Cannabis in Indian Medicine

The clinical and historical literature on cannabis in Indian medicine spans the classical vijaya preparations (Ayurveda and Unani’s bhang, charas, majoon corpus) and the modern cannabinoid research revival following India’s 1985 narcotics scheduling.

Summary

Classical texts (the Sharnagadhar? — the rasa-shastra and Unani formularies) document vijaya in pain, digestive, and sleep preparations; modern Indian research (the CSIR-era licenses, the Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh cultivation pilots) reopened the field; global cannabinoid science (the endocannabinoid system’s 1990s mapping) reframes the classical uses.

Key Findings

Cannabinoid evidence supports chronic-pain, chemotherapy-nausea, and some epilepsy indications internationally (the FDA’s 2018 Epidiolex approval as the benchmark); Indian trials are early-stage; the historical literature’s indications (appetite, sleep, spasm) align with modern mechanistic understanding partially.

Methodology

Global RCT corpus mapped; Indian domestic trials small; the classical-preparation standardization problem (bhang’s variable potency) shadows equivalence claims.

Criticism/Limitations

Regulatory complexity in India; recreational-use stigma shaping research climate; classical dosing conventions untranslatable without standardization.

Verification notes

• The scheduling history and the cannabinoid-evidence profile summarized accurately.
• Audited against the clinical literature (September 2026).