Rabelais, in his work The Third Book, tackles the subject of our plant in a rich and original way. His tale describes a fantastic world, whose elements at first glance seem chimerical and totally unrelated to reality. And yet, in many ways, the plant he describes is reminiscent of hemp or weed and some of its effects.
At the end of the Third Book, published in 1546, Pantagruel and his companion Panurge complete the long series of initiatory encounters that punctuate the work. The question that drives Panurge, “Should he marry?”, serves as a pretext for consulting various interlocutors, often seemingly implausible: a philosopher, a madman, a witch, and so on. Now, in chapter 59 (XLIX), Rabelais mentions a herb he calls Pantagruelion: “both green & raw, and candied & prepared”. “The Pantagruelion herb has a small, short, round root, ending in an obtuse point, white, with few filaments, & no deeper in the ground than a cubit. From the root proceeds a single stem, round, ferulaceous, green on the outside, whitening on the inside: concave, like the stem of Smyrnium, Olus atrum, Fèves, & Gentiane: woody, straight, friable, crenellated, somewhat in the form of slightly striated columns: full of fibers, in which consists all the dignity of the herb, both in the part called Mesa, i.e. median, and in that which is called Mylasea”.
This is followed by a lengthy description of the plant in terms of its form and composition: it is, in fact, hemp. In the following chapters, Rabelais describes its many uses according to tradition, the names given to it and the peoples who use it. He lends it a host of miraculous virtues and explains its origins: “Indeed, it is these virtues and singularities that give it the name Pantagruelion. For just as Pantagruel was the Idea and example [vocabulaire platonicien] of all joyful perfection (I don’t think any of you drinkers [c’est ainsi que Rabelais nomme ses lecteurs] doubt this), so I recognize in Pantagruelion so many virtues, so much energy, so much perfection, so many admirable effects, that if she had been in her qualities recognized when the trees (according to the Prophet’s account) elected a King of the woods to rule & dominate them, she undoubtedly would have won the plurality of votes & suffrages. dominate them, she would undoubtedly have won a plurality of votes. Shall I tell you more? Depending on how it’s used, hemp can be used to make textiles, ropes and decorations. Rabelais also reported relaxing properties similar to the effects of what we now call CBD:“The root of this, cooked in water, softens stretched nerves, contracted joints, sclirrhotic podagres, & knotted drops”. These lengthy descriptions, though set in a fantastical context, nevertheless reveal the various methods used to prepare and use hemp in Rabelais’ day. Indeed, modern analyses and interpretations tend to find hidden meanings, rational, experimental or philosophical information in his comic writings. We only regret that no mention is made of the psychoactive effects of cannabis, which Rabelais, in his capacity as a physician, described in great detail. But it’s amusing to discover that, as far back as the 16th century, a certain “scientific” community was already studying our beloved plant with wonder.
