iHemp Magazine iHemp - Issue 6 - Jun 2019 | Page 8

HEMP IN HISTORY MEDICAL CANNABIS USE IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE? P edanius Dioscorides was a Greek botanist, physician and author that served in the Roman army. Between 50 AD and 70 AD, he wrote a five volume pharmacopoeia called “De Materia Medica”. This work is arguably the best source of information about the medicines of both ancient Greece and Rome. Detailing approximately 600 plants and over 900 remedies, this text, of course, refers to cannabis. Galen, the most famous Roman physician and surgeon, also a Greek, was another prolific writer of medical texts. He saw himself as a physician and a philosopher, which is probably why he wrote: “The Best Physician Is Also A Philosopher”. Galen began his medical studies aged 16 in 145 AD and made medicine his life until his death around aged 70. He was notable for describing how the flowers of hemp were often shared around at social gatherings to help induce enjoyment and laughter. 8 The famous poet Ovid also had something to say about cannabis. In one of his poems, he told the story of Glaucus, a man who ate green herbs that came from a plant with palm-shaped leaves. The herbs induced joy, euphoria, and the munchies. 9