Hashish has a history that is mysterious and thousands of years old. The substance is a potent concentrate of cannabis used for religious and medicinal purposes by Arab cultures about a thousand years ago. The use of the drug then spread through Europe and into the rest of the world. Today, however, Europeans remain the biggest consumers of hashish. Hashish is made from resin – collected from the trichomes of cannabis plants. It can be smoked in a pipe, bong or joint, but did you know it can also be eaten?
Like cannabis itself, hashish has a unique history. The drug remains associated with political and spiritual significance. Its presence in society has always been associated with great fun, but also, for example, with spirituality;
The first mention
Hashish is a product that has a history going back thousands of years. One of the earliest literary references appears in the classic 1001 Arabian Nights stories. “After wandering penniless, he finds his way to Hammam. He undresses, eats a ball of hash and dreams that he is rich again. Upon waking, he is embarrassed to find that the people who find him are now laughing at him. However, he does not forget his experiences with the drug. He begins to rebuild his pride and self-esteem”
Other legends credit the first use of hashish to Haidar. This lone monk was also the founder of the Sufi religious order. After falling into a depression one day, he walked alone into the fields. On his return, his disciples realise that he is a changed man. He is happy and in love with life. Haydar credits his happiness to the use of hashish. His disciples then follow him in using klonopi. Haydar was even buried surrounded by cannabis plants. The Sufis were sworn to secrecy regarding their understanding, use and power of the drug.
Whatever its origins, however, the use of hashish spread through the Arab world around 900 AD. It was also used in India, but it was called “Bhang”.” It appeared in Europe around the 18th century. Napoleonic campaigns used the drug in Egypt to bolster exhausted armies. By the mid-19th century, Western doctors began to explore its use as medicine. Literary figures including Charles Baudelaire and Victor Hugo began experimenting with the drug;
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Hashish and literature?
In 1857, the American adventurer Fitz Hugh Ludlow also investigated changes in consciousness after hashish use. The title of his book referred to the story of the Arabian Nights. The book became a sensation. It went through four editions and is still in print today. The book is also credited with popularising hashish as a medicinal and recreational drug. Indeed, immediately after its publication, the first commercial ‘hash canades’ and ‘hash clubs’ began to appear in the USA. By 1876, tourists could even buy hashish at Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition. In the 1960s, the book was also popular with the counterculture movement;
Assassins
Some believe that the name for hashish comes from the word “asasin”.” And why is that? Because of the strangeness of the drug and the cultures that used it. It starts with Marco Polo, who encountered it on his travels in the 1300s. In fact, it’s likely that this warlike, violent association with hashish comes from the Scythians. This was a nomadic culture that roamed between Central Asia and Europe for centuries. The warriors used hashish to prepare for battle and as medicine. They also grew and traded cannabis plants. They are credited with introducing cannabis to Europe via the Persian (or Ottoman) Empire around the time the drug found its way into the popular culture of the time;
Hashish and the new age
Europe is by far the largest consumer of hashish today. The vast majority of hashish comes from Morocco, Afghanistan and Turkey. However, this could also begin to change. Today, as more and more research confirms the medical efficacy of not only cannabis but also other elements of the plant (including trichomes), hashish is finding a new market. Making hashish at home is not that difficult. Modern extraction techniques and a focus on medical processing are likely to create a new era of popularity for the drug – even outside Europe;
CBD hashish
CBD hashish, unlike THC hashish, is made from industrial hemp;
CBD hashish is produced in the same way as regular hashish. The slight difference is, of course, the small percentage of THC, which by law must be less than 0,3 %, but again has a high CBD content. In other respects, hashish with CBD is very similar and often the same as hash made from conventional marijuana. The flavour of CBD hash is usually earthier, possibly flavoured with terpenes from other varieties, which give an original flavour to each gram of hash;
Its use is the same as that of THC hashish. You can roll it in a cigarette or mix it into a joint. Of course, there are more methods of using hashish, it’s up to the person what suits them best. It is also possible to mix hashish into your food and enrich your food with some CBD vitamins.
