ABSTRACT
The history of the therapeutic use of Cannabis sativa L. in humans goes back approximately 3000 years, first mentioned by the Emperor Shen Nung in the Chinese Compendium ofMedicine, in which the medical properties of Cannabis were described (1). The psychoactive component of Cannabis is /19_ tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and because it has been widely used and abused over the past decades and because of"legal issues, little research has been conducted into its potential clinical therapeutic use. However, recent studies have shown that its properties include antiemetic, anticonvulsive, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects. Therapeutic investigations have included the
treatment ofglaucoma, asthma, tetanus, neuralgia, migraine, depression, and gonorrhea (for an overview, see Ref. 2).
