Shiva's Herbal Medicine
The cannabis plant serves a thousand purposes and is a remarkably renewable resource (it literally grows like a weed). This global shift towards legalization is long overdue, and offers hope that we can yet reverse the absurd suppression and violent defamation this sacred plant has suffered in the last century. In his book Shiva’s Broken Dream— detailing the world history of cannabis and the powerful movements to vilify it — Mel Thomas relates how, “The Vedas… describe how cannabis was created when the Gods stirred the heavenly oceans with the peak of Mount Mandara. A drop of amrita (heavenly nectar) fell from the sky and a sacred cannabis plant sprouted on the spot. Lord Siva brought the cannabis plant down from Mount Mandara for the pleasure of Mankind and for this the plant was consecrated to him [Siva]. Indeed, there are some intriguing theories that the cognitive and spiritual evolution of mankind was due in part to our interaction w...