Who is Baba Ku?

From the great Hindu Kush Mountain range in Afghanistan, our founder Nisar Yusufi hails from the same birthplace as the cannabis plant but also the great legend of Baba Ku.

For those who don’t know, most of today’s famous cannabis strains originated from a handful of Afghan genetics. Since the beginning of time, cannabis has always played an important role in Afghan culture and heritage. It wasn’t until the early part of the twentieth century that this well-kept secret garden began to be known by westerners.

In popular cannabis culture, the well traversed Hippie Trail, which stretched from London to Kathmandu, was a place of magic and wonder where the great cannabis civilizations of the east and west met. The travelers on that trail were united in their love of a mystical plant. Even some of the more strait-laced scientists who were on expeditions throughout the region came to appreciate the cultural bonds found in the cultivation and consumption of Afghan cannabis.

Regarded as the father of cannabis or hashish, Baba Ku’s legend has spread from a small remote village in Afghanistan to every corner of the globe. Legend has it, that he was sent here to populate the world with cannabis and to introduce hashish-making technology. He was an herbal healer of the highest order, who traveled the countryside healing patients with hashish.

In folk art, Baba Ku is often portrayed with a huge water pipe holding mountain stream cooled water. The fresh flowing water circulated up through the bottom of the pipe to cool the smoke.

Before his death Baba Ku gave a handful of cannabis seeds along with an allotment of gold to ten noble Afghan families who were charged with carrying on the important work of cultivating the healing herbs. His vision was ambitious, but those families kept their word and achieved his goal to spreading cannabis throughout the world. It is this work that we strive to continue today in their honor.