CBD history - who discovered CBD oils?

We are accustomed to the assumption that the use of CBD is a modern matter, especially in medicine. Many people believe that hemp was previously used only for making clothes, and no one knew anything about its psychoactive or anti-inflammatory effects. However, this is far from the truth. So, when was marijuana and the health benefits of CBD discovered? And who is actually responsible for discovering this plant? Hemp itself has been mentioned for hundreds, even thousands of years!

Hemp in the Middle Ages

The presence of hemp during this period is indicated by, among others, a Persian medical writer. In 1025, he stated that this plant allows for the effective treatment of infectious wounds, severe headaches, and also swelling. Moreover, the Persian's research was later a significant reference point for many Western researchers. Similarly, around the year 1000, Arab scholars al-Badri and al-Mayusi emphasized the advantages of hemp in treating epilepsy. It is certainly interesting that it was mainly Arab merchants and researchers who influenced the Western world, which as a result became interested in hemp, especially Indian.

History of CBD

The first mentions of individual components of hemp can be found when mentioning CBN in 1899, when discoveries were made by: Thomas Wood, W.T. Spivey, and Thomas Easterfield. Later came the first isolation of CBD by Adams, which will be discussed later. The discovery of CBG in 1964 also proved significant, a component that is often added to CBD, aiming to strengthen the action of this health-promoting substance. It is worth mentioning that the use of hemp as a drug dates back to the period 2-3 thousand years BC. Here, Ancient China and Emperor Shen-Nung were leading. The oldest discovered record refers to him, indicating that marijuana was used to treat malaria and rheumatism and other over 100 ailments.

Who actually discovered CBD?

We already know that hemp has been used in the history of the world in various ways. What interests us in particular, however, is CBD, a substance present in hemp, which shows health-promoting properties and is not psychoactive at the same time. Who discovered CBD? The person responsible for this is, among others, chemist Roger Adams, a Harvard University graduate. Although he did this in 1942, he was not aware at the time of the importance of his discovery. His feat was repeated over 20 years later. Then Dr. Raphael Mechoulam isolated cannabidiol. He did this in 1963 and then began the process of studying both the properties and actions of this substance. This is why, for this reason, the "father" of CBD is usually referred to as this chemist, who is also responsible for isolating THC (1964), the psychoactive component of marijuana. Mechoulam collaborated with Yechiel Gaoni in researching hemp. Since then, the scientific world has made significant progress in deepening knowledge about hemp.

Who was Mechoulam?

It is worth taking a look at the profile of the person credited with discovering CBD. Raphael Mechoulam was the son of a pair of Bulgarian Jews, whose father even survived a concentration camp. Mechoulam left Europe in 1949 and ended up in newly formed Israel. He studied chemistry here and served in the army. Ultimately, he started researching pesticides and finally obtained his doctorate at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot in 1963. Here he discovered THC and thus revolutionized thinking about marijuana. It is worth noting that Dr. Raphael Mechoulam made yet another discovery in 1980. His research was key in indicating that CBD could assist in treating epilepsy. It is probably largely thanks to the above discoveries that we now have the first CBD drugs available in pharmacies - these are Sativex and Epidiolex.