title: Shiva, Lord of Bhang.
abstract: In India, Cannabis Indica has been used for literally thousands of years in the worship of the god Shiva. Cannabis is used in an orally administered form called bhang which can be either the wet resinous leaves formed into pills of a drink made of milk, cannabis, and various spices consumed by worshipers of Shiva on festival days or by smoking the flowering buds of cannabis-a practice generally reserved for holy men who dedicate their lives to ascetic practice and the worship of Shiva. This practice is codified in the Vedas as well as in legends about the origin of cannabis and its relationship to Shiva.
authors: College of Social Work, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0027, USA. theodoregodlaski@att.net
authors: Theodore M
authors: TM
authors: Godlaski
mesh_terms: D002188:Cannabis; D018596:Hinduism; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male