Hemp is one of the planet’s most versatile and abundant plants, able to be used in a wide variety of products that impact the Earth in a low or positive way. Hemp seed uses range from nutritional supplements and body care products to environmentally friendly engine fuel. Hemp seed uses also include the creation of fibers and clothing, plastics, varnishes and other substances which are currently created with the aid of poisonous fossil fuels that destroy our environment and the life it supports.
In order to truly reap the benefits of an environmentally sustainable substance for mass production of so many different products, that substance would have to be in abundant supply. Hemp plants can grow up to 16 feet in 100 days, and are so hardy they typically do not require the aid of pesticides.
Hemp Seed Uses for Nutrition and Body Care
Hemp seed oil contains 53%-60% of linoleic acid (LA and LNA), making it a rich source of omega fatty acids. The human body requires essential fatty acids for health but cannot produce them internally, therefore it is necessary to include them in the diet. Essential fatty acids affect brain function, cellular function, inflammation, mood, behavior and more. They also transfer oxygen to cells throughout the body, and are involved in maintaining the oxygen within the cell, which prevents the induction of viruses and bacteria that cannot live in the presence of oxygen. Including hemp seed old in the diet can circumvent many common health risks such as heart disease, cancer, arthritis, high cholesterol, diabetes, muscular sclerosis, skin conditions and more.
Organic Hemp seed oil is as effective when used externally as when taken internally. The essential fatty acids found in it both moisturize and replenish the skin with gamma linoleic acids, which are enormously effective for skin care, but not found in the body’s natural oils.
Hemp Seed Uses for Paints and Varnishes
Hemp oil extract is a perfect ingredient for anything that has an oil base, including non-toxic, environmentally friendly paints, varnishes and inks. Hemp oil is water resistant and when applied to wood as a varnish or paint, it soaks deeply into the wood grain. This protects the wood, rendering it water resistant as well. Hemp paint was enormously popular with artists in the past, including Rembrandt, Thomas Gainsborough and Vincent Van Gogh, who all used hemp paint, canvases, solvents, cleaners and lubricating oils.
Organic Hemp Seed for Fuel and Bio-Energy
Henry Ford produced the first automobile using 70% hemp plastics and hemp-based materials in the body of the car. It was designed to run on vegetable oils, including hemp seed oil. He proved the strength of his creation to the world in a still famous photograph of himself wielding a hammer at the car, to show how strong the plant fibers were. However, Mr. Ford’s progress in this direction was halted due to the “Marijuana” Tax Act of 1937.
Hemp seed is a natural choice as an energy crop because it has more biomass potential than crops such as sugarcane and corn. It grows more quickly than other crops because it photosynthesizes more quickly than other crops. In four months hemp can create 10 tons of biomass per acre. Every acre of hemp has the potential to yield roughly 1,000 gallons of methanol.
Organic Hemp Seed Uses for Plastics
Our culture uses plastics for so many products it is impossible to categorize and count them. As plastic are oil based, hemp seed is a natural alternative to environmentally dangerous petroleum based plastics that never biodegrade and destroy wildlife. Currently, the U.S. creates over 60 billion pounds of plastic trash every year that goes into landfills and delicate ecosystems, like our oceans. Under 30 years ago this number was no more than 4 billion.
Earth friendly plastics made from hemp seed could create biodegradable products including cellophane, office supplies, automotive parts and supplies, bottles and bags, toys and more.
Organic Hemp seed uses span virtually the entire market of products we rely on for daily health and convenience. It is a viable and inexpensive alternative to hazardous, petroleum based products, and is safer for our bodies, our environment and our planet as a whole.