How Hemp Can Positively Benefit Our Daily Lives

I wish everyone would ask the question, “How Hemp can positively benefit our daily lives?”

Okay, so it is no surprise that I am a huge supporter of the use of Industrial Hemp, actually it should be very obvious with the name of my website. I also support the use of Marijuana, I live in Colorado, where it is legal for both medical and recreational use. I have never seen anything bad come from people smoking Marijuana.

I feel it is necessary to explain that there is a difference between Industrial Hemp and Marijuana. Hemp is a relative of Marijuana but has many traits. There are also two types of hemp, there is Industrial Hemp, which is used mostly for the fibers and the making of industrial products. And then, there is the medical hemp grown for the flowers just like marijuana is grown, still containing very low levels of THC, and is used for medical reasons.

The difference between any Hemp and Marijuana is the fact that Hemp does not contain the canabinoid THC in high levels like Marijuana. THC is the canabinoid that creates the “high” when you smoke Marijuana.

Hemp has been around for a very long time, it is even linked to being one of the causes of the beginning of civilization. Not saying that without hemp there would be no civilization, just saying it is one of the crops that helped. Without agriculture there is no civilization and hemp was one of the first recorded agricultural crops.

The hemp plant being legalized again is the best thing for our planet, we just have to start using it again.

Rapidly Renewable Resource

Hemp can be used to make many products including Bio fuels. We can use it for Diesel, Ethanol, and Methanol, that covers all our gas needs. These fuels are much safer than any petroleum or fossil fuel will ever be, to use and store. And they come from a very rapidly renewable resource, a plant that grows like a weed.

Anything that can be done with Petroleum, can be done better with Hemp.

Hemp provides more per acre than corn, for making Ethanol, as well as requiring fewer pesticides and herbicides. Hemp is also good for the soil and can be grown repeatedly in the same field, corn has to be rotated each year as it robs the soil of nutrients.

I am throwing paper products in this category as well. We are allowing the clear cutting of trees for paper and construction materials, and this does not have to happen. We need trees, and they take a long time to grow back. We can use hemp for all of our paper needs, it is better quality paper all the way around.

Trees grow very slow compared to hemp. It takes 35-40 years for a tree to reach maturity, it takes hemp about 128 days. Using trees for paper versus hemp just doesn’t make sense. Hemp provides 4 times the amount of product per acre compared to trees, and can be harvested on large scales without harm to the environment.

Also, hemp can be made into wood like material that is proven to be stronger than its wood counter part. Next time you need a piece of plywood, ask your lumber store if they carry hemp board, save a tree with each purchase.

Environmental Impact of Growing Hemp

Environmental protection is the one of the most important applications of the hemp plant. Hemp has the ability of leaching radioactivity from the soil, preventing mudslides and erosion.

Not only is it very easy to grow, it adapts to almost any climate and thrives with little to no pesticides. Hemp, unlike most other crops prepares the soil for next years crop versus depleting the soil.

The waste products from petroleum based products is toxic and dangerous, the very little waste from hemp is very disposable and can be done safely.

With hemp being very renewable, and an oxygen creating plant, makes it one of the top choices for the manufacturing of many products. Providing materials for food, fuels, clothing, cosmetics, plastics, building materials, medicine, textiles and more.

Hemp plastic products and building materials are environmentally-friendly, and for the most part, recyclable, and are also known to be mold and mildew resistant.

Hemp Can Be A Food Source

Yes we can use hemp in our daily diets and it is very beneficial to our health. It is gluten free, lactose free as well. If you have nut allergies, you can still enjoy hemp food products too.

Hemp is one of the few plants that contain a perfect balance of omegas 3 and 6 at a perfect 3:1 ratio, plus all the other essential fatty amino acids that we need. It is gluten free, lactose free, and GMO free as well. If you have nut allergies, you can still enjoy hemp food products too.

We can consume hemp in a few different ways. Hemp seeds (hemp hearts), hemp oil, milk, and flour.

The seeds can be used as a snack or on salads, in milk shakes, and in baking dishes as well. They have a light nutty flavor that is a mix between cashew and pine nut, and they have a creamy texture. They are unexpectedly delicious.

The milk can be enjoyed just as a beverage or you can add it to shakes, and cereal. I have not tried cooking with it yet, I was considering making some fudge with it to see how it works. I would love to try to make ice cream with it. Being able to replace all animal dairy products is a goal of mine. Cheese will definitely be the hardest to give up for me, I love cheese.

Using hemp flour is a bit more tricky. The flour from hemp is very heavy, used in baking it makes it hard to make a cake and light fluffy breads are totally out. You have to cut the flour with a lighter flour, to keep it gluten free, I think rice flour would be a good companion for the hemp flour to make a pound cake or bread, but you will not achieve a light fluffy cake texture. It would be the same with breads, you would get a type of flat bread using hemp flour, even combined with another lighter flour, your bread will be a little heavier.

Using hemp oil to cook with is a great addition to your recipes. I do not recommend frying in hemp oil, it has a low heat tolerance. You can safely bake with it, just no frying. You can also add the oil to salad dressings and dips, it can compliment just about anything.

Hemp can also be used in animal feed and helps to provide better nutrients for our livestock. It is already in most bird seed sold nationally.

 

Textiles and Fabrics

Industrial Hemp has a lot of uses in this category. There is not much you can not make from hemp. It can be used to make products that range from ropes and paper to soft linens. It all depends on how far you take the processing of the hemp fibers.

When used for clothing items, hemp is unsurpassed in quality and longevity. It has a natural wicking ability and is anti fungal, and antibacterial and hypoallergenic as well. Hemp fabric does not hold odors and is resistant to mold and mildew.

The hemp plant has one of the longest and strongest fibers known to man and last longer than competitors like cotton. And growing hemp leaves less of a carbon footprint than cotton. Cotton requires a lot of water, pesticides, and herbicides that hemp does not.

Health and Beauty Care

Hemp is just as beneficial for your skin as it is for you internally. Our skin and hair also require the essential fatty amino acids found in hemp. Hemp will help to maintain a moisture balance when used on a regular basis as needed. This in turn helps your skin stay healthier and younger looking for longer.

Our bodies are made with certain receptors, and we have ones that are triggered by cannabinoids of all types from CBD and CBG to THC and more. There are over 400 types of canabinoids in the typical hemp or marijuana plant, and scientist are studying them all to see what effect(s) each one has.

But this is why our bodies react to hemp and marijuana is these receptors, without them, these plants would be like spinach or broccoli.

Economy Booster

If the United States started using Industrial Hemp on a large scale, it would open jobs immediately. I say this because we would need facilities to process the hemp in every manner, from processing the fibers to the seeds.

These facilities do not exist yet, and need to be constructed or renovated to work, there are thousands of jobs right there. Then comes the growing harvesting and processing of the plant. Even more jobs right there, and more jobs will continue to expand as each crop is grown.

By growing this crop in every country, it has the potential to make each country self-sufficient on many levels. Being able to be in control of your own fuel supply, and textile needs is huge and creates job within each country. Wars are fought over these things, think about it, it is so senseless.

This would put a new twist on things, the world trade would change a bit as products would be traded for desire versus need and this would create less tension.

Longer Lasting, Safer, and Better Quality Products

By growing and using hemp, we can have products that last longer, are safer to produce and store, and are of better overall quality in comparison to most products available. Not to mention the environmental and economic advantages to using hemp.

I see no reason that hemp should not be grown on a very large scale worldwide. There are just too many benefits that come along with using hemp products, economic, environmental, and personal.

Hemp truly is beneficial in every aspect of our lives.

I would love to hear your opinion on this topic, please feel free to leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

As always, thank you for reading my article.

Stacie Fortson

Go Green With Hemp