Hemp In History: The Romans

By AJ
Source: cannasos.com

Unlike the ancient Greeks and Egyptians who got a certain pleasure from inhaling and consuming cannabis, the Romans looked at hemp as either a medicine or a useful material to make ropes and textile. Perhaps the Greek hemp baths haven’t crossed the Mediterranean to Rome, or maybe the Romans preferred Egyptian wheat over their hemp seeds. In either case we have to ancient scholars to thank for what we know about how the Romans used their hemp.

Pliny The Elder (AD 23 – 79) A military man, Pliny was what could loosely be described as a scientist. After retiring from the army, he devoted his life to studying and writing about nature. His Naturalis Historia (Natural History), is a 37-volume encyclopedia that contains most of the knowledge of his time. It covers botany, zoology, geology, and medicine.

Galen (AD 129 - 200) The work for Galen influenced several medical fields including anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and neurology. Born in Greece, he traveled far and wide until he settled in Rome where he became the personal physician of several Roman emperors.

The works that those two scholars left behind help shed the light on the uses of medical cannabis in ancient Rome. From what we gather from their books, it seems the Roman physicians found all parts of the plant to be useful in treating different ailments.

1. Cannabis Seeds and Semen: Pliny was a bit vague about how his contemporaries used the seeds or why they were interested in them. He, however, makes a passing reference to their ability to “extinguish the semen”. It was a common myth in Rome that consuming cannabis led to a reduction in sperm levels. Keep in mind that the Romans didn’t have the tools necessary to view, let alone count sperms, so we’re going to go ahead and chalk this one up as an urban myth. However other references mention the drying up effects of the seeds. So maybe Pliny was talking about using cannabis to dry up leaking semen, in other words, gonorrhea.

2. Treating the Ears: Pliny described a recipe for making a “sucus” from the seed for treating vermin in the ears. What he meant by “sucus” is also not clear. It could refer to a natural juice or to a potion. It’s almost synonymous to khylos, the Greek treatment for the ears, although the Greeks never used khylos to treat ear-worms. Ear vermin was a big problem in Rome that Pliny discussed three other treatments for that pesky infestation. So either Pliny got it wrong or he was relying on traditional medicine not practiced by physicians.

3. Seeds for Farm Animals: Once again the only source for this unique use of cannabis seeds to treat animal diarrhea is Pliny. We know that the Greeks used hemp seeds to treat tapeworms both in humans and horses (see the article about hemp in Greece for more details). However the Greeks didn’t use a khylos for that medication. Mainly they soaked the chopped seeds in water then filtered it. No sucus or cooking of any sort was involved as Pliny claimed.

4. Boiled Cannabis Root for Gout: Cannabis root was not appreciated by either the Greeks or the Egyptians. But it seems the Romans had some use for it. The boiled the root of wild cannabis to make a poultice which they applied to the aching joints. Apparently it was effective against inflammations and chalk stones. Other sources claim the poultice was used to treat twisted sinews.

5. Raw Root for Burns: The source for this one is also Pliny alone. Uncooked cannabis root was of no use to physicians so it was discarded. However, Pliny went to great lengths (i.e. filled many pages of his voluminous book) to describe the benefits of raw root. Pliny believed that the roots of wild cannabis treated boils and encysted tumors thanks in part to their “drying” effect. We’ll never know what he meant but it must have been fun in ancient Rome to call a physician and have them prescribe you weed for any ailment no matter how trivial.