HEMP is a versatile plant that has been used for centuries to make a variety of commercial and industrial products, such as rope, textiles, clothing, shoes, food, paper, bioplastics, insulators and biofuels. But did you know that raw hemp leaves are also a source of nutrition? They are full of powerful antioxidants such as polyphenols that help delay skin aging and are rich in digestible globular proteins, as well as Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. HEMP (Cannabis sativa), also called industrial hemp, is a plant of the Cannabaceae family cultivated for its berber fiber or its edible seeds. It is sometimes confused with cannabis plants that serve as sources of the drug marijuana and the preparation of hashish.
Although all three products, hemp, marijuana and hashish, contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a compound that produces psychoactive effects on humans, the variety of cannabis that is cultivated for hemp contains only small amounts of THC compared to that cultivated for the production of marijuana or hashish. The hemp plant is a robust, aromatic and erect annual herb with slender, cane-shaped stems that are hollow except at the tip and base. The leaves are composite with a palmate shape and the flowers are small and greenish yellow. The flowers that produce seeds form elongated clusters in the shape of spikes that grow on pistillate or female plants while pollen-producing flowers form clusters of many branches on staminate or male plants. The cultivation of hemp for fiber was recorded in China as early as 2800 BC.
C. and was practiced in the Mediterranean countries of Europe at the beginning of the Christian era, spreading to the rest of Europe during the Middle Ages. It was planted in Chile in the 16th century and a century later in North America. Hemp is grown in temperate areas as an annual seed-based crop and can reach a height of up to 5 meters (16 feet).
Crops grow best in sandy loam soil with good drainage and require an average monthly rainfall of at least 65 mm (2.5 inches) during the growing season. Crops that are grown for fiber are planted densely and produce plants that average 2 to 3 meters (6 to 10 feet) tall with almost no ramifications. Plants that are cultivated for oilseeds are planted further apart and are shorter and have many branches. In fiber production, maximum yield and quality are obtained by harvesting shortly after the plants reach maturity, which indicates full flowering and the pollen freely released by male plants. Although sometimes plucked by hand, plants are most often cut to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the ground. The fibers are obtained by subjecting the stems to a series of operations that include shredding, drying and shredding them, and to an agitation process that completes the separation of the woody part, releasing the fiber or long and fairly straight line.
Fiber yarns, generally larger than 1.8 meters (5.8 feet), are made up of individual cylindrical cells with an irregular surface. The fiber, which is longer and less flexible than linen, is usually yellowish, greenish or dark brown or gray in color and, because it does not easily discolor into sufficiently light tones, it is rarely dyed. It is strong and durable and is used as a string. Some specially processed types of hemp have a whitish color and an attractive sheen, and are used to make linen-like fabrics for garments. Hemp textiles can be used to make shoes.
Hemp fiber is used to make recyclable and biodegradable bioplastics, depending on the formulation. The novel “hemp concrete”, a composite material of hemp and a lime binder, can be used in a similar way to traditional concrete in applications that do not support loads. Hemp can also be used as an alternative to wood pulp in some cases; it is frequently used in paper manufacturing and is a sustainable alternative to fiberglass insulation in buildings. Although only the hemp plant produces true hemp, other plant fibers are referred to as “hemp”. These include Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum), Mauritian hemp (Furcraea foetida) and sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea).
Hemp is a variety of cannabis cultivated for industrial use and contains few psychoactive components found in marijuana. The plant provides the raw materials for hemp products, such as rope, clothing and textiles, and is used as food, biofuel and agriculture for its phytoremedial (soil-cleaning) properties. While cannabis is selectively bred for its buds, its chemovar profile and other psychoactive components, hemp is cultivated for its stem, fiber and seeds as materials and food sources. The hemp seed oil in its leaves and flowers is a useful material for cooking, and its seeds are an excellent source of protein. Hemp seeds are the most useful parts of a hemp plant, as they are not only nutritious but also used as fuel.
For vegan and vegetarian consumers, the vitamins and minerals contained in raw hemp leaves meet a need that may be difficult to meet otherwise. Hemp oils and seeds are nutritious additions to the average diet but they are different from CBD oil. The oil obtained from hemp seed can be used to make paints, varnishes, soaps and edible oil with a low smoke point. And you'll want them too because hemp leaves offer a powerful antioxidant known to help delay skin aging.
Terpenes are aromatic oils found in hemp that give you an earthy fresh scent with their own anti-inflammatory benefits. Hemp protein is also easier to digest than soy protein; its seeds can be eaten directly ground into flour or used to make hemp milk. However some may need higher doses of CBD when there is no THC making hemp-derived CBD prohibitively expensive. Hemp is mainly cultivated for its stems and seeds for various industrial and nutritional uses; it is also a powerful bioremediator used to cleanse soil.
Shelled hemp seeds sometimes called hemp hearts are sold as health food; they can be eaten raw usually sprinkled on salads or mixed with fruit smoothies. Hemp is generally grown on larger farms but can also be grown on smaller plots; it requires minimal care once established making it ideal for small farmers who want to grow their own food or supplement their income by selling their crop. Hemp leaves offer numerous benefits from providing nutrition to helping clean soil; they can even be used to make clothing shoes paper bioplastics insulators biofuels paints varnishes soaps edible oil fuel flour milk terpenes protein supplements CBD oil among many other products.
