c. 2800 BCEPeer-reviewedWell documented
Cannabis in Ancient China
On the timeline · around c. 2800 BCE ·
What happened
Cannabis is one of humanity's oldest crops. In ancient China it was grown for hemp fiber and seeds, and it appears in early Chinese medicine — tradition credits the legendary emperor Shen Nung with recording its healing uses thousands of years ago.
Why it matters
China is one of the earliest homes of cannabis cultivation, where the plant was valued as fiber, food and medicine long before it spread across the world.
Sources
Related timelines
- History of China → — Among China's oldest cultivated plants