The Power Of Hemp
- amychocdaisy
- Jul 3
- 2 min read
Hemp is certainly not new, we have been utilising hemp for many years in many forms. Its only been in recent years that it is now a consumable product and thank goodness! This little power house seed is too good to not eat. Hemp being grown traditionally to produce rope, animal feed as well as textiles however the cultivation dropped off with the rise of synthetic materials and of course hemp being from the genus as the old marijuana gave it a bit of a bad name in a sense. The plant Cannabis sativa that we consume the seeds from today despite being related to the marijuana plant it of course does not have the narcotic effect...but the tiny seed has so much more to offer.
The seeds can be eaten raw, they are used to make oil, protein powders and even cheese to name just a few.
A bit about sustainability as reported by Hemp Foods Australia
Hemp leaves are a potent and wonderfully versatile medicine, the stalks yield fibres that can turned into so many things and what else? hemp plants detoxify the soil and improves it! Each year 178 million hemp plants results on over 40,000 kilograms of CO2 being removed fro the atmosphere each day.
Lets get down to the exciting part, nutrition of hemp seeds. Rich source of EFAs making them wonderful for everyone but especially hose following a plant based diet.
Protein, they contain all nine essential amino acids as well as arginine. Arginine is worth a mention here for those who don’t know, this amino acid produces nitric oxide in your body which in turn helps blood vessels to relax thus lowering your blood pressure as well as reducing your risk of going onto develop heart disease.
Fibre and Magnesium!! Yes, that’s right. Hemp seeds are a wonderful source of magnesium, which as we all know is fab for everything including heart health. Hemp seeds are an excellent source of fibre which is needed for tummy health and the majority of people don’t get enough.
Inflammation!! Yessss, a hot topic amongst the health industry. Not only do they contain (mentioned above) the lovely EFAs alpha-linolenic and linoleic acid they contain gamma-linolenic acid GLA, which some studies have shown have anti-inflammatory effects to the drug ibuprofen. By reducing inflammation n the body you are also at a lower risk of developing conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver and arthritis. Hell yeah!!
This brings us to skin...inflammation can be a contributing factor in skin conditions like atopic dermatitis and acne. Although zinc along with vitamin E is known for being great for the skin often omegas are overlooked. Hemp seed and oil are a rich source of vitamin E and as we have learned essential fatty acids which help combat the signs of aging by reducing oxidative stress. These EFA’s help reduce fine lines and improve skin elasticity!
So now you know a little bit more (hopefully) about hemp, go buy some!
Thanks for reading X
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