Cannabis has been used for thousands of years to relieve pain and all kinds of ailments. Here are 7 ways our ancestors used the herb to improve women's health.
Just healthy for women
Cannabis has many health benefits whether you are a man or a woman. Yet the herb has been an effective medicine for women for centuries. Not only because women have very different ailments, but also because women are more prone to headaches, depression, chronic fatigue and eating disorders than men.
Female Biochemistry
Also keep in mind that our unique biochemistry implies that women react very differently to cannabis than men. For example, it appears that the interaction between THC and estrogen causes an increased level of pain relief. As a painkiller, cannabis does more for gyals than for guys. Research also shows that men are more likely to experience psychosis from cannabis than women.
Not high on drugs
It is important to note that the cannabis medicines listed below differ from the weed you get in the coffee shop today. That stuff obviously contains THC, the psychoactive substance released by smoking or vaping it.
Edible and other orally ingested cannabis products require a process called decarboxylation (smoking is a natural way of decarboxylation). Without this process, THC is just THC-A and you cannot make strong tinctures, oils or edibles. It is plausible that cannabis was often used in low THC doses in ancient times.
So, from our ancestors to you: 7 forgotten uses of cannabis for women's health.
1. Period Cramps
In the 19th century, doctors prescribed an indica tincture for heavy and prolonged menstruation. One of the users was the British Queen Victoria. Her doctor wrote: “When pure and administered carefully, it's one of the most valuable medicines we posses.” The plant was also used in China to relieve menstrual symptoms.
2. Pregnancy ailments and labor pain
If you tell your obstetrician today that you are consuming weed, you are most likely going to call Child Protective Services on you. It used to be a different story.
For example, in the Neolithic era, women already ate cannabis flowers to relieve pain during pregnancy. Researchers Drs. Melanie Dreher and Drs. Ethan Russo states that cannabis was a popular helpline during pregnancy and childbirth in America, Africa, Asia and Arab nations.
The drug was administered in various ways: in tea, food and creams, for example, and was used to counteract nausea and pain.
3. Headache
Every day about 70,000 people in the Netherlands suffer from migraine. Women are two to three times more prone to a seizure than men because the cause -hormonal fluctuations- hardly occurs in men. Migraines also last longer in women and are more difficult to treat.
According to neurologist and medical researcher Dr. Ethan Russo Has Used Cannabis For Centuries to treat migraines. “It was highly esteemed as a headache remedy by the most prominent physicians of the age between 1874 and 1942, remaining part of the Western pharmacopoeia for this indication even into the mid-twentieth century.”
4. Depression
Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression than men. This is due to biological, hormonal, psychological and other factors.
Clay tablets as old as 1000 years, from ancient Mesopotamia, describe the use of azullu (cannabis) as a weapon against depression and an ingredient in various medical recipes.
5. Chronic Fatigue
Of all the chronically fatigued in the country, most are women, and of all workers, young women (25 to 35) are the most burned out.
Cannabis has been used for centuries to promote a good night's sleep in Europe, the Indian Himalayas and tribes around the world.
“In Tashkent, women took a mix of lamb fat and hashish to get them in the mood on their wedding night and relieve the pain of defloration.”
6. Appetite
It's not just young women who suffer from it; but also more than 1 in 30 women over the age of 40 has an eating disorder. Apart from that, almost all of us struggle with our diet and millions lack a healthy self-image when it comes to their weight or figure. Anyone who wants to gain weight knows that smoking a joint stimulates the appetite and that your favorite snack suddenly tastes even better (smoke first, then eat!). This is also apparent from research; something that goddesses realized thousands of years ago.
7. Wedding Night
This one is bizarre, but really true. Clarke found the following: In Tashkent, a city in present-day Uzbekistan, women took a mix of lamb fat and hashish to get them in the mood on the wedding night and relieve the pain of losing their virginity. Also popular was Guckan; small dried balls, made from cooked cannabis, sugar, saffron and egg white. These also served as a pain reliever for headaches or as a sandwich spread (yes, really).