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The Roots of Medicine Part 3: Cannabis in the Apothecary Age — From Tinctures to Tonics

 

🌿 The Roots of Medicine

Cannabis in the Apothecary Age

Part 3: Cannabis in the Apothecary Age — From Tinctures to Tonics

Before the rise of modern pharmaceuticals, towns and cities across the world relied on a trusted figure: the local apothecary. These were the herbal chemists, healers, and compounders of old — blending nature’s ingredients into remedies for everything from pain to sleeplessness.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, cannabis tinctures and extracts were a staple of Western apothecaries and pharmacies. Doctors routinely prescribed cannabis for ailments such as:

  • 🌿 Chronic pain and inflammation
  • 😴 Insomnia and nervous disorders
  • 🤢 Nausea, digestive discomfort, and appetite loss
  • 🧠 Migraine headaches and neuralgia
  • 🌬 Respiratory issues such as asthma and bronchitis
  • 🤒 Menstrual cramps and labor pains
  • 💫 Epilepsy and muscle spasms
  • 🦴 Rheumatism and joint pain
  • 💩 Gastrointestinal disorders
  • 🧘‍♂️ General “tonic” to calm the nerves

Cannabis extracts appeared in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1850 until 1942, meaning for nearly a century, it was considered standard medical practice — not counterculture.

“In the apothecary age, cannabis wasn’t taboo — it was trusted.”

The shift away from this natural medicine wasn’t due to a lack of efficacy. It was due to political agendas, racialized propaganda, and emerging corporate interests in synthetic pharmaceuticals. As regulations tightened and misinformation spread, apothecaries closed their drawers on a once-common ally of human health.

Today, as more people rediscover cannabis, it’s worth remembering: what’s marketed as “alternative” today was simply medicine in generations past.

🌱 The Roots of Medicine — Part 3 of our series tracing humanity’s ancient relationship with the cannabis plant.


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