A Much Older Story: Hemp and the History of Herbal Tea

A Quick Insight Into Hemp and the History of Herbal Tea

Everything we've written in this series so far has been about the modern picture, terpene profiles, COAs, decarboxylation, the 0.2% threshold. All genuinely useful, all part of how this works today. But it's worth stepping back for a moment, because the relationship between people and this plant goes back a very long way, well before any of that modern framework existed.

An old plant

Hemp is one of the oldest cultivated plants in human history. Archaeological evidence of hemp fibre has been found on pottery in China dating back to the Neolithic period, roughly the 5th millennium BC. That's not a typo, we're talking about seven thousand years ago or more. For most of that time, hemp was valued for its fibre, used for textiles, rope, and eventually paper, as well as for its seeds and oil.

Alongside that practical use, hemp also appears throughout history in the context of traditional medicine and herbal practice. Ancient Chinese medical texts reference cannabis, and the legendary figure Shen Nung, traditionally credited with founding Chinese agriculture and medicine roughly five thousand years ago, is associated with early documentation of the plant's properties. Ancient Egyptian medical texts, including the Ebers Papyrus from around 1550 BC, also reference hemp in a medicinal context.

Herbal infusion as a tradition in itself

Tea and herbal infusion more broadly is also an ancient practice, completely separate from hemp specifically. People have been steeping plants in hot water for medicinal and ritual purposes across pretty much every culture that's had access to both plants and fire. The idea of brewing something from a plant to experience its aroma, flavour, and whatever properties it might have is about as old as human culture gets.

Hemp sits within that much larger tradition. It wasn't always smoked, and across different cultures and time periods it's appeared in various prepared forms, including as part of drinks and infusions, alongside its many other uses. The specific framing of "hemp tea" as a distinct category is more recent, but the underlying idea, taking a plant you've grown and finding a way to experience it through hot water, is genuinely ancient.

The modern layer on top

What's changed in recent decades is the science. We now understand the difference between THCA and THC, what decarboxylation actually does, why raw cannabinoids behave differently to their heated counterparts, and we can test for all of this with proper lab equipment. The legal frameworks that govern what can be grown, sold, and how, are also entirely modern constructs, the 0.2% threshold didn't exist a hundred years ago because the science to define it didn't exist either.

So in a sense, what The Bud Works and similar brands are doing is bringing a very old relationship between people and this plant into a modern framework, with proper testing, clear genetics, and an honest understanding of what's actually happening chemically. The plant itself isn't new. The tea isn't new in concept. What's new is the precision, the documentation, and the legal clarity around it.

Why this matters for how we think about it

We think there's something worth holding onto here. This isn't a novelty product invented to fit around a legal loophole, even though the modern legal framework is obviously part of why it's sold the way it is. It's a continuation of something people have been doing with this plant for a very long time, just with better information available than at almost any point in that history.

That's part of why we've spent so much of this series talking about genetics, terpenes, and what the research actually says rather than just selling a product. The plant has always rewarded a bit of attention and understanding. Now we've just got the tools to actually back that up properly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is hemp tea a new thing?

Not in concept, no. Herbal infusion is an ancient practice generally, and hemp has appeared in various prepared forms across many cultures for thousands of years. What's new is the modern legal framework, the scientific understanding of cannabinoids like THCA, and the ability to test and document products properly.

How old is hemp cultivation?

Archaeological evidence puts hemp fibre use in China at around the 5th millennium BC, so somewhere in the region of seven thousand years or more. It's consistently cited as one of the oldest cultivated plants in human history.

Did ancient cultures understand cannabinoids the way we do now?

No, that understanding is entirely modern. The distinction between THCA and THC, the mechanisms involved, decarboxylation, all of this is recent science. Historical use of the plant predates any of that by thousands of years.

Does this history relate to the legal status of hemp today?

Not directly, the legal frameworks that govern hemp and THCA today, including the 0.2% Delta-9 THC threshold, are modern constructs shaped by current law and science. Our legal guide covers where things currently stand in the UK.