Publication details
DID GREGOR MENDEL GROW CANNABIS?
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Folia Mendeliana |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.mzm.cz/detail?ai%5Baction%5D=detail&ai%5Bcontroller%5D=Catalog&ai%5Bd_name%5D=folia-mendeliana-1-2-2025&ai%5Bd_pos%5D=0 |
| Keywords | Gregor Mendel, cannabis |
| Description | Gregor Johann Mendel is renowned for his hybridization experiments with peas, but it is almost unknown that he ordered cannabis seeds and likely planted them in his greenhouse. This paper presents the sparse evidence describing this until now obscure part of Mendel’s life. By combining knowledge from botany, history, pharmacognosy, and medicine, I propose a theory that Mendel’s goal might have been to breed better industrial hemp with longer fibres and/or to enhance the medicinal potential of cannabis. Given that the cannabis Mendel ordered likely had a moderate or high content of THC, he himself might have experienced its psychoactive effects. What Mendel actually did with the cannabis seeds and the outcomes of his experiments will remain a mystery. But it is sure that the varieties of cannabis strains that have resulted from years of legal and illegal plant breeding would undoubtedly be stunning for Mendel. |