( CNN ) -- An ancient race that lived 2,700 years ago in the Gobi Desert may have been among the first to use cannabis for medical or religious purposes . Researchers believe an ancient Gushi shaman may have consumed or burned pot for medical or religious purposes . Nearly two pounds of the plant was found stashed in the tomb of a Gushi shaman . It was high in the chemical compounds that provide its psychoactive properties . `` It had evidence of the chemical attributes of cannabis used as a drug , '' said Dr. Ethan Russo , an author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Botany . `` It could have been for pain control . It could have been for other medicinal properties . It could have been used as an aid to divination . '' The Gushi people were a Caucasian race with light hair and blue eyes who likely migrated thousands of years ago from the steppes of Russia to what is now China . A nomadic people , they were accomplished horsemen and archers . Chinese archaeologists excavating a network of 2,500 tombs near the town of Turpan in the Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region unearthed the shaman 's grave , which contained the cannabis , along with a trove of artifacts such as bridles , archery equipment and a rare harp . The shaman is thought to have been about 45 years old when he died . Many of the bodies recovered in the area were found in an incredibly well-preserved , almost mummified condition . The shaman , however , was a skeleton . `` The deceased was laid out on the bottom of this tomb on a little bier , '' Russo said . `` This individual seemed to be very high status because of the variety and quality of the grave goods , including the equestrian equipment , the archery equipment and the large amount of cannabis . '' Russo said no pipe for smoking the cannabis was found in the shaman 's tomb . Researchers think he might have eaten the cannabis or possibly put it on a burning fire to create fumes . They do n't think it was used to make hemp clothing or rope , as some other early cultures did . Genetic analysis of the plant suggests it was cultivated rather than gathered from the wild . This find is not the first or the oldest example of ancient people using cannabis , but it may be the best studied . `` There may have been older finds of cannabis , but not with this level of scientific investigation attached to them , '' Russo said .
About two pounds of potent cannabis found stashed in Gushi shaman 's tomb . The Gushi were horsemen and archers who lived 2,700 years ago in the Gobi Desert . Archaeologists found shaman among 2,500 tombs of mummies , bridles , rare harp . No pipe in grave , leading researchers to surmise shaman ate or burned cannabis .