गञ्जा – Cannabis sativa

 

Name – भङ्गा

Botanical name – Cannabis sativa

Description – Hemp is a tall annual herb, 1.2-4.8 m high with erect angular stem; leaves palmately divided; flowers greenish, dioecious, rarely monoecious, male flowers borne in long drooping panicles and female flowers in short axillary spikes; fruit ovate, seed-like achene.

Chemical Constituents- Plant contains Cannabiolic acid, cannabidiol, cannabinol, tetrahydrocannabinol, trans-cinnamic acid and n-nonacosane, eugenol, gaiacol cannabidivarotic acid (from Soviet variety), cannabinoids – cannabivarichromene, cannabicitran, cannabisativine, cannabitriol; cannabispiran, cannabinodiol, Beta-cannabispiranol, tetrahydrocannabivaninic acid, cannabidivaninic acid, cannabichromerarimic acid, cannabigerovarinic acid, cannabispirol, cannabichromanone, anhydrocannabisativine, canniprene, cannabicoumaronone. Roots contain cannabinoids. Fruits contain cannabisin A (lignanamide)

Use – Source of hemp fiber, and also of narcotines Bhang, Ganja, and Charas. Dried flowering tops of female plant used as a sedative, analgesic and narcotic. Bhang consists of the dried leaves; Ganja of the dried flowering and or fruiting tops of female plants from which no resin has been removed; and Charas consists of the resinous exudation collected from the leave. Modern use : Isolation of a sedative and antibacterial principle distinct from unknown constituents of hemp. Bactericidal effect observed on gram-positive microorganism up to a dilution of 1 :1,50,000.