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June 10, 2016
Q. Humans have been cultivating the stuff for at least 6,000 years and possibly twice that long, making it one of our earliest crops. Many today know it by one of its nicknames — pot, weed, Mary Jane, sticky-icky. Can you say what its more scientific name is?
A. The psychotropic plant is technically “cannabis,” and until about a hundred years ago, that's what Americans called it, says Gemma Tarlach in Discover magazine. Now it's commonly known as “marijuana.” According to research, “the first evidence of the plant's cultivation comes from East Asia, where the stems were used for fibers and the fruits eaten.” The world's oldest pharmacopoeia compiled from Chinese oral tradition and dating back to 2700 B.C. mentioned cannabis, which was said “to relieve conditions ranging from constipation to malaria, though its hallucinogenic qualities were also noted.” Other early cultures mentioning the plant include India, where it was considered a sacred plant; and the Talmud, Judaism's key ancient text.
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