A preparation of cannabis leaves and flowers used as an intoxicant, especially in India. It is often consumed as a drink or smoked for its psychoactive effects.
From Hindi भांग (bhāṅg) and Sanskrit भङ्गा (bhaṅgā), meaning 'hemp' or 'cannabis plant'. The word entered English in the 17th century through British colonial contact with Indian cannabis culture. Portuguese traders may have facilitated early European awareness of the term.
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