पञ्च राज्यानि वीरुधांसोमश्रेष्ठानि ब्रूमः। दर्भो भङ्गो यवःसह ते नो मुञ्चन्तुअंहसः॥. the meaning of these lines from atharva vedais, there are five types of plants that are the best source of sOma. May these plants relieve us from our troubles.
 One of these five, is Marijuana also knownas bhaṅgā in Sanskrit. The meaning of the word, bhang, comes fromthe root word, bhajyate meaning breaking, or splitting. marijuana, is called bhangA, because it createsa break, or a split, between your mental burden, and your own self.
 This break is what causes the lightness, andeuphoria. While it lasts, this euphoria can be an extremelyliberating experience, and is the main reason behind marijuana being so strongly associatedwith free thinking and libertarian movements.
 This freedom from the burden of one's ownmind, is also the reason behind unbridled and brilliant mental capabilities during ahigh. When the societal structures get too rigid,and demanding, it is natural for the mind to desire a break. 

While recreational and medical use of marijuanamight not seem too harmful, it's capacity to create a break, could also eventually leadto a break down. bhangA, has a long history of use in Ayurveda. It is classified as upa visha or a mildlytoxic substance and has been used in healing preparations after proper processing, or shuddhi. The toxicity of marijuana is elaborated uponby many of the Rasa Shastras. One of them, called Ananda Kanda has a wholechapter dedicated to bhangA, its toxicity, the procedures for cultivation, preparation,and consumption. In this chapter, the Ananda Kanda describes9 successive stages of marijuana toxicity. This text also prescribes various antidotesto counter the toxic and narcotic effects of excessive use of marijuana. Let us now look at the exact sanskrit linesregarding marijuna, from some of the Ayurvedic textbooks. verse two hundred and five of bhavaprakasha,says bhangA kaphaharI tiktA grAhiNI pAchanI laghuHtIkshNoshNA pittalA mOha mandavAg vahni vardhinI this verse describes the various medicinalproperties of marijuana. It calls, marijuana by names like ganjA, mAtulAnI,vijayA, and jayA. It is called a kAmadA, meaning, it increaseslibido, ruchyA, meaning it increases the sensation of taste, vAk vahni vardhini, meaning it causesincreased speech, and heightens the fire in the body. This applies to various faculties like digestion,sexual desire, and thought process, all of which are seen as various manifestations ofagni, or fire. It is also called nidrakara, meaning, it inducessleep, madakrut, meaning it causes intoxcation, pAchanI, meaning it causes quick digestion. It is also called kaphaharI, which means,it suppresses the production of mucus in the body. kapha is the property which causes coaggulation,and heaviniess, not just in the respiratory system, but throughout the body. All these qualities make marijuana an excellentremedy for various disorders like epilepsy, glaucoma, schizophrenia, indigestion and impotency. It is also used topically, to cure worm infestedwounds and relieve pain. However, since it is categorized as upa-vishaor mildly toxic, purification processes, called shOdhana, have to be performed before bhangAcan be consumed. It is also used in ayurvedic medicines likepushpadhanwa rasa, which enhances sexual stamina, and reduces premature ejaculation. jAti phaladi churna, which enhances the respiratoryand digestive functions, in nidrOdaya rasa, which treats insomnia andnocturnal ejaculation in bahumUtrantak ras, which treats frequenturination, and in mahajwarankush ras, which brings balance to body temperature. Other ayurvedic works like kaiyadeva nighantuh,and sushruta samhita, have similar descriptions of the benefits of marijuana. This fairly establishes that bhangA was notseen as a substance of taboo, in ancient indian culture. It was even attributed divine qualities, ofbeing a favourite of lord shiva. But what needs to be understood, is that itwas not a substance to be abused. We we extremely aware of it's toxic nature. Consumption of bhAng was always done aftershuddhikarana. Even though it's toxic effects are not extensivelymentioned, i think the reason behind it, is because once it was categorized as visha,maybe the sages trusted us, that we'll not intentionally poison ourselves. So, should one use marijuana, or not ? Ifyou are consuming it in smoke form, you should stop it immediately, you are slowly killingyourself. If you are consuming it orally, are the properpurification processes being done, to remove it's toxicity ? Essentially, the question we should ask ourselveswhen using the plant that breaks the mind,bhangA ,is, is it giving you a break, or is it givingyou a break down. 

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