Benefits of Marijuana

Marijuana is one of the most controversial plants, marijuana has properties, which can be applied in medical purposes, but at the same time it is a plant that is appreciated because of its narcotic, sedative and euphoric properties as well.

Description of Marijuana plant

Believed to have originated in the area of the Himalayan mountains, cannabis has spread throughout all of India, China, Northern Africa, after which it reached Europe and North America, where it was extensively grown during the second world war. Marijuana (pronounced "marihuana") is the Spanish name of the dried leaves and flowering of the neck weed (Cannabis sativa). The latter - the scientific name - was assigned to the plant in the year 100 A.D. by the Greek physician, Dioscorides. However, the first references to the medicinal utilization of the plant were recorded in the Pen Ts'ao pharmacopoeia (a Chinese work, containing the description and indications for controlling the most important pharmaceutical substances and formulas and the presentation of mixtures, conservation and administering methods of medicines). For more than 4000 years, cannabis was used in medicinal purposes. Written evidence was discovered that in ancient India, the influences of the herb upon the human psyche were known. At the same time, physicians used the plant for an entire series of problems, from headaches and insomnia to gastrointestinal disorders. Cannabis was firstly known as a sedative and used even in difficult childbirths. Later on, with the spreading of the herb in Europe, the ancient Greeks used cannabis to treat inflammations, ear pains, edemas. Approximately around the year 500 B.C., cannabis was used by the Scythians as a textile plant for fabricating cloth, and in 100 B.C., the Chinese were manufacturing paper out of it. In medieval times, other medical applications of the neck weed were known, especially for its diuretic, anti-epileptic and anti-inflammatory roles. Closer to our times, approximately in the 19th century, cannabis was used in medicine as a sedative, until the invention of aspirin, in controlling headaches, melancholic states and insomnia. Less known is, however, the fact that in the treatment of alcoholism or of the dependence on other drugs, cannabis has proved to be useful. Despite this fact, cannabis remains a controversial plant because of its use, on a mass scale, as a stupefacient. In the 70's the smoking of marijuana by students and those belonging to the "hippie" movement symbolized the rebellion against authorities.

Properties and benefits of Marijuana

Cannabis contains a number of elements generically named, cannabinoids. The main substance present in cannabis is named tetrahydrocannabinol, a chemical compound, responsible for the euphoric effects. Also, tetrahydrocannabinol, as shown in recent studies, inhibits the development of streptococcus and streptolococcus bacteria. The various quantity of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinoids it contains, determines the textile or intoxicating character of the plant. The variations are caused by the difference between soils, temperature or light.

The main properties of marijuana studied in medicine are: analgesic and sedative (a reason why it was used during surgeries), anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsive and laxative. At the same time, marijuana produces a growth of appetite and reduces dizziness. Some investigations show the fact that the plant also presents anti-microbial and anti-bacterial actions. The medicinal properties are amplified in the case of species grown in more elevated areas and warm climates.
marijuana plant

Treatments

Because of its properties and effects, marijuana was used in treating a number of diseases, like: insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, depressions, neuralgias, rheumatism, gastrointestinal dysfunctions, ulcer, cholera, cancer, epilepsy, bronchitis, asthma (because of the property of bronchodilator), and gonorrhoea. It reduces intraocular pressure and because of this fact, it is recommended in treating glaucoma. The anti-spastic and anti-convulsive properties are indicated in cases of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and spasms. In the case of cancer, cannabis (and especially the oil in cannabis) leads to the loss of states of dizziness and vomit which are specific to chemotherapy. For patients suffering of AIDS and hepatitis, marijuana helps with regaining their weight through increasing appetite and reducing states of nausea and vomit.

Warning

Because of the adverse effects and the causing of dependence, marijuana consumption is forbidden.

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