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An artist’s imaginary depiction of a pharaoh burning herbs (possibly cannabis or blue lotus) in a ritual.

A Versatile Plant: What Were the Many Uses of Cannabis in Ancient Egypt?

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Cannabis is widely considered to be one of the most widespread options when it comes to medicinal herbs. However, in ancient times the plant’s popularity was far greater, and its use much more common in different aspects of regular life. As things have turned out, modern laws have now prohibited a lot of the cultural and religious practices which had been a part of Egypt’s history and culture for thousands of years. It wasn’t easy to unearth the history and evidence to support these claims, but now that it has been done, let’s take a look at some of the ways in which the ancient Egyptians used cannabis.

Cannabis as Medicine in Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptians had uncovered and used the medicinal properties of cannabis even beyond what modern medical science has been able to do so far. The Ebers Papyrus was written roughly around 1550 BC and is one of the oldest finished medical textbooks to have been found so far. It mentions a number of formulas which make use of hemp to alleviate pain and inflammation caused by various diseases and injuries. Apparently, women in particular used marijuana as a way to waive off depression and other psychological problems in the early days of Egypt.

Ebers Papyrus from National Library of Medicine, Found in Egypt in the 1870s. This prescription for an asthma remedy is to be prepared as a mixture of herbs heated on a brick so that the sufferer could inhale their fumes.

Ebers Papyrus from National Library of Medicine, Found in Egypt in the 1870s. This prescription for an asthma remedy is to be prepared as a mixture of herbs heated on a brick so that the sufferer could inhale their fumes. (Public Domain)

The oldest medicinal use of the herb in the region may date back even further, to 2000 BC, when it might have been used to treat glaucoma, cataracts, hemorrhoids, vaginal bleeding, and even cancer. It can be estimated that cannabis was probably not a cure, but an alleviator of the symptoms in most cases. Modern medical science on the other hand, is only beginning to establish the fact that cannabis has some truly remarkable pain-relieving properties, along with being a very potent calming agent for the imbalanced nervous systems of patients suffering from Parkinson’s Disease.

Cannabis in Egyptian Religion and Culture

When the mummy of Pharaoh Ramesses II was uncovered and examined back in 1881, traces of cannabis in the remains was the last thing anyone was expecting, but it was there. Since then, a lot of the uncovered mummies have shown similar traces of the herb in their systems, confirming the suspicion that cannabis was indeed a part of the regular culture in ancient Egypt.

In ancient Egypt, cannabis was used for medicinal, religious, and cultural purposes. (Linda Harms /Adobe Stock)

Seshat, the goddess of wisdom, was often depicted with a leaf of the cannabis plant above her head in paintings from thousands of years ago. Bastet, the feline goddess of war, was also related to the use of cannabis in the region, but more in terms of witchcraft. Evidence also suggests that worshippers may have consumed marijuana in one form or the other during certain religious festivities and rituals.

Seshat, the ancient Egyptian goddess of record-keeping and measurement, with a cannabis leaf over her head. (Vladimir Zadvinskii /Adobe Stock)

Practical Uses of Cannabis

Although it may sound strange if you have not heard about it before, cannabis was actually used in the production of ropes, sails, and fabric in particular. In fact, research suggests that ancient workers used a meticulous technique with the cannabis fiber to break down larger rocks before transporting them to constructions sites. The technique generally involved hammering down the dry cannabis fiber into the cracks of the larger rocks, before soaking them thoroughly in water. As the fabric began to expand it was strong enough to fracture the giant rocks.

Original knots which were joining the main pieces of the Khufu Boat. The cedar timbers of the boat’s curved hull were lashed together with hemp rope in a technique used until recent times by traditional shipbuilders on the shores of the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean

Original knots which were joining the main pieces of the Khufu Boat. The cedar timbers of the boat’s curved hull were lashed together with hemp rope in a technique used until recent times by traditional shipbuilders on the shores of the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean. (kairoinfo4u/CC BY NC SA 2.0)

The herb was so popular in the old days of Egypt that the famous Roman Emperor Aurelian practically imposed a tax on it! If these facts have got you interested, then you can find some information about cannabis in modern Egypt here.

Top Image: An artist’s imaginary depiction of a pharaoh burning herbs (possibly cannabis or blue lotus) in a ritual. Source: Weedlist

By Robert Brusco

Updated on September 3, 2021.

References

BAHAR YEŞILNUR (2014). An ancient treatment from the pages of the Ebers Papyrus. Daily Sabah. Available from: https://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2014/12/31/an-ancient-treatment-from-the-pages-of-the-ebers-papyrus

Claire Rankin (2016). Marijuana use in ancient Egypt. Newstarget. Available from: http://www.newstarget.com/2016-02-26-marijuana-use-in-ancient-egypt.html

Royal Queen Seeds. Cannabis in Egypt. Available from: https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-cannabis-in-egypt-n162

 

Comments

I think you should ease off on your wonderful cure all drug pal

The "gods" gave us the hemp seed. The evil US government knew that marijuana cured cancer in 11974. For that reason alone, everyone who supports the evil, illegal drug war should hang for treason and genocide!
The entire government are evil treasonous criminals! The day of the next false flag using the nuke the evil government stole in 2007 and blamed on Iran, America will be annihilated by Russia, China and the SCO. This is the war of Armageddon and you can know it is now because of Planet X and the toxic chemtrails that hide it every day globally for the past decade. Planet X will end the war when it rips the earth apart again but by then 90% of Americans will be dead already. All planned by your evil government and their evil alien masters!

Cannabis is not Marijuana....
The control is in keeping us in the state of mind of the prison reality. Exposure is dangerous since once other possibilities open The prison reality cannot be enforced and the hierarchical alienated mega society falls apart and our true communal participatory expanding nature becomes apparent.

" Nobody has been able to solve this ancient mystery until now."

Which "ancient mystery" is that, exactly? There are no mysteries regarding the plant itselt, it is well known and well described, and has been so for millenia (even before modern writing systems).

"Remember that most cannabis is a hybrid of both indica and sativa and thus will contain both THC and CBD."

All cannabis plant strains contain both THC and CBD. Granted, there are differences in average concentrations.

"the God of our governments (Lucifer, a female tetraploid human and the ruler of the Persian Empire/New World Order)"

... and that is where you should probably cut down on your consumption of said plant! If you could omit your personal hallucinations your writings could gain much in credibility.

William Bradshaw's picture

My book Secrets of the Pink Kush provides all of the information necessary to successfully grow and breed high quality medical marijuana. It also exposes the many lies of the secret societies and corrupt governments as well as religions, so be prepared for the REAL truth. I have spent years researching and working on the book and it continually receives rave reviews. Nobody has been able to solve this ancient mystery until now. It is not just a cannabis growing and breeding book but a metaphysics book that explains our natural world and how it impacts our corrupt civilization with the deceit from the ancient Cult of Demeter and the end game of the New World Order, a slave based totalitarian society. The book exposes the many organizations that are involved in this nefarious and ancient scheme that involves the hidden ones, (tetraploid humans) giants known as the Serpent People.

The truth about cannabis:

We have a symbiotic relationship with cannabis and thus require cannabis in order to live not only healthier, but longer as well. Cannabis has two basic types for medicinal use, indica and sativa. There are other types like ruderalis and Afghanica but they contain very little of the medicanal compounds are better suited for hemp rope or fibre production.

Indica contains, among many other things, cannabinoids (CBD) and our body has actual receptors for this molecular herbal compound. Indica is not addictive at least not physically and you will never get withdrawal symptions as one does with other analgesics like opiates. These biological receptors are called endocannabinoid receptors and are found throughout the body. Some areas of the brain have more than others.

Indica acts as an analgesic and as such provides relief for pain and has shown to be very successful in treating many serious illnesses and diseases including cancer. 

The other type of cannabis is sativa. Sativas contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which creates a euphoric effect for users. This is the type of cannabis that is referred to as recreational but I contend that all cannabis is medicinal as sativas actually help repair the neoro-transmitters in our brains and can alleviate depression. THC is an antidepressant and is not physiologically addictive as your government would have you believe. Remember that our governments (Hellenistsic Western world/Persian Empire) have been deceiving us since the beginning of civilization and demonizing as well as forbidding the use of cannabis, is just another one of their lies in order to maintain control of their corrupt and evil Luciferian / New World Order control  system.

Cannabis may be psychologically addictive just as sex is but it is not addictive in the pure sense of the term. Cannabis provides a non-addictive approach to pain management and antidepressants. Another very important point to note is that you cannot overdose on cannabis as one can with other alkaloids like opiates (dilaudid, codeine, morphine, methadone, heroin, fentanyl, carfentanyl, etc.).

Remember that most cannabis is a hybrid of both indica and sativa and thus will contain both THC and CBD. If you do not want the euphoric effect (can cause some paranoia) then use CBD cannabis only which means a pure indica strain.

 

HOPE THAT HELPS.

I have done a video about the Tree of Life and should also explain that the God of our governments (Lucifer, a female tetraploid human and the ruler of the Persian Empire/New World Order) will not allow us access to cannabis. The reason for denying us the Tree of Life is for population control and for control of mankind in general as you will need to see a doctor and use many harmful drugs to compensate for the lack of cannabis in your diet.

The truth is that you need cannabis to live healthier and longer.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-RryGuWSeI

 

William H. Bradhaw, Dipl. T, CPIM
http://SecretsPinkKush.ZapperSoftware.com

Robert Brusco's picture

Robert Brusco

Robert Brusco grew up in UK and United States, where he completed his educational path.

After studying at the university and obtaining a degree in Sociology, he started to travel the world visiting different countries, discovering new cultures and following... Read More

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