Scientists Discover Traces of Cannabis Use in 17th-Century Human Remains in Italy

A team of researchers from Milan, Italy, has made a fascinating discovery: Through chemical and biological analysis of 17th-century bones from a tomb in the church of the historic Milan Hospital, scientists have determined that people at that time were already using cannabis for medicinal purposes. The remains belonged to a teenage boy and a middle-aged woman, leading researchers to believe that the plant was likely used as a therapeutic, possibly pain-relieving, remedy.

Historical written sources confirm that cannabis—specifically “Indian hemp” and its extracts in the form of alcohol tinctures—was widely used throughout Europe as a medicinal agent. Cannabis was particularly employed as a painkiller and in the treatment of gout, urinary tract infections, and other chronic diseases. However, in 1484, Pope Innocent VIII banned the use of the plant by decree, which gradually led to its decline in medical practice. Historians note that the Pope’s decision was based on his personal belief that “Indian” hemp was a foreign intoxicant, incompatible with Christian European culture.

“This finding confirms the data from medieval and Renaissance pharmacopeias, which describe the use of certain types of cannabis in the preparation of tinctures used as painkillers and antiseptics,” says Gaia Giordana, a biologist, graduate student, and member of the archaeological team at the Center for Forensic Anthropology at the University of Milan. “Examination of the femur bones of the two deceased individuals—a teenage boy and a middle-aged woman—shows clear evidence of THC and CBD residues and metabolites in their fibers, suggesting oral or topical use of cannabis extracts.”

Overall, the authors of the study note that such research is relatively rare in historical science. “This perspective on history is important because it helps us understand that our ancestors also used medicines and recreational substances, just as many people do today,” the introduction to the scientific paper states.

“I believe that the traces of cannabinoids in the bones are direct evidence of the widespread use of so-called ‘decoctions’ or herbal infusions of various medicinal plants as a form of folk medicine,” says one of the project leaders, archaeotoxicologist Domenico di Candia. “Given Milan’s population even in those centuries, as well as the characteristic hygiene and lack of social services in the Middle Ages, I assume that people used such simple remedies to treat various infections and as accessible painkillers. Considering that cannabis was widely cultivated around the city at the time, it’s also possible that people consumed the plant in other ways, including burning or smoking it.”