Our Ancestors Used Cannabis to Treat Respiratory Illness and Here’s how I Know This is True
The indigenous peoples of Jamaica and many other cultures understood the capabilities of the cannabis plant. Breakthrough studies are showing cannabinoids’ ability to prevent and treat respiratory infections. Teas and tinctures made with cannabis and other botanicals were being used to treat respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia and asthma for centuries in Jamaica.
This knowledge was handed down from the East Indians who had studied the plant for millennia.
In light of new promising research that cannabis may help in the prevention and treatment of Covid, I’m reminded of a popular story in my family history. During the prohibition era in Jamaica, my uncle who was a well-known pharmacist, became ill. He was a Christian, and during that time in Jamaica there was a complete societal division based on classism. This division was fueled by religious beliefs and the acceptance of a sacred plant. Though cannabis had been widely used and accepted by all, it was now being prohibited by foreign powers.
Basically, in those days on the island you either loved cannabis or hated it. My uncle was of the latter. Still, everybody was familiar with it, and even those who would never admit to using it, kept a bottle of ganja soaking in alcohol in their residence to treat illnesses that may arise.
As the story goes, my uncle caught pneumonia and was very sick and could not get better. The doctor recommended he use cannabis to treat the infection.
My uncle was adamant about not using cannabis because he had been against it for so long and associated it with the Rastafarians who were considered poor and uneducated. The doctor then explained to him in harsh Jamaican Patois, “If is dead yuh wah dead, nuh badda tek it den.” (translation: that if he would rather die, then don’t take it)
After understanding the seriousness of it, my uncle agreed and began to drink the tea. Lo and behold within three days the infection was clearing up, and he had no choice but to credit the ganja with saving his life.This is one of the stories that helped me realize there are many things this plant and other botanicals in nature are capable of, that modern medicine knows nothing about. There was data the ancients knew from researching and they applied it to their lives for millennia.
In conclusion, much of the power nature holds hasn’t even been researched by modern science yet. Even when it has, many times modern research is biased, slow, performed in a singular molecular format , funded by pharmaceutical companies and geared at creating patentable products. Instead, research needs to be done to understand our symbiotic connection to nature. Imagine if the standard was to research this connection our ancestors had and how cannabis kept them well...rather than how it can hurt us.
Has modern medicine outdone our ancestors or does the healing to all our ailments reside in nature?
Oskii Chevanier is a consultant and educator who works with his clients to offer holistic options for health and wellness. He is the creator of 11 HyHolistic LLC. This entity combines four generations of Jamaican agriculture and holistic medicine with over twenty five years of cannabis experience.
