History of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)

[guohua]

A Great Stress and Pain Reliever.

For over 4,000 years, the cannabis plant has been a reliable source for textile fibers, medicine and food. The Chinese, who are renowned for perfecting herbal medicine and concocting some of the earliest effective treatments against a range of debilitating conditions, were the first civilization to cultivate and use marijuana extensively. Ancient Chinese literature documents over 100,000 medicinal recipes and almost 2 million different types of drugs based almost exclusively on plants.

Actually the treatment list is very long and Yes, it does work.

During ancient times, its versatility and low toxicity had turned marijuana into the remedy of choice for most of the common ailments affecting the Chinese people. A wide range of symptoms, from moderate pain and inflammation to ulcerations, could be improved through the consumption of cannabis. What is truly remarkable about the Chinese approach is that they would try to use the entire plant in some form or another, thereby minimizing potential waste.

The flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant can be used to treat wounds and menstrual pains.  Marijuana stalks, on the other hand, are a dietary source of natural plant fibers, but can also be consumed for their diuretic effects. According to Dr. Li Gou Yong, cannabis can be used to treat hemorrhoids, colitis, anal prolapse and chronic diarrhea. In combination with other herbs, cannabis will produce remarkable synergistic effects, which can even mitigate its less desirable, psychoactive effects. Furthermore, Dr. Li does not recommend smoking the herb, as that will inevitably lead to the inhalation of harmful chemicals associated with combustion.

Source

Westerners have been led astray by a medical profession that requires us to wait for illness and then get treated for it.
But awareness is changing – more Westerners are taking responsibility for their health and are looking for treatment options. 


Traditional Chinese medicine offers a range of practices that use concepts based on a tradition that’s 5,000 years old. This medicine includes forms of herbal medicine, massage (tui na), exercise (tai chi), dietary therapy and acupuncture. Many people are familiar with acupuncture and its uses, but most are not familiar with its connections to Cannabis. Research is confirming that acupuncture works with the endocannabinoid system, as does Cannabis. It is not a stretch to think that if you are treating pain/inflammation with Cannabis, adding acupuncture might ease your pain.

Cannabis has a long history in TCM. Cannabis is one of the 50 “fundamental” herbs of TCM, and is prescribed to treat diverse symptoms. Cannabis, called má, means “hemp; Cannabis; numbness” in Chinese, and was used by the Emperor Shen Nung, who was a pharmacologist.

He wrote a book on treatment methods in 2737 B.C., the first to include the medical benefits of Cannabis. Shen Nung was concerned with the failings of shamanism and studied the properties of Chinese plants, often testing them on himself. He reportedly turned green and died one day from a self-administered poison. He recommended a hemp elixir that was likely a tea of leaves and flowers, and he often accepted hemp as payment. The “Pen Ts’ao Ching” was compiled in 1 A.D., based on traditions from the time of Shen Nung and is known as the oldest pharmacopoeia, or herbal reference book. In it, Cannabis is recommended for more than 100 ailments, including gout, rheumatism, malaria and absentmindedness. Centuries later, a Chinese medical text described the use of marijuana to treat vomiting, parasitic infections and hemorrhages.

Hua Tuo lived much later (140-208 A.D.), yet he is credited with being the first person to use Cannabis as an anesthetic. The Chinese term for anesthesia is also composed of the Chinese character that means hemp, followed by the means of intoxication. He dried and powdered the plant, mixing it with wine for internal and external administrations. Hua Tuo performed surgeries to remove diseased tissues with local and systemic administration of his Cannabis wine anesthetic and acupuncture to control the pain. Hua Tuo was likely using the stronger Indian hemp or strains higher in CBD. 

I didn't feel like writing this all our tonight so I researched my books on the net and copied and pasted for you. Plus their English is better than mine.
Link

Now a very good article on the history: Link