Hemp
What is hemp's relationship to the more commonly known plant marijuana?
Hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the Cannabis Sativa plant. While marijuana contains 10 to 20% of the active ingredient THC, hemp contains less than 1%, meaning that it is impossible to get a "high" from hemp.
What is the difference between hemp and marijuana?
Marijuana and hemp both come from the same species of plant, Cannabis Sativa L., but from different varieties. Just as Chihuahuas and St. Bernards are different breeds of dogs, Canis familiari, industrial hemp is a variety of Cannabis that is grown for food and fiber only.
Marijuana is a psychoactive variety of Cannabis that is grown for high THC content. Hemp is grown legally in every industrialized country except the USA.
What parts of the hemp plant can be used, and what are they used for?
All parts of the hemp plant can be used. The hemp plant consists of the stalk (with the bast fibre on the outside, and the hurd as the core), and the seed (which is broken down to the nut, the oil, and the "cake"). Below is a brief list outlining modern uses.
Whole Stalk - Energy & Environmental Products, Paper
Bast Fibre - Textiles, Technical Textiles, New Age Industrial Products
Hurd - Building Materials, Industrial Products, Paper
Hemp Nut - Foods
Hemp Oil - Foods, Bodycare, Technical Products
Seed Cake - Animal Feed, Flour
Why is hemp so nutritious?
Hemp oil contains the most essential fatty acids (EFAs) of any nut or seed oil, with the omega-3 and omega-6 EFAs occurring in the nutritionally optimal 1:3 ratio.
Why are essential fatty acids (EFAs) important?
Essential fatty acids cannot be produced by the human body; they must be obtained from your diet. As the name implies, they are essential to your health and well being. Seventy percent of adults who eat a typical Western diet do not get enough omega-3 fatty acids, and at the same time, they get too much omega-6 fatty acids. This imbalance can cause a wide range of health problems.
What are the benefits of hemp vs. flax?
Shelled hempseed is more easily digested than ground flax seed, while whole flax seed passes through your body undigested. Hemp seed and hemp oil also contain higher-potency omega derivatives, GLA and SDA, which flax seed lacks.
Hemp is more stable than flax. Therefore, while flax needs to be refrigerated to have it last longer, hemp does not need refrigeration. It can be kept at room temperature without significant negative effects to the product. As well, hemp has a different ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 than flax does. While flax is higher in Omega 3 than Omega 6, hemp has an Omega 6 to 3 ratio of 3:1, which is the ideal ratio for the diet.
If I recently consumed hemp foods, could I fail a drug test?
If the only source of the psychoactive THC in your body is from hemp foods, it is virtually impossible to fail a drug test by ingesting hemp foods due to the fact that THC levels in our products are barely measurable. |
