Cannabis & Ancient Egypt: Historic Findings Show a Weed-Friendly Nation

Ancient Egyptians were instrumental in forming the modern world. Their achievements in technology and invention still impact the globe. The culture built the pyramids, masterminded levers and ramps, and developed a complicated system of government. They discovered a variety of medicinal solutions and were pioneers in writing, shipbuilding, and religion.

Historians believe the Egyptians also spent a lot of time with weed.

We’re Behind the Times

It would seem the United States is far behind ancient civilizations in understanding the potential of weed. Hemp is all the rage in rope, clothes, ship sails, and fabric design today, but this was old news on the Nile. Expeditions made discoveries in burial chambers leading us to believe Egyptians toked during ceremonies.

Read and Learn

For thousands of years, Egypt was the most influential and powerful civilization in the world. Apparently, of the many things they learned was the benefits of marijuana.

A group of experts came together to study this topic. They found that weed was a common element in ship sails, ropes, fabrics, food, oils, and medicine.

Now, hard evidence of cannabis use by Egyptians is hard to find. But there’s enough to show the ancient peoples had regular use for ganja.

There’s a range of old written works that mention weed. It begins with the Ebers Papyrus, a famous document circa 1550 BCE. And researchers believe the Ebers Papyrus is actually a copy of older texts, meaning its mention of marijuana goes back even further.

It’s Magic!

There are references to Egyptian doctors using magical spells to cure various illnesses. Several involved the implementation of weed. In another paper, an actual medical record (one of the oldest ever recovered), the Ramesseum Papyri, clearly states “celery, cannabis is ground and left in the dew overnight. Both eyes of the patient are to be washed with it in the morning.”

Modern medicine feels those doctors used that treatment for eye conditions like glaucoma. While today the medical community believes the Egyptians were off course in their cures, they were on the right path, understanding the importance of medical cannabis.

There’s a term used in ancient texts, Shemshemet, that scholars feel is a reference to weed. The word’s all over various sources from the period. In the book, An Ancient Egyptian Herbal, it says the Egyptian culture advocated for plant-based cures and that cannabis was one of the plants used.

Women of the time took cannabis as a therapeutic solution to relieve bad humor and sorrow. They also applied it to fight off insomnia and to kill pain. In many ways, it’s how we medicinally use cannabis today.

The Egyptians Loved They Weed!

Many artists depict Egyptian goddess Sheshat with a leaf above her head. Scientists discovered evidence of THC in mummies, including Ramses the Great.

While we may never know the full details, there’s strong evidence ancient Egyptians took to cannabis in many ways. And they are still considered the creators of one of the most fascinating civilizations in history. We need to catch up!