebellion of the Paris Commune, the students carried banners demanding free access to cannabis and ether.

The scientistic and naturalistic approach that prevailed in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century allowed cannabis for a time, and the use of cannabis began to expand to African countries.

Several doctors advocated its use as a remedy for various ailments. Some were O’Shaughnessy, England, Aubert-Roche in France, and finally JJ Moreau, also in France (Tours), who published a book entitled “Du Hashish Mentale et de l’Alienation” (Hashish and Mental alienation), triggering a wave of experimentation in certain circles of the Parisian elite.

Gradually, Europeans and Americans began to become familiar with hemp, and already during the first half of the twentieth century trade had become global.

At that time hashish was consumed in many different ways. Smoked in water pipes was only one of the modalities. Its consumption was much more common in candy ingestion, usually imported from the Middle East.

The effect of cannabis when “eaten” instead of smoking it, it’s very intense.

The description of Bayard Taylor published in Atlantic Monthly in 1854 is illustrative:

“ The sense of limits, the confinement of our senses in the borders of our own flesh and blood, fell instantly. The walls of my body fell exploded outward and demolished; without thinking that it was my way, I lost all idea of form, 

(to be continued)

From: "Peoples, Drugs and Serpents", Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones

Hemp, marihuana, cannabis

For the masters of the planet, a plant and a flower
seem to be the deadliest weapon.

Hemp is a family of bushes (Cannabaceae ) that has been cultivated since ancient times (perhaps Cannabis sativa , originated in India, which is used as a medicinal and visionary plant (usually referred to as being “weak hallucinogen”) since ancient times. In different places and times cannabis has received many names: hashish, dagga, bhang, ganja y marihuana, among others.

more than 10,000 years). One of the main species is
Hemp occurs in both male and female form. Interestingly, only the female form produces the “resin” which has psychoactive properties. When pollen from male plants reach the female plants they begin to seed and resin production ceases.
The active ingredient that produces these effects is the tetrahidrocannabinol  that occurs on the blooms, leaves, seeds and stems of the female plant.   It has also been applied for sedative and analgesic  purposes.

The origins of cannabis

There are references to the use of cannabis several thousand years ago in its area of origin (India) and China. Around 2700 BC the Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung encouraged hemp cultivation to produce fibers (perhaps also for other purposes), and in the third century bce Hoa-Thom, doctor of Chinese origin, recommended cannabis preparations wine as an anesthetic, noting that “ after a few days or end of the month, the patient feels is restored without experiencing any pain during the operation “ 8   It is thought that cannabis came to Europe around 1500 bc. There are references to its use by Scythians, nomadic herders natives of southeast Europe (areas of the rivers Don and Dnieper), who introduced it in Greece around the eighth century bc.
Herodotus described the Scythian custom as follows.
“ They have a type of grass that grows in this country (Scythian) as hemp ... When the Scythians harvest the sprouts of this hemp, they take refuge in their felt tents and throw the sprouts on  a hot stone, which produce smoke and steam stronger than the most energetic Greek sweat bath.  The Scythians carried by the vapor steam, they soon cry of pleasure ... ‘.
In another fragment the Greek writer said:
“ The Scythians have discovered other trees producing a special fruit and people gathering around a fire through it into the fire, sit around in a circle; and inhale the fumes of the burned fruit, they feel intoxicated in the same by its odourpir or feel the smell of mismomodo as the Greeks do with wine; and the more fruit is thrown become more intoxicated, until you get up to dance and sing. “ 10
From that time hemp was adopted by many Middle Eastern peoples who consume its products, including hashish.
Much later the irrational prohibitionis cruzade starte a worldwide war agains the sacred plant.
To continue
From "Peoples, Drugs ans Serpents", Danilo Anton, 2016, Piriguazú Ediciones