ABSTRACT
Cannabis sativa L. was one of the first plants to be used by man for fiber, food, medicine, and in social and religious rituals. Several names for cannabis were used, mostly associated with the term azallu. The Scythians were a tribe of violent warriors who ruled the Crimea and, at different times, parts of southern Russia, the Balkans, Anatolia, and the Middle East around 700 B.C. The Middle Ages in Europe stayed their course, as regarded medical and not-somedical use of cannabis, till the 19th century. Cannabis was part of the religious lore of the Aryans, a nomad tribe, which invaded India from the north circa 2000 B.C. The Indians had a much better understanding of cannabis than the Europeans. In various parts of India cannabis was used for a large number of diseases and to improve the physical and mental states of the user. The use in leprosy in China deserves further investigation.
