Many people are discovering the powers of CBD for the first time, making it an increasingly popular product throughout the United States. Researchers are also becoming more curious about learning how we can apply CBD to our everyday lives, both in the medical world and in our wellness routine.

What many don’t know, though, is that CBD has been around for thousands of years. This seemingly “new” product has a long and rich history throughout the world. Since we know that there’s an abundance of curious hemp lovers out there, we’ve provided a quick history of CBD.

CBD in Ancient Civilizations

CBD has a long history of medicinal and therapeutic use dating back thousands of years in ancient civilizations. Let’s take a look at how 3 well-known ancient civilizations utilized CBD:

Ancient Egypt

There are many historical sources that make reference to CBD use in ancient Egypt, including textual, archaeological, and iconographic evidence. Hemp-derived formulas were used to alleviate pain, inflammation, eye diseases, and other ailments. 

It’s also believed that CBD played a big role in women’s health, which may have been used to treat menstrual cramps, tumors, and childbirth.

Ancient Chinese

CBD was used to treat a variety of conditions, including gout, rheumatism, and absent-mindedness. In fact, the first recorded use was in 2727 BC, when Emperor Sheng Neng of China used a cannabis-based tea to help with various health ailments, including poor memory, malaria, and even gout. Cannabis was later mixed with wine to be used as an anesthetic before surgeries.

Cannabis was also cultivated for other purposes that were used in daily life. The National Library of Medicine researched Cannabis in Chinese Medicine and found that:

Cannabis sativa L. has been cultivated in China for millennia for use as a fiber, food, and medicine. References to cannabis are found throughout classical Chinese literature, including in many famous works of philosophy, poetry, agriculture, and medicine. Fiber-rich biotypes of cannabis (hemp) were extensively used in ancient China for clothing and the production of paper, rope, and fishing nets (Dai, 1989), and the achenes (“seeds”) of cannabis have been continuously used in Chinese medicine for at least 1800 years.

Ancient India

In ancient India, CBD was used for both medicinal, industrial, and spiritual purposes. The earliest mention of cannabis has been found in sacred Hindu texts, which are believed to have been compiled as early as 2000 to 1400 B.C. For thousands of years, Indian Ayurvedic (the traditional Hindu system of medicine) physicians have prescribed cannabis for many of the same reasons people use it today: pain, anxiety, and insomnia.

CBD in the Modern World

We know now that CBD has a long and rich history in ancient civilizations, but the modern understanding of CBD is relatively new. As more benefits of CBD are being proven true thanks to research over the past few decades, the laws have also changed.

The hemp plant gained attention in the medical world in 1829 when William B. O’Shaughnessy, an Irish physician and medical researcher, published a study that discussed the hemp plant’s therapeutic effects, opening the door to future research.

Fast forward to the 1900s, when CBD was first isolated from marijuana in 1940 and its structure was officially reported in 1963. This was a huge turning point in research, as previous research was focused on Delta-9 THC, the primary psychoactive component of Cannabis. This sparked incredible interest in different areas, such as CBD’s role in relieving symptoms of arthritis and muscle spasms, improving your sleep, decreasing pain, helping you relax, and even using it on your furry friends.

And after years of research, CBD was legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill. This made way for many people to discover the benefits of CBD for the first time.

CBD Today

The CBD industry is booming. As it continues to gain popularity, more research will be done to better understand how it can be used. Its long history of use demonstrates that it’s a great supplement, but modern research has let us understand why and what other ways it can be put to use. We’re excited to see what other research will be performed in the coming years, and we’ll be constantly updating our blog with new findings.

As for our team at Vitality, our goal is to provide a healthy and natural alternative to the pharmaceutical industry. We also focus on sharing our knowledge so that the new generation of CBD users can feel confident in improving their wellness routine through CBD. 

Check out our CBD oils and salves, which are safe, high quality, and third-party tested to ensure the consumer with the best possible experience.