Trove Of Cannabis Plants Found In Ancient Tomb In China

For the first time, archaeologists have unearthed well-preserved cannabis plants, which were placed on a corpse some 2,500 years ago.

Researchers have unearthed 13 cannabis plants in an ancient tomb in northern China, suggesting that prehistoric central Eurasians had ritualistic or medicinal uses for the mind-altering plant.

The archeology team, led by Hongen Jiang, is calling the discovery of this ancient burial in northwest China’s Turpan Basin, an “extraordinary cache of cannabis,” which adds significantly to understanding how ancient Eurasian cultures used marijuana for ritual and medicinal purposes.

According to the report published in the journal Economic Botany, the cannabis plants were practically intact, except for most of the flowers which had been clipped. Jiang concluded that because of their excellent condition, the plants were freshly and locally harvested in late summer time.

The scientists say that the “extraordinary cache” of 13 “nearly whole” female cannabis plants, were arranged diagonally like a shroud over the body of a dead man. The man was about 35 years old, appeared to be Caucasian and might have been a shaman, they say.

This discovery also adds to a growing collection of archaeological evidence showing that cannabis consumption was “very popular” across the Eurasian steppe thousands of years ago.

National Geographic quotes the study’s lead author, Hongen Jiang; “This is the first time ever that archaeologists have recovered complete cannabis plants, as well as the first incidence of their use as a ‘shroud’ or covering in a human burial.”

This discovery also adds to a growing collection of archaeological evidence showing that cannabis consumption was “very popular” across the Eurasian steppe thousands of years ago.
Cannabis seeds were also recently discovered in a Siberian tomb of a woman who likely died of breast cancer, and may have used cannabis to “cope with the symptoms of her illnesses,” the researchers say.

The flowering heads of the Jiayi plants were covered with glandular trichomes, a sort of tiny plant “hair” that secretes resin containing psychoactive cannabinoids such as THC. The researchers suspect that this marijuana was grown and harvested for its psychoactive resin, which may have been inhaled as a sort of incense or consumed in a beverage for ritual or medicinal purposes. Cannabis has been helping people with medical issues for a very long time, including making their trip to the afterlife a pleasant experience.