(Ink Explainer) June 4, 2026: When did early humans start smoking weed (THC/CBD)? The answer goes back way further than most of us would expect. Our relationship with cannabis did not begin in a college dorm or a back alley. — Rather, it started over 12,000 years ago, when some of the first farmers in East Asia looked at a very useful wild plant and thought, "Let's grow this."
This video traces the full history of cannabis — from a 2,700-year-old shaman's tomb in western China to the smoke-filled burial caves of the Pamir Mountains, the golden cups of Scythian warriors, the sacred altars of ancient Judah, the bhang rituals of India, a Chinese physician's lost anesthesia formula, a Congolese tribe that traded war for hemp, and the American political machine that turned a 12,000-year-old plant into one of the most dangerous [Schedule 1] substances on Earth.
By the end, viewers might start seeing this plant a little differently. All factual research sources are linked below.
📚 RESEARCH AND SOURCES: ▸ Yanghai Tombs — "Phytochemical and genetic analyses of ancient cannabis from Central Asia" (2008, Journal of Experimental Botany) doi.org/10.1093/jxb/ern260 ▸ Jirzankal Cemetery — "The origins of cannabis smoking: Chemical residue evidence from the first millennium BCE in the Pamirs of western China" (2019, Science Advances) doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaw1391 ▸ Herodotus — The Histories, Book IV, on Scythian cannabis use (c. 440 BCE) ▸ Sergei Rudenko — Frozen Tombs of Siberia: The Pazyryk Burials of Iron Age Horsemen (1970, UC Press) ▸ Scythian Gold Cups — "Residue analysis of golden artifacts from Scythian kurgan in the Caucasus" (2015, Antiquity) ▸ Tell Arad Shrine — "Cannabis and Frankincense at the Judahite Shrine of Arad" (2020, Tel Aviv: Journal of the Institute of Archaeology) doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2020... ▸ Atharva Veda — Ancient Vedic text listing cannabis among five sacred plants ▸ Robert Dudley and Dušan Borić — Research on anandamide and the endocannabinoid system ▸ Harry Anslinger — Federal Bureau of Narcotics records, the Gore Files, and the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 ▸ John Ehrlichman — interview quote on Pres. Dick Nixon's drug policy, published in Harper's Magazine (2016) by Dan Baum: "Legalize It All" harpers.org/archive/2016/04/l... ▸ DEA Judge Francis Young — "In the Matter of Marijuana Rescheduling Petition" (1988, Docket No. 86-22)
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PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO: ▸ Shen Nong — legendary Chinese emperor, traditionally credited as the author of the Pen Ts'ao Ching, one of the world's earliest medical texts, which recommended cannabis for joint pain and malaria. ▸ Herodotus — Ancient Greek historian (c. 484–425 BCE). Traveled through Central Asia and documented Scythian cannabis rituals in vivid detail. His accounts were confirmed by archeological discoveries nearly 2,400 years later. ▸ Sergei Rudenko — Soviet archeologist who in 1947 excavated frozen Scythian tombs in Siberia's Altai Mountains, confirming Herodotus's descriptions of cannabis use with perfectly preserved tent frames, heated stones, and cannabis seeds. ▸ Hua Tuo — Chinese physician (c. 140–208 AD). Mixed cannabis with wine to create an anesthetic and performed surgery during which patients felt nothing — 1,800 years before modern anesthesia, executed by warlord Cao Cao. His formula was lost when he burned his own writings in prison. ▸ Cao Cao — One of the most powerful warlords in Chinese history (155–220 AD). Had Hua Tuo arrested and executed after the physician refused to serve as his personal doctor. ▸ Harry Anslinger — head of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics from 1930 to 1962. Criminalized cannabis through racist propaganda, fabricated evidence (the Gore Files), and targeted Black musicians including Billie Holiday. ▸ Billie Holiday — legendary jazz singer targeted by Anslinger, not for drug use but for performing "Strange Fruit," a protest song about American lynchings. ▸ John Ehrlichman — Pres. Nixon's domestic policy advisor, who in a 2016-published interview admitted the War on Drugs was designed to target anti-war protesters and Black communities. ▸ Francis Young — DEA administrative law judge who, after two years of reviewing evidence in 1988, concluded that cannabis should not be classified as a Schedule 1 drug alongside heroin. The DEA rejected and ignored his recommendation.
States of not-becoming = "oblivion." These are states of becoming that people can get themselves into through a desire or craving for annihilation, either after death or as a misguided goal of their spiritual striving. (See Iti 49, ucchedavada, annihilationism). As with all states of becoming, these states are impermanent (transient) and disappointing (painful).
According to Nd.I, "both sides" has here several possible meanings: sensory contact and the origination of sensory contact; past and future; name-and-form; internal and external sense media; self-identity (view) and the origination of self-identity. It might also mean the states of becoming and not-becoming (eternalism and annihilationism) mentioned in the previous verse and below, in Sn 4.5.
Nd.I: Comprehending sensory contact has three aspects: (1) being able to identify and distinguish types of sensory contact; (2) contemplating the true nature of sensory contact (e.g., impermanent/inconstant, disappointing/unable to fulfill, and impersonal/not-self); and (3) abandoning attachment to sensory contact. The same three aspects apply to comprehending perception, as mentioned in the following verse.
See also: AN 4.184
Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Amber Larson (eds.), Guhatthaka Sutta, based on translation and notes by Ven. Thanissaro (accesstoinsight.org, Sn 4.2 PTS: Sn 772-779), Wisdom Quarterly
(Metta Beshay) Patreon: mettabeshay. All links are at linktr.ee/mettabeshay. "Getting high" [finding a temporary way out of our "normal" or usual state of consciousness] is an almost universal human experience. We are taught that alcohol is the default option for humans, but I learned that this is not the case.
Let's discuss the complex morality of the growing kratom use in the world.
Let's try the most famous and confusing legal magic mushroom, the shamanic fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) and explore how to use it for sleep.
Finally, let's learn the best methods to prepare the popular Pacific Island plant kava.
I try all of these plants [from Nature's Plant Pharmacy] and provide a firsthand and honest report on how they make me feel.
I have learned that there is an insane number of legal plant medicines to explore, such as Mormon Tea made of ephedra, shrooms like psilocybin, areca nut or betel nut, Salvia divinorum or seer's sage, and fermented kanna...
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro and disclaimer
1:28 Amanita muscaria (fly agaric)
6:39 Kava
12:50 Kratom
22:58 Kanna
30:17 Outro
WARNING: This video is strictly for educational and documentary purposes. I do not recommend anyone to try or repeat any of my actions in this video.
SOURCES
The father of pharmacognosy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedaniu...
High Uses of Benadryl
/ how_to_trip_safely_on_benadryl
Ann and Alexander Shulgin talking:
• Ann and Sasha Shulgin Discussing Phen...
European Conquer Kanna reports:
“The Present State of the Cape of Good Hope” Translated in 1731
Active ingredients:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
True Review Kanna Video:
• Video
Zembrin:
https://www.amazon.com/Nutricost-Zemb...
Scientists believe they’ve uncovered the meaning of some of the Moai stone monoliths found on Rapa Nui, better known to Westerners as "Easter Island." Here’s the truth [so far].
Here’s what readers will learn when reading this story:
Scientists believe they’ve uncovered the meaning of some of the Moai (giant stone statues) stone monoliths found on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The scientists analyzed soil in the vicinity of two of the Moai statues and found traces of banana, taro, and sweet potato, according to research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
These traces indicate the statues could have been used to celebrate the crop fertility of soils in the region.
The famed stone monoliths that tower over the island of Rapa Nui—colloquially known as Easter Island—have puzzled scientists for centuries.
But archeologists and soil scientists studying the ancient Moai now believe they’ve uncovered the meaning of the famous statues.
Clues in nearby soils suggest the statues may have been placed there to celebrate the fertility of crops in the area.
Remote island research is the best kind of work
For more than three decades, Jo Ann Van Tilburg of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) has studied the origins of the Moai along with Rapanui artist Cristián Arévalo Pakarati and other members of the local community.
They recruited soil scientist Sarah Sherwood, of the University of the South in Tennessee, to analyze the soil the base of two statues found peculiarly perched upright in the Rano Raraku quarry on the eastern part of the island, where most of the more than 1,000 Moai statues originated.
(The scientists suspect that work in the quarry began around A.D. 1455). The team analyzed soils at the foot of two of the structures, which archeologists believe were erected by or before A.D. 1510 to A.D. 1645, and found chemical evidence of common food crops.
The soils revealed traces of foods like taro, banana, and sweet potato, according to research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. More
(NOVA PBS Official) Premiered Jan. 28, 2026: New evidence sheds light on the remarkable life – and mysterious collapse – of the ancient Buddhist/Hindu jungle city (150+ square miles in size like Denver).
Uncover the lost secrets of a once-mighty empire. The massive capital City of Angkor [aka Yaśodharapura, City of Yasovarman I (or Yasodhara?), with more than one million inhabitants in ancient times], the seat of the great Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia for 500 years, was once the biggest city in the world.
For centuries, this incredible civilization flourished, building the largest religious monument on Earth, Angkor Wat (one square kilometer wat "Angkor Temple"), and mastering urban engineering in a challenging landscape. But then it was mysteriously abandoned, swallowed by the jungle.
Now, cutting-edge technology and new discoveries are finally revealing how this astounding empire rose to global prominence – and what likely led to its devastating collapse.
Follow a scientific detective story that is challenging everything we thought we knew about this ancient Buddhist-Hindu metropolis.
CHAPTERS
Angkor Wat (globetrottergirls.com)
00:00 Introduction
04:03 True size of Angkor Wat revealed by LiDAR
15:45 Engineering a massive temple on a flood plain
Yaxchilan (yacht-chee-lan) is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico, near Guatemala (named after the Buddha Gautama plus the word mala or religious beads*). In the Late Classic Period, Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta River, with Piedras Negras ("Black Rocks") as its major rival [1]. Architectural styles in subordinate sites in the Usumacinta region demonstrate clear differences that mark a clear boundary between the two kingdoms [1]. More: Yaxchilan, Mexico
Buddhists came to California and Mexico BEFORE Christianity? Yes, according to American Edward Payson in a miraculous book published more than a century ago:
(BBC) Hidden mere meters under Mexico's modern capital, a series of temples, royal palaces, and mysterious artifacts from an ancient kingdom are being unearthed.
As we descended 7 meters (21 feet) below Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral, I could feel my heart race. I had heard whisperings about the temples buried under this iconic cathedral – one of the largest and oldest in Latin America – but since their discovery in the 1970s, it had not been possible to see them.
We the Mexica [of Mexico] are not "Aztecs"
Now, I was part of a public tour that lets visitors explore the ancient secrets that lie just below this [Catholic] church’s depths.
Nearly 500 years after Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés toppled the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán [the "Place of Nopal Cactuses"], the remains of the ancient metropolis continue to lay hidden mere meters under modern-day Mexico City.
The Spanish [invaders from Spain] started building the Metropolitan [Catholic] Cathedral in 1573 above on top of the sacred Aztec (the “Mexica” as they called themselves) temples as a symbol of conquest. More
Koh Ker (Khmer ប្រាសាទកោះកេរ្ដិ៍, Brasat Kaôh Kértĕ) is a remote Buddhist archeological site in northern Cambodia about 75 miles (120 kms) from Siem Reap and the ancient site of Angkor (and Angkor Wat). It is a jungle-filled region that is sparsely populated. More than 180 sanctuaries have been found in a protected area of 31 square miles (81 square kms) [1]: 13. Only about two dozen monuments can be visited by tourists because most of the sanctuaries are hidden in the forest and the whole area is not fully de-mined. Koh Ker is the modern name for an important city of the Khmer Empire. In inscriptions the town is mentioned as Lingapura ("City of Lingams") or Chok Gargyar [2]: 70 (translated as "City of Glance" [3] or as Iron Tree Forest) [1]: 8–9. More
Zawyet El Aryan (زاویة العریان) is a town in the Giza Governorate of Egypt, located between Giza and Abusir [1]. To the west of the town, just in the desert area, is a necropolis [examined by Egyptologist and Italian architect Alessandro Barsanti], referred to by the same name. Almost directly east across the Nile is Memphis. In Zawyet El Aryan, there are two pyramid complexes and five mastaba cemeteries. More
(Ancient Architects) Secret mission to explore Great Pyramid of Giza: Yersh 1
Michael Button, YouTube, Nov. 19, 2025; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly
The MEGALITHIC mystery of Baalbek — Massive stones no one can explain
(Uncharted Mysteries) Nov. 1, 2025: Something about Baalbek (ancient Heliopolis) doesn’t make sense — an ancient platform in Lebanon [next to modern Israel] built from stone blocks so massive that no known method could have moved them.
One of these blocks weighs over 1,500 tons, yet it was somehow carved, transported, and stacked with perfect precision thousands of years ago. The mystery of how and why it was built has divided historians, engineers, and archeologists for decades.
In this short documentary, we’ll explore the origins of Baalbek, who might have built it, and the incredible techniques that made it possible.
Baal [6][7][8] or Baʿal [9][a] was a title with the honorific meaning "lord" or "owner" in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity. From its use among people, it came to be applied to gods [11]. Scholars previously associated the theonym ("name of god") with solar cults and with a variety of unrelated patron deities, but inscriptions have shown that the name Baal was particularly associated with the storm and fertility god Hadad and his local manifestations [12]. The Ugaritic god Baal (𐎁𐎓𐎍) is the protagonist of one of the lengthiest surviving epics from the ancient Near East, the Baal Cycle. Known by epithets like “rider of the clouds” and “Victorious Baal,” he [like India's Indra/Sakra and ancient Greece's Zeus] was associated with rain, lightning, wind, fertility, and kingship, and was often depicted in opposition to sea and death deities like Yammu and Mot. More
From the colossal Trilithon stones to the legends of gods and giants, this investigation reveals why Baalbek remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the ancient world.
Helios (Sun) City: Is Sun conscious? (Sheldrake)
The Asuras (Titans) of Buddhism and Hinduism
Asuras (Sanskrit असुर) are a class of beings in Dharmic religions [1]. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism.
If Suras are "gods" then A-suras are "anti-gods." In Buddhism, they came to earth when Sakka (Indra), King of the Devas, through them out of his heaven (the Realm of the Thirty-Three), but as proof that Suras and Asuras very closely related, Sakka's wife is said to be an Asuran princess.
In a Buddhist context, the word Asura is translated as "titan," "demigod," and "antigod" [2]. According to Hindu texts, the Asuras are in constant fear of the Devas [3]: 2–6.
Asuras are described in Indian texts as powerful superhuman demigods with good or bad qualities. In early Vedic literature, the good Asuras are called Adityas and are led by Varuna, while the malevolent ones are called Danavas and are led by Vritra [4]: 4.
In the earliest layer of Vedic texts, Agni, Indra, and other gods (Devas) are also called Asuras, in the sense of their being "lords" of their respective domains, knowledge, and abilities.
In later Vedic and post-Vedic texts, the benevolent gods are called Devas, while malevolent Asuras compete against these Devas and are considered "enemy of the gods" [4][5].
Asuras are part of Hinduism along with Yakshas (ogres, shapeshifting nature protectors, monsters, spirits), Rakshasas (fierce man-eating ogres, ghouls, demons), Bhutas(ghosts), and many more.
Asuras have been featured in many cosmological theories and legends in Hinduism and Buddhism [6][7][8]. More
Older mother of all civilizations? Scientists now think Tiwanaku was first civilization
Scientists think Tiwanaku was the first civilization
(Origins Explained) Nov. 18, 2025: Origins Explained Daily. I’ve wanted to tell this story for ages because Tiwanaku feels like a secret the mountains kept to themselves. High above Lake Titicaca is Bolivia’s megalithic heartland to see laser-like stonework, the Akapanapyramid, Kalasasaya, and new DNA clues that change what we think we know. Then we’ll step into Pumapunku’s mind-bending blocks, lake-buried offerings to Viracocha, and a newly found temple at Palaspata that ties the whole network together. Love ancient engineering, origin myths, and real science challenging wild theories? Then this is a great episode.
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