Hemp is one of our most ancient crops. Cannabis sativa – “useful hemp” – originates from Inner Asia. Humanity got to know this versatile plant about 5,000 years ago and took it with them during their migrations from Asia to Europe. The Hungarians acquired a thorough knowledge of the plant in their Asian homeland, Magna Hungaria: they primarily made clothes, towels, and ropes from it, but they also learned to use hemp as a medicinal plant: a decoction of its leaves, roots, and flowers was consumed as a medicinal tea for inflammations, sore throats, nausea, stomach , headache and intestinal pain, skin rash, to alleviate allergies, the smoke of its dried flowers was also used as a sedative and anti-asthma agent. Healing ointments made from a mixture of hemp leaves, hemp flowers and propolis were given to treat various skin injuries. Hemp flower extract and its resin were used against loss of appetite and stomach ulcers. Preparation of extracts was the task of shamans (táltos) and healers. A decoction of hemp was also recommended for the treatment of impotence.
Hemp was listed in Hungarian pharmacopoeias until 1934, which was recommended for the treatment of migraines, sleep disorders, gout, hay fever and tantrums, among other things.
The word “hemp” is preserved in the names of many settlements and places in the Carpathian Basin. Governor Miklós Horthy of Nagybánya Vitéz was born in Kenderes, and their family’s castle is also located there. South of Békéscsaba there is also an area called Kender-földek. Kender-utca, Kenderes-utca and Kendermag-utca are located in Budapest. Kender-hegy is located in Leányvár settlement. But in Hungary we also find Kendermál and Kendermező, Kender dűlő.
In Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, there are the Tiszavalk Kenderföldek districts.
The Hungarian hemp industry in the 19th century. at the end of the century and the XX. it was world famous at the beginning of the century. Industrial hemp was cultivated on nearly 80,000 hectares in historical Hungary. Nowhere else in the world was this crop grown on such a large area at that time. The II. In the decades following World War II, Hungarian hemp fiber production served the Soviet Union’s military industry: Hungarian hemp fiber was used for the tent canvas of the Soviet army and the tarpaulins of military transport vehicles. East Africa was also supplied with Hungarian hemp ropes, where they were used in construction.
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