While cannabis' therapeutic properties were being all but ignored by the Europeans, in India, entire systems of medicine were being built up around it. The herb's intoxicating effect was very closely tied to its remedial use. Because of its psychoactive properties it was prized more than ordinary medicines. It was prescribed for a variety of ailments, including dandruff, headaches, mania, insomnia, venereal disease, leprosy, whooping cough and tuberculosis.
