Written by Wes Annac, The Culture of Awareness
Concluded from Part 2
We’ve heard a lot of talk about hemp oil lately, and apparently, some people are concerned that it’s as intoxicating as marijuana. David West busts this myth.
“Myth: Hemp oil is a source of THC.
“Reality: Hemp oil is an increasingly popular product, used for an expanding variety of purposes. The washed hemp seed contains no THC at all.
“The tiny amounts of THC contained in industrial hemp are in the glands of the plant itself. Sometimes, in the manufacturing process, some THC- and CBD-containing resin sticks to the seed, resulting in traces of THC in the oil that is produced. The concentration of these cannabinoids in the oil is infinitesimal. No one can get high from using hemp oil.” (1)
Again, I’d feel bad for anyone who tried to get high off of hemp oil, because they just wouldn’t gain the effects they desire. If they’re looking to cure cancer or some other type of illness, then hemp oil could very well be their answer, but it won’t intoxicate them or change their mental state one bit.
It just doesn’t contain enough of marijuana’s active ingredient to be intoxicating, which naturally makes people question why the US government (and other governments) would close-mindedly classify it in the same category as marijuana.
Just because the two plants are related doesn’t mean one has to speak for the other, and even the most passionate marijuana haters can recognize that beyond their close relation, they don’t really have much to do with each other.
We’re the ones who decided they had to be the same thing, and we’re keeping ourselves from prospering by refusing to open our minds a little.
Now, we’ll examine some of the health benefits of hemp seeds. Hemp doesn’t just have industrial value – its seeds provide nutrition in the form of certain essential acids we’re meant to have in our daily diet.
We’d receive a significance dose of these acids if we ate hemp seeds every day, and we’ll learn more about them and the overall nutritional value of hemp before we wrap this report up.
Care2.com tells us about the fatty acids hemp seeds contain, which are important for our health.
“Sharon Palmer, author of The Plant Powered Diet, wasn’t wasting her breath when she said, ‘I think hemp is the next ‘it’ food — it has been for a while.’
“The hemp seed is bursting with Omega-6 and Omega-3, essential fatty acids that have heart health and anti inflammatory benefits. Hemp seeds are nutty in flavor and breathe life into salads, desserts, yogurts, cereals, and breads. Hemp seeds can be turned into butter, milk, protein powder, finishing oil, and soap.” (2)
We’re also told about some of the benefits of hemp as a plant.
“Unfortunately, Uncle Sam outlawed hemp farming in 1958, a shame when you consider how amazing a crop it is. The plant thrives without pesticides, purifies the soil around it, and kills weeds. The U.S. is the only country that bans industrial hemp farming, quelling what could be an agricultural and financial boon for our indebted country.” (3)
Not a lot of other plants actually kill weeds, and most of them are overtaken by weeds, vines or some other type of invasive plant species. Hemp can apparently thrive without being overthrown by weeds or anything else, and this, along with its uncountable industrial benefits, makes it a good candidate for farmers.
According to Care2, adding hemp seeds to our diet could give us more energy and vitality.
“The protein and fiber in hemp combine to slow digestion, which prevents spikes in blood sugar and therefore sustains your body’s energy. A diet rich in hemp promotes digestive regularity.” (4)
Not only can they give us more energy – they can keep us full for a longer period of time.
“When sprinkled on your cereal or fruit at breakfast, hemp protein and fiber also help aid in satiety, which will prevent you from snacking and keep you fuller longer.” (5)
Hemp is one of the only plants with seeds that contain Omega 3, which can apparently keep Alzheimer’s away.
“The Omega-3 fatty acids in hemp reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, and may even ward off Alzheimer’s disease. Hemp seeds are one of the few Omega-3 sources found in plants.” (6)
Hemp seeds contain Omega 3 and Omega 6, which can keep our skin, hair and bones healthy. Their amino acids can also help us control our muscles and maintain our cells and organs.
“The Omega-6 fatty acids in hemp stimulate skin and hair growth, maintain bone health, regulate metabolism, and help the brain function.
“Hemp seeds contain essential amino acids, which improves muscle control, mental function, and normal body maintenance of cells, muscle, tissues, and organs.” (7)
Hemp seeds help the human body in all these ways, and yet, growing it still isn’t acceptable in the US. Its industrial benefits alone should cause us to reconsider our biased stance on it, and even if it weren’t for these benefits, the acids its seeds provide (which the body needs to stay healthy) should lead us to consider that this plant isn’t so bad.
People are nothing if not judgmental, and all it takes is a few people in power telling us something’s bad for everyone to jump onboard. Most people will do little to no research on hemp, because they rely primarily on their governments, mainstream media, and general social conditioning to know if something’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
In relying on society to tell us what’s right for us, we start to overlook things that’d benefit our planet greatly but pose a risk to corporations who make money off of the alternatives they’ve relentlessly pushed onto us.
I think people need to wake up and educate themselves about hemp’s numerous benefits, and instead of immediately lumping it in with marijuana, which is itself lumped in with drugs that are much more dangerous, we can see that the two only have as much to do with each other as we let them.
The degree to which we associate hemp with marijuana determines its true relation to the drug, and if we wanted to, we could keep the two completely separate and grow hemp by itself for purely industrial purposes.
Plenty of people (and countries) already do, and there hasn’t been a spike in marijuana use in the countries who allow hemp to be grown industrially. If there were, you can bet the mainstream media would let us know.
In time, the haze of confusion surrounding hemp and marijuana will clear, and we can start to see this plant for what it really is – a revolutionary godsend that could help the hurt economies of various nations, introduce jobs galore to countries that outsource employment to other, distant places, and bear seeds that help our bodies prosper.
We just have to clear our biases and replace collective ignorance with knowledge, and we might find hope for this planet after all. Hemp might not solely help our planet thrive, but it’ll help us a lot more than most people are comfortable giving it credit for.
Footnotes:
- ‘Hemp Myths & Realities’ Written by David P. West, Ph.D., HempBenefits.org – http://hempbenefits.org/hemp-myths-realities/
- Care2.com: ‘Five Surprising Health Benefits of Hemp’ at – http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-surprising-health-benefits-of-hemp-2.html
- Loc. cit.
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I’m a twenty-one year old writer, musician and blogger, and I created The Culture of Awareness daily news site.
The Culture of Awareness features daily spiritual and alternative news, articles I’ve written, and more. Its purpose is to awaken and uplift by providing material about the fall of the planetary elite and a new paradigm of unity and spirituality.
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