Green thumbs fall head over heels for Cannabis sativa L. There are now a wealth of books and websites on the proper cultivation of cannabis. But it didnโt happen over night. And in the last hundred or so years, it happened in the shadows of night. The most passionate cultivators changed the game. Who are these oft-unsung heroes of cannabis cultivation?
The discussion begins a long time ago in a land far, far awayโฆ ancient China.
The Pen Tsโao Ching, or โClassic of Materia/Herbal Medicine,โ is the worldโs first pharmacopeia to include cannabis. The tome was composed around the 1st century CE, but authorship was far older. The knowledge traced to the oral teaching of an emperor from roughly 2,800 BCE: Shen Nung. [1]
Shen Nung may have been the worldโs first (known) medicinal cannabis cultivator. Such was his wisdom that the Chinese converted him from mere Emperor to deity of the harvest and divine farmer. [1]
[Graphic 2| Shen Nung: the worldโs first cannabis cultivation pioneer?]
Today, we take for granted that the resinous female plant explodes with medicinal qualities. But when did this start? Look no further than this excerpt on the โfruits of hempโ [1] from the aforementioned pharmacopeia: โGoverns the five taxations and seven damages, benefits the five viscera, and descends blood and cold qi; excessive consumption causes one to see ghosts and run about frenetically. Prolonged consumption frees the spirit light and lightens the body.โ [2]
Itโs no coincidence that the ancient Chinese were familiar with the effects of male plants on seed production. [3] Sinsemilla, anyone? No, sinsemilla did not originate in California: it arrived there in the 1970s. [4]
By this time, a strange new frenzy had swept most of the globe: prohibit and heavily criminalize cannabis. These dark ages spawned a new breed of cultivator. They were the underground warriors who risked everything for passion of the plant.
One of the foremost horticulturalists of the modern era is Ed Rosenthal. A co-founder of High Times Magazine, his cultivation column, โAsk Ed,โ appeared in the very first 1974 edition and continues to guide growers. His many books on cannabis have sold over two million copies and include โEd Rosenthalโs Marijuana Growerโs Handbook.โ
[Graphic 3| Ed Rosenthal. Credit: Cannaman201, CC BY-SA 4.0]
In Oakland, California, Rosenthal directed the medical cannabis program until he was arrested in 2003 by federal agents. The trial helped shine an early spotlight on the discrepancy between state and federal legalization. Fortunately, he narrowly escaped a life prison sentence. Thatโs right โ growing cannabis in a legalized state nearly cost him his life.
Rosenthal is one of several underground warriors to bring cannabis cultivation to the masses. Tune in for more pioneers in the next volume as the saga continues.
References
- Aldrich M. โThe History of Therapeutic Cannabis.โ Cannabis in Medical Practice: A Legal, Historical, and Pharmacological Overview of the Therapeutic Use of Marijuana, Jefferson, McFarland & Company, Inc., 1997, pp. 35-36.
- Brand, EJ, and Z. Zhao. โCannabis in Chinese Medicine: Are Some Traditional Indications Referenced in Ancient Literature Related to Cannabinoids?โย Front Pharmacol, vol.8, 2017, doi:10.3389/fphar.2017.00108. Journal Impact Factor = 4.400, Times Cited = 12
- Liu, Fei-Hu, et al. โEthnobotanical Research on Origin, Cultivation, Distribution, and Utilization of Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in China.โย Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, vol.16, no.2, 2017, pp.235-242.ย Journal Impact Factor= 0.920,ย Times Citedย = 2 (ResearchGate)
- Brady, E. โChapter 5: Mare.โ Humboldt: Life on America’s Marijuana Frontier, Grand Central Publishing,