A History of Women and Weed
(Disclaimer: This article is designed for informational purposes only. It should be used as a starting-point for one's own research and conversations with one's own doctor. Prairie and Luna is a recreational dispensary and our staff is not qualified to speak to the potential effectiveness of cannabis for specific ailments or conditions, including pain or period management. We can listen, though.)
The history of women and cannabis dates back as far as 1500 BCE. This has something to do with a specific organ women have (spoiler alert: it’s the uterus!) which has this miraculous ability to grow, carry, and give life to a being.
While being a remarkable organ that has its own nervous system, having a uterus comes with a lot of pain. But like the rest of the human body, it also comes equipped with endocannabinoid receptors.
Long before modern scientists could prove the pain-relieving powers of cannabis, early peoples had BEEN using this plant to help ease pain during childbirth. Ancient Egyptian medical practitioners saw cannabis as medicine for pain-relief during childbirth; Roman elites also used cannabis to alleviate labor pains during the period between 600 BCE to 500 CE as well.
Relief For Painful Periods
In the 1850s, Sir John Reynolds Russel, a personal physician to Queen Victoria, wrote about his Cannabis Indica treatment that helped ease the cramps of the Queen, which she experienced most of her adult life (honestly, the worst.) He used to prepare the cannabis tinctures for the Queen’s treatment monthly.
Today, we have learned more about how exactly CBD and THC assist with cramping pains during periods.
Together seems better, as CBD helps in the relaxation of muscles and muscle spasms, while THC boosts sleep while dulling the pain of the cramps, and shifting perspective.
While cannabis can help to ease the symptoms of heavy bleeding (one soaked pad or tampon per hour), we now know that it can be a symptom of something larger. If you do experience abnormal periods, it is always best to check in with your health provider.
Relief Of Pain During Active Labour
It’s no secret that cannabis is often used to reduce pain and that in ancient societies (as mentioned above in Egyptian medical texts) the plant was seen as medicine that could be used to ease the lowkey excruciating pain of active labor. This trend of using cannabis during childbirth is seen around the world - from (once again) Victorian England to early 1900s in South Africa.
However, today we just don’t know enough to know whether cannabis is the safest option during active labor. There is not enough research done on the topic and using cannabis during childbirth could have statistically unknown effects on both mother and baby.
Easing Menopause Symptoms
Menopause is a point in time when a woman stops having periods and is no longer fertile. It is usually caused by an array of different factors but is usually provoked by the lack of estrogen by the time a woman is in her early 50s.
Menopause can’t be avoided, but cannabis can act as a control measure and make the transition easier for you. While cannabis doesn't replace estrogen, using cannabis-infused products may help to ease common symptoms like mood swings, migraines, headaches, and temperature fluctuations.
Significant Figures In Cannabis
Plenty of women have been active in the cannabis industry both as activists and entrepreneurs; women have also been using weed for medical, spiritual, and recreational purposes for centuries.
The early history of weed and women is mostly tied to ritualistic practices, where some ancient women were regarded as goddesses. Ellen Komp, who is the author of Tokin’ Women: A 4000-Year Herstory of Women and Marijuana (worth a read), said that numerous gravesites from different regions contained hemp plants and traces of the plant in the buried women.
Nowadays some women continue the traditions of their ancestors, with over 36% holding executive positions in the industry (which is way higher than the US average for any other field) and are prominent advocates aimed at reducing the stigma against cannabis consumption in women.
Cannabis And Women in Ancient Times
Goddess Ishtar Of 2300 BCE - Ancient Near East
The Goddess Ishtar held spiritual rule over Mesopotamia (now modern-day Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Kuwait) many thousands of years ago. The goddess was also known as the “Queen of Heavens” and worshiped in ancient Egypt.
Largely forgotten in the modern world, she is rumored to have influenced Aphrodite, the famous Greek goddess.
Complex and powerful, Ishtar was closely associated with love and war. She was believed to have had healing powers that spread all over the region.
With her, she carried an herb called Sim that translated as “aromatic of the Goddess” and was burnt in her honor by her followers.
Dr. Erica Reiner, an Assyriologist, said that the herb, so beloved by the goddess, is modern-day cannabis. This is why her followers believed that her healing powers came from the knowledge of plants like weed that could ease the pain and suffering.
Siberias Ancient Princess Ukok - 1500 BCE
Princess Ukok, also known as the Siberian Ice Princess, was preserved by permafrost in the Altai Mountains around the year of 1500 BCE. Her remains were first discovered by Dr. Polosmak Natalia in 1993.
Perfectly preserved on the Ukok Plateau near Chinese and Russian border, the Princess was found entombed with several ornaments of gold, bronze, and a small container of cannabis alongside her.
According to archeologists, the Princess had many tattoos that were likely associated with her being the high priestess of the tribe of Pazyryk. As this nomadic Scythians tribe was believed to be ritualists who used cannabis in their ceremonies, it made perfect sense that their princess would always have a little bit of cannabis on her to heal, both spiritually and physically.
Modern-Day Female Figures And Cannabis
Mary Jane Rathbun (a.k.a. The Mother Of the Pot Brownie)
Mary Jane Rathbun is known in history as the mother of pot brownies, with weed and cocoa being the familiar scents in her apartment hallway in the Castro district of San Francisco.
Our story starts not with Mary Jane but with her daughter Peggy, who was tragically killed by a drunk driver at the age of 22. It was soon after her daughter's death, in 1981, that Rathbun began her pot brownie business to save for her retirement. She was in her late 50s, had no formal education, and worked as a waitress.
Rathbun was in the business of selling pot brownies for many years and had a couple of arrests under her belt. She was constantly defying the law, continuing on baking and selling hundreds of buttery cannabis brownies.
After her first arrest in 1981, she was sentenced to 500 hours of community service with the Shanti Project, which was one of the earliest AIDS support organizations.
San Francisco General’s AIDS wards were overcrowded at the time and these patients were heavily stigmatized by the general public for the fear of catching the deadly disease.
But Rathbun wasn’t afraid. Instead, she was saddened to see so many young people die.
She dedicated hundreds of hours caring for these patients and was secretly feeding them her pot brownies to alleviate their pain and suffering.
AIDS causes people to lose their appetite, and the loss of appetite makes their immune system even weaker than before. At the time, researchers were trying to figure out how to increase the patients’ appetite, with their prescriptions only worsening the situation.
It was on Mary Jane’s cannabis-infused brownies that helped stimulate appetite and overcome the symptoms of nausea in AIDS patients.
During her last trial in 1992, Mary Jane was faced with serious felony charges. She was not tried because of her legacy, fame, and charity work. Known as “the grandma who baked pot brownies” for the sick, she helped many by the age of 70.
The same year she decided to confess to the San Francisco Board to share her knowledge of the many medical benefits that cannabis offers. It was then that the board had unanimously deprioritized arresting other medical cannabis providers, and declared that August 25th be denoted as “Brownie Mary Day”.
This day is still annually celebrated in San Francisco.
