ABSTRACT
Some estimates support the theory that cannabis has been used as a medicine for nearly 6,000 years. Despite the stigma long associated with the plant, it has also been heralded in numerous cultures as one of the greatest medicines ever afforded humans. This chapter will take the reader through this topsy-turvy history of the cannabis plant as medicine. Persistent in both periods of favor and absolute disdain, the plant has accompanied healing traditions of diversiform cultures throughout time across the globe. With the recent discovery of the endogenous vertebrate Endocannabinoid System, the potential for medical applications of cannabis and cannabinoids also flourishes. This chapter willd thoroughly explore the historical and contemporary medicinal uses of cannabis in various cultural contexts and medical systems.
