Category Archives: News

Let’s start our journey through cannabis museums from Europe, and more specifically Berlin, Germany, where is located the Hemp Museum. Hanf Museum, as it is called in German, is exclusively devoted to the agricultural, manufacturing and industrial as well as legal aspects of the use of hemp. The aim of the exhibition is to do […]

[responsivevoice_button]` In 1840s Dr Jacques Moreau used cannabis to treat mental illness. The sources suggested that he probably used cannabis himself during his travelling in the Arab countries in his youth. And Dr Moreau was not the only one familiar with cannabis because it was brought to France by Napoleon’s solders after returning from the […]

[responsivevoice_button]` Hemp was used to manufacture ropes and riggings for sailing. Also cannabis was recognised for its analgesic properties, for treating gastrointestinal disorders, oedema and a plaster for boils in the twelfth century. In the middle ages cannabis, opium and alcohol were some of the less well known ingredients used in witch cult and they […]

Terpenoids are responsible for the aroma of the cannabis plant. Currently there are over 200 terpenoids. Although their yield is less than 1% in most cannabis asseys, they may represent 10% of trichome content. The most common monoterpenoids (limonene, myrcene, pinene) are lost at the rate of 5% before processing but their lost is much […]

There is lots of controversy regarding THC in food and cosmetics product. In doses typical for cannabis consumers THC is not genotoxic, mutagenic or carcinogenic. If THC is applied directly in extremely high doses to cells it reduces the synthesis of DNA, RNA and proteins. However, these effects are not specific and do not occur […]

This review is dedicated to cannabis trichomes and their structure and functions. Glandular stalked trichomes A microscope study of glandular stalked trichomes, situated on the bracts on cannabis plants shows the following correlation between trichome colour and density. It is known that glandular stalked trichomes are involved in THC production. Score Density Colour 1 Maximum […]

[responsivevoice_button]` The earliest record of cannabis in Indian literature is dated as early as 2000 BC – “bhang”, however it is not clear if it is direct reference of cannabis or another sacred plant. According to written sources the plant was known in India at least from 1000 BC. It is recommended for treatment of […]

[responsivevoice_button]` The term “hashish” comes from Arabian phrase “hashish al kief”, which means, “dried herb of pleasure”. In the ancient Arabic drug formulary, Makhsanul aldawaiya, cannabis is described as “a cordial, a bile absorber, and an appetizer, and its moderate use prolongs life. It quickens the fancy, deepens thought and sharpens judgment.” In the Herbarium […]

[responsivevoice_button]` Since none of the ancient Greek and Roman writers have described intoxicating effects of cannabis this leads to conclusion that they were either unaware of them or chose not to use cannabis for intoxication. As a contrast alcohol intoxication was described by many authors, which led some researchers to suggest that cannabis intoxication was […]

[responsivevoice_button]` Hemp seeds associated with Neolithic habitants were found in Germany, Switzerland, Australia and Rumania. “Polypod” bowls, dated early third millennium, were found in Eastern Europe and there were speculations that they were used to burn cannabis for intoxication. Earliest polypod bowls were found in the east suggesting east-west migration of this culture. Hemp seeds […]

[responsivevoice_button]` There are documented evidences that Assyrians have used cannabis for variety of medical purposes. It was administrated orally for the treatment of impotence and depression, topically for bruises and by inhalation for a disease assumed to be arthritis. Cannabis was also used to ward off evil. Because of the geographical proximity between Assyrian and […]

[responsivevoice_button]` Majority of the Egyptologists agree that medical cannabis was used in Ancient Egypt, however the big challenge remains – lots of medicines described in ancient papyruses cannot be easily identified. Nowadays it is generally accepted that the hieroglyph symbol pronounced as “shemshemet” means cannabis. [1,2,3] The oldest original document that mentions cannabis is Ebers […]

[responsivevoice_button]` Cannabis has been known to ancient Chinese and other inhabitants of Central Asia centuries before it came to the attention of other civilisations. According to some sources cannabis was used for medical purposes for the first time during the legendary emperor Shen Nung during the 3rd millennium BC. [1,3] Emperor Shen Nung is famous […]

This research is dedicated to cannabinoids, terpenes and fatty acids production. What causes the “cannabis smell”? Cannabis plant has a specific smell and it is not results of the cannabinoids but monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. For example, police dogs cannot smell THC but they can smell the sesquiterpene caryophyllene oxide. A smell comparison between 19 strains […]

This research is dedicated to differences between cannabis plants producing THC and hemp plants, and factors that affect THC synthesis. What is the difference between cannabis plants that produce THC and plants that do not produce THC? Cannabis plants could produce more than 100 cannabinoids, which are mainly accumulated in female flowers (“buds”). The main […]