The History and Cultivation of the Stevia Plant

Native to South America and grown in other tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, Stevia is an herb cultivated for its leaves that contains an extract that is exponentially sweeter than sugar. 

Ancient Origins of Stevia

Evidence indicates that Stevia was first used by the Guarani and Mato Grosso Indian tribes who lived in the region of modern-day Paraguay.  For many centuries, these natives utilized the leaves of the Stevia plant as a sweetening agent for various bitter teas, as well as for medicinal concoctions.  In the 1500’s, the Spanish Conquistadors learned of Stevia’s sweetening properties from the Indians.  Over the next few hundred years, the use of Stevia had spread to other parts of South America and Mexico. European travelers were taking a keen interest in the herb and began taking samples of it overseas to learn how to.......read more

Pen Still Works after 25 Years

Have you ever heard the energizer bunny mantra:  "Takes a licking, but keeps on ticking"?  This usually refers to batteries, but in this case, it was a pen.  It would be hard enough to believe that a pen would work after 25 years, even in normal circumstances, but after being in a woman's stomach all that time?

A 76 year-old, British woman was sent to a GI specialist when she began to suffer various symptoms including weight loss.  With a few diagnostic tests, the doctor concluded that she had a linear-shaped object in her stomach.  It was then that the woman remembered having accidently swallowed a black felt-tip pen a quarter century ago.

Upon inspection of the decidedly corroded pen after removal from her stomach, it was determined that the pen still had ink in it and could be used for writing.

A Brief History of Marijuana Use in Ancient Africa

Also known as hemp or cannabis, marijuana is the oldest known psychoactive plant.  It grows in many parts of the world is successfully cultivated in a wide range of soil types and climates.  In ancient times, marijuana was known to have been used in religious rituals, as well as in medicinal preparations.  It was highly revered for its ability to improve mood, alter perception and consciousness, as well as treating symptoms such as nausea, respiratory ailments, fever, and pain. 

Cannabis Comes to Africa

The use of marijuana by the indigenous people of Africa can be traced back to 14^th century Ethiopia.  Since marijuana did not originate in Africa, the ancient tribes who used it had to acquire it through trading with outsiders.  Archaeologists now believe that marijuana was introduced to African societies by trading goods with their Arab neighbors.  Soon, through seed sharing and careful cultivation practices, cannabis culture had spread to other tribes throughout Africa, giving birth to a commodity that would become more valuable than gold.

Originally, African tribesmen chewed cannabis leaves, but they soon learned the art of smoking the plant, which changed African culture in many ways.  New skills, like pipe-making, had to be learned and smoking marijuana became a large part of ritual and recreation which was performed in groups. 

The Riamba Cult

One tribe, the Bashilenge, formed their entire religion around the use of cannabis.  The Bashilenge call themselves Bena-Riamba, which is translated “the sons of hemp”.  This ancient culture regarded marijuana as a god and the pipe as a symbol of peace.  They believed that cannabis had universal magical powers and was used extensively to ward off evil spirits. 

Deeply engrained in the fabric of African culture, cannabis was used in ancient times in a medicinal capacity to treat common conditions such as dysentery and malaria.  In some tribes, marijuana was worshipped as a god and its use permeated almost every other aspect of societal life, as well.

References: 

H. von Wissman, My Second Journey Through Equatorial Africa (London: Chatto & Windus, 1891), p. 312; cf: K. Zetterstrom, "Bena Riamba, Brothers of the Hemp", Studia Ethnographica Upsaliensia, 26 (1966): 151-65.

J.E. Morley and A.D. Bensusan, "Dagga: Tribal Uses and Customs", Medical Proceedings 17 (1971): 409-12.