US Pharmacopoeia - 3d (1851) Edition:

Throughout this book, reference has been made to the US Pharmacopoeia; and not without good reason. In a time with little or no government interference, its standards for formulation were treated by both druggist and drug manufactures, with an almost religious reverence.

Probably inspired by the British Pharmacopoeia, its history started in the 1820s, when several American medical societies came together to create the first edition of the United States Pharmacopoeia (U.S.P.). Its purpose was to identify and standardize the then mostly botanical drugs in medical use. The U.S. Pharmacopoeia can, therefore, best be thought of as a medical cookbook; one that dictates the exact formula, parts of the plant, and the exact method of preparation of base drugs for pharmaceutical use.

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USP - 1851


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CANADIAN HEMP
Often confused with true Cannabis - Apocynum or Canadian (Indian) Hemp, while sharing a common name, share very little else in common. They are two totally different species of plant. Most first-time antique collectors, however, find the similarity of names somewhat confusing. It should be remembered that at the time of printing, there was great debate over whether the hemp plant was one or a number of different species of the same family.

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FIRST MENTION OF CANNABIS:
Within a decade after O'Shaughnessy published his findings, Cannabis first made its way into the 1851 (3rd edition) of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia. The growth of its use and popularity was so fast that had the pharmacopoeia committee not convened only once every decade, it would most certainly been entered before then.


Pictures courtesy Stanford University Medical Library.
Used with permission U.S. Pharmacopoeia Society.


WANT TO KNOW MORE:
Due to download/space limitations, it is all but impossible to display the hundreds of Cannabis Antique Pictures that the museum has accumulated. However, they are available on CD-ROM. Please contact the museum for more info.


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