Untitled watercolor by Anon, 1820. Captioned – A European, probably Sir David Ochterlony (1758-1825), in Indian dress, smoking a hookah and watching a nautch in his house at Delhi.
A British Surgeon puts Ganjah on the Medical Map
In 1788 a young British surgeon took a job with The East Indian Company and shipped to the far off land of India. Little did he know what he would discover and bring back to the masses, Ganjah…
Whitelaw Ainslie would practice medicine in India for the next 27 years. As the Superintending Surgeon in Madras, he found the time to pursue his passion in writing. He chose a daunting task for his first topic. Whitelaw wanted to compile a list of all the drugs and medicines used in India most of which were unknown at the time back in England.
Inside cover of The ‘Materia Medica of Hindoostan, and Artisan’s and Agriculturist’s Nomenclature’ by Whitelaw Ainslie in 1813
Title page to The ‘Materia Medica of Hindoostan, and Artisan’s and Agriculturist’s Nomenclature’ by Whitelaw Ainslie in 1813
In 1813 he would publish his findings in his first book titled, The ‘Materia Medica of Hindoostan, and Artisan’s and Agriculturist’s Nomenclature’. In his book he would list Gunjah bringing the drug to the attention of the medical community back home in England and around the world.
Listing Gunjah as a recreational drug that is smoked, drank and ate, he would also list the ingredient for its medical treatments including topicals.
page 80 from The ‘Materia Medica of Hindoostan, and Artisan’s and Agriculturist’s Nomenclature’ by Whitelaw Ainslie in 1813
“Ganjah is the Tamool name of the plant from which Bangie (bhang) and majum are prepared;
The leaves are frequently added to tobacco, and smoaked, to increase its intoxicating power; they are also sometimes, given in cases of diarrhea, and, in conjunction with turmeric, onions, and warm gingilie oil, are made into an application for painful, swelled, and protruded piles. In Malays this plant is called Ginji Lacki Lacki; it is the Dalengi Kansjava of the Hort. Mal.”
Whitelaw found Ganjah so important in his findings to also include its preparations for both medical and recreational use in edibles, in there own passage under ‘majum’.
page 86
“Majum
This electuary is much used by the Mahometans, particularly the more dissolute, who take it internally to intoxicate, and ease pain; and not unfrequently, from an overdose of it, produce a temporary mental derangement. The chief ingredients employed in making it, are, Gunjah-leaves, milk, ghee, poppy seeds, flowers of the thorn apple, the powder of the nux vomica, and sugar.
Another inebriating preparation, made with the leaves of the Gunjah plant, is Bang or Bengie. It is in a liquid form, and is chiefly drank by the Mahometans and Mahrattas; the Tomools and Telingas, who are comparatively temperate and circumspect, use it but little.”
Returning to England 2 years later, Whitelaw would spend his retirement years writing for pleasure. Now as a veteran author with time to research, he wanted to go into more detail of his findings with Indian drugs.
In 1826 Whitelaw published his second book cataloging Indian drugs titled ‘Materia Indica, or Some Account of Those Articles Which Are Employed by the Hindoos and Other Eastern Nations, in Their Medicine, Arts, and Agriculture’.
Title page to ‘Materia Indica’ by Whitelaw Ainslie in 1826
In his new book, he would expand his section about ganja speculating origin and throwing in some rather odd observations.
pages 108-111 in ‘Materia Indica’ by Whitelaw Ainslie in 1826
“Ganja – gingi-lacki-lacki(mal) ganjah chettoo (tel) kanub (arab) ganja (beng) gindshe (jav) sjarank (egypt) kanop (armen) mafuen, chutsao (chinese) ganjica also bijeeah (sans) hemp. Cannabis sativa (wild)
The leaves of the hemp in India, are frequently added to tobacco, and smoked to increase its intoxicating power; they are also sometimes prescribed in cases of diarrhea; and in conjunction with turmeric, onions, and warm gingilie oil, are made into an unction for painful, protruded piles(hemeriods).
Though some people have bestowed on the plant now under our notice, the botanical appellation of cannabis indica; yet, as it does not appear, exept in size, to differ at all from the cannabis sativa of Europe, we have retained the original specific name. It would seem, however, to be applied to very different purpouses in Eastern countries from those for which it is resorted to in colder territories; being chiefly employed in the former, for its inebriating and narcotic qualities. Of late years, however, I understand, that in some districts of central India, cordage and a coarse kind of cloth are occasionally prepared with it; in Nepal too, by Kirkpatrick’s account of that country, it would seem, that linens and sackcloth are sometimes made with it; the Chinese, from what Barrow says, use it little for such purposes, but are acquainted with its intoxicating powers. The Malays, Crawfurd informs us, cultivate the plant only for smoking. The Turks know well its stupifying effects, and call it Malach. Linnaus speaks of its “vis narcotica, phantastica, dementens, anodyna, et repellens.” It would appear, that even the Hottentots use it to get drunk with, and call it dacha. We are told by Avicenna, that the seeds of the cannabis sativa, are termed by the Arabians, and that the inebriating substance, prepared from the bruised leaves they name ‘hushish’. Some account has been given of a liquid preparation, made from the leaves of the plant under the head banghie in this chapter. For some particulars respecting a sort of electuary into which the leaves enter as an ingredient, the reader is referred to the article Majum, also in this chapter. Seee also Subjah, in another part of this work.
The Cannabis sativa is an annual plant, which often grows in India to the height of nine feet or more; and is much cultivated by the Mahometans in their gardens; the leaves, which vary from one and a half to four inches in length, are alternate, digitate, slender, serrate, and of a pale-green colour. There has been considerable difference of opinion with respect to the true native country of Ganjah. Willdenow says, habitat in Persia, Gmelin thinks it is a native of Tartary, Thunberg found it in Japan, Miller, with his usual intelligence, remarks, that its Greek appellation is evidently taken from its Oriental one, Reichard, by whom Willdenow has no doubt been guided, assigns it to Persia; notwithstanding what has been affirmed by Pliny and Dioscorides, of its growing wild in Europe. Miller notices some curious, perhaps absurd circumstances, respecting the seeds; such as that when eaten by fowls, they make them lay many eggs; and that when bullfinches and golfinches take them in considerable quantity as food, they have the effect of changing the red and yellow of those birds to total blackness. No oil is extracted from them in India. Some of the Hakeems of the lower provinces, are in the habit of preparing with the seeds a kind of emulsion, which they prescribe in gonorrhea. The reader will find the cannabis sativa noticed by Rumph under the name of C. foliis digitatis; the plant according to Moon is the mat-kansha of the Cyngalese; it is the ma-fuen of the Cochin-Chinese.”
In the Materia Indica, Whitelaw also separated and expanded on his sections for edible preparations, including Bhang and Majum.
Majum, Pages 176 & 177 in ‘Materia Indica’ by Whitelaw Ainslie in 1826
“Majum (tam) majoom (duk) also majoom (sans) modjoon (turkish)
These are names of an electuary which is much used by the Mahometans, particularly the more dissolute, who take it to intoxicate and ease pain – the chief ingredients employed in making it are, ganja leaves (cannabis sativa), milk, ghee, poppy seeds, flowers of the thorn-apple, the powder of the nux vomica, and sugar – an overdose of it has been known to bring on a total derangement of intellect. See article Banghie in this chapter, and subjah in another part of this work. Madjoon, besides being the Turkish name for an inebriating preparation made with opium, is also often bestowed by the Turks on opium itself, which, by the way, is much less indulged in now than it was some years ago at Constantinople.”
Banghie, page 39 in ‘Materia Indica’ by Whitelaw Ainslie in 1826
“Banghie (tam) bengh (pers) subjah (duk and hind)
This is an inebriating liquor, which is prepared with the leaves of the ganjah plant (cannabis indica); it is chiefly drank by the Mahometans and Mahrattas; the Tamools and Telingas of Lower India, who are comparatively sober, use it but little.”
Whitelaw would also add one more section for cannabis in his new book… A little understood section for the prized Charas or as he called it Cheris, the handrub hashish of the Himalayas…
Cheris, pages 73 & 74 in ‘Materia Indica’ by Whitelaw Ainslie in 1826
“Cheris or Cherris (nepal)
Is the name given to a most powerfully narcotic gum resin, obtained from a plant called, in Nepal, jeea; when clarified, it is termed momea, from its resemblance to wax. Kirkpatrick says, it would appear to differ from the hemp chiefly in the very strong odour of its leaves, and by its yielding cherris, which the hemp does not; he adds, however, that from the grosser parts of the plant banghie majum and subja can be prepared.
It is, I think, in all probability, a variety of the cannabis sativa; and what puts the matter almost beyond a doubt, is the similarity of the Sanscrit names; the one being jeea the other vijeea.”
Although it was known to exist in some circles already, Whitelaw was the first to bring this overlooked herb Ganja to western medicine!