What is hemp seed oil used for
By now, we've all learned that essential oils are a necessary part of our routine if we want to keep our skin in tip-top shape. Clear skin, a brighter complexion, evened-out discoloration—there are a lot of benefits to incorporating an oil or two into our everyday skincare. From coconut to Moroccan oil, it seems that we've heard ad nauseum about every oil we need—until now. Allow us to introduce you to the next "It" oil in skincare: hemp seed oil.
Hemp Seed Oil in Cosmetics
Industrial hemp is as a class of non-drug Cannabis sativa varieties, and hempseed is technically an achene, or nut. Both the seed and hemp's tall stalk provide significant carbohydrate feedstocks for a wide variety of industrial purposes in several countries.
The oil pressed from hempseed, in particular, is a rich source of polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are essential for human health. These same fatty acids in hempseed oil make it a fine drying oil that is used in the production of paints, varnishes, and other coating materials. Plastic flooring such as linoleum and similar materials have been made from hempseed oil, and other non-food uses of hempseed oil are similar to those of linseed oil flaxseed oil.
Flax, of course, also has a long history as a companion species that parallels hemp in the founding of our civilizations. Unfortunately, when one reads the Latin words Cannabis sativa these days, the first thoughts that come to mind may not be of hemp, or its nutritious seed, or useful oil products, or even the durable outer bast stem fiber or the cellulose core from the stalk of this old-world plant.
These lesser-known features of Cannabis were certainly well known to Carl Linneaus when he assigned its name in The words " canvas " and " cannabis ," for example, both derive from similar-sounding words in Greek, Latin, and Arabic for the fabric and the plant from which it is made. The second part of the Linnean binomial, sativa , comes from the Latin word sativus , which means "sown" or "cultivated.
The largest obstacle that currently prevents hemp from fully participating in modern industrial agriculture is its botanical association with the drug cannabis.
In fact, the production of THC tetrahydrocannabinol and other cannabinoids is under genetic control, so it would take an ambitious breeding project to convert a hemp variety into a drug variety, much like converting a dachshund into a Doberman pinscher. In other words, it would be much easier just to start with drug Cannabis seeds, if that were the objective.
Ancient Asian mariners and more recent trans-Atlantic voyagers made good use of sturdy canvas sails made from hemp fiber. Fine linens were once made from both flax and hemp, as the fibers from the male hemp plants were well known to produce the finest linens. The oldest known paper from China was made from hemp, and many historical documents have been written and printed on paper made from hemp fibers.
Even today, hemp fibers are found in such common products as tea bags, cigarette papers, and other specialty papers as well as paper currency. The connection between Cannabis and its misuse as a drug gained official traction when the US Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act on June 14, ; the Act included no practical exemption for hemp production.
By that time, the United States was already importing most of its hempseed and fiber from countries with cheaper labor, and the timber and paper industries in the United States were completely invested in the Kraft process for making newsprint. In , commercial wild bird feed was primarily made from hempseed, and hempseed was also pressed for oil used in the manufacture of paints, varnishes, and other coatings.
Industrial-scale hemp production mostly continued in the USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and China until modern petroleum products slowly began to replace products previously made from hempseed oil and hemp fiber. At least in the days of the USSR, hempseed oil for human consumption was called "black oil," because of its high chlorophyll content, which was especially used by those who were too poor to afford butter.
Hempseed appears as an ingredient in many spices and ethnic foods from Eastern Europe, India, and most parts of Asia. A fine tofu can be easily made from just hempseed, water, and heat.
The Marihuana Tax Act of had very little impact on the use of marijuana as a narcotic in the United States, if for no other reason than the Act did not penalize the possession or use of hemp, cannabis , or marijuana. It did, though, penalize persons dealing commercially in these products. Thus, the Act effectively brought all industrial hemp production in the United States to a grinding halt by the next year.
Subsequently, the United States re-introduced hemp production in for the war effort, after the Japanese had cut off hemp supplies from the Philippines and East India. After the war, US hemp production was shut down yet again.
Petroleum-based polymers quickly replaced hemp and other natural fibers in many common products such as sacks, tarps, and ropes. In just a short time, a carbohydrate culture based on agriculture quickly shifted into a culture dependent on petroleum-derived hydrocarbons.
Since then, hempseed and hemp fiber production have been excluded from the technological developments enjoyed by other industrial crops. Nor have there been any advances in nutritional research pertaining to hempseed oil. This prohibition on hemp cultivation continues to this day in the United States, even as remarkable advances are being made with medical marijuana.
In Canada marijuana is already available to registered patients for medical purposes. After years of prohibition, hemp cultivation was cautiously restarted there under heavy licensing in With eager markets in both Canada and the United States, hempseed oil and other hempseed food products remain in high demand, and the area devoted to oilseed hemp cultivation in Canada has continued to expand accordingly during this time. The Finola oilseed variety of hemp continues to form the cornerstone of the Canadian hempseed production because of its short stature average plant height: 1.
Hempseed is a rich source of easily digestible protein ca. The remainder consists of dietary fiber, mostly from the hull, various phytosterols, oil-soluble vitamins, and trace minerals Table 1.
Aside from being extremely low in saturated fats, hempseed oil is interesting in other ways. For example, hempseed oil has a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids PUFA than most other industrial food oils Table 2.
This has been known for quite a long time, as the essential omega-6 linoleic acid n-6 was first identified in hempseed oil as "sativic acid" by German chemists in More recently, presence of omega-3 stearidonic acid SDA, n-3 has been detected in hempseed oil Callaway et al. Not only are both of the essential fatty acids EFA well represented in hempseed oil, but their direct human metabolic products, GLA and SDA, are too; the latter are not found in any other industrial oilseed crop.
As these two fatty acids are already in the oil, this enzymatic step can be bypassed, so they contribute more directly to the downstream production of other omega-6 and omega-3 metabolites. Perhaps the really good news for consumers is that good-quality cold-pressed hempseed oil has an excellent taste that resembles walnuts and sunflower seeds. When the seeds are toasted, a savory umami flavor develops somewhere between that of bacon and fried prawns.
Moreover, the balance of EFA in hempseed is considerably more nearly optimal than in most other industrial food oils, in terms of having a relatively low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. In this regard, hempseed oil is more like rapeseed oil also known as canola oil , yet it is still much higher in polyunsaturates. Taken together, these factors at least partly explain a remarkable number of anecdotal benefits from consuming daily hempseed oil, for example, especially marked improvements in skin, hair, and nail quality, as these fatty acids are integral in cell membrane formation and functions at the molecular level.
Studies at the University of Kuopio, Finland, have investigated some of the properties, and particularly the improvements in skin quality for patients that suffer from atopic dermatitis i.
Improvements in strength of both hair and nail thickness are also attributed to daily use of dietary hempseed oil. The high level of PUFA in hempseed oil is certainly a plus for health, but a considerable drawback for deep frying, not only because there is an increased risk of peroxide and trans fat formation, but also because hempseed oil has a relatively low flash point and will burn well once it is ignited. Also, the shelf life of hempseed oil tends to be rather short, because this high level of unsaturation provides more opportunity for oxidation with atmospheric oxygen.
Ideally, as a food, hempseed oil is cold pressed from fresh, clean, good-quality seed and then stored in a cool, dark place before, during, and after processing. Unfortunately, much of the hempseed oil that is currently available in North America is distributed in plastic containers to reduce the costs of both production and shipping of this niche crop.
Oil purchased in plastic is more susceptible to degradation with time. With a small amount of effort, the interested buyer will typically find hempseed oil in glass bottles on the European markets. To this day, the US government continues to define hemp as the stalks and fiber of the marijuana plant, and has decided not to recognize any of the varieties that are extremely low in drug content. An analogous situation exists for poppy seed, which is legal in the United States; the seed always contains some measurable amount of morphine, but these amounts are not of sufficient concentration for drug purposes.
Due to the burden of Cannabis prohibition, there has been very little development or innovation in hemp or hempseed production during the last 70 years, and almost no research on hempseed nutrition since its incorporation into Chinese medicine thousands of years ago.
It is, in essence, an orphan crop when we consider the present situation of food production in Europe and North America. While this situation began to change with the reintroduction of hemp to Canadian agriculture in , the subsidy scheme for hemp in the European Union continues to favor the production of hemp fiber and not hempseed.
What few results we now have from hempseed research tend to contradict the politically narrow horizon that the United States has offered the world. Fortunately, hempseed oil and other hempseed food products are legally available in the United States, either from the shelves of some natural food stores or when ordered directly online from Canada.
Viable hempseed, however, remains illegal in the United States. Leaving political rhetoric aside, there is plenty of convincing scientific evidence to show that hempseed is one of the most nutritious products that can be produced by modern industrial agriculture. As a grain, it fits into the mechanized infrastructure without retooling. Apparently, the only remaining change that needs to be made is to convince US policymakers that hemp is not dangerous.
Contact him via email at callaway finola. Callaway, J. Pate, Occurrence of "omega-3" stearidonic acid cis -6,9,12,octadecatetraenoic acid in hemp Cannabis sativa L. Schwab, I. Harvimaa, P. Halonen, O. Callaway and David W. Edited by Robert A. See a review of the book on page In This Section Previous Next. March Industrial hemp is as a class of non-drug Cannabis sativa varieties, and hempseed is technically an achene, or nut.
Our historic foundations were built on the fibers of hemp Ancient Asian mariners and more recent trans-Atlantic voyagers made good use of sturdy canvas sails made from hemp fiber. Summary To this day, the US government continues to define hemp as the stalks and fiber of the marijuana plant, and has decided not to recognize any of the varieties that are extremely low in drug content.
Hempseed oil is often referred to as “hemp oil,” and it's harvested by cold-pressing hemp seeds. Hemp oil is often unrefined. It's a clear green. Hemp oil, or hempseed oil, is a popular remedy. Its advocates claim anecdotal evidence for curative properties ranging from improving acne to.
Hemp oil comes from the Cannabis Sativa plant. The plant itself has many uses, including providing material suitable for paper, clothing and even construction. Such versatility was first documented by the ancient Chinese around 6, BC when it was utilised in everything from bows and arrows to archaic medicines. Hemp was once a widely grown crop under the early colonies.
Unlike medical marijuana in Massachusetts , which is obviously rather regulated, hemp seed oil is a household product you can easily find at just about any major retailer.
Hemp oil is sometimes used as an alternative name for cannabidiol CBD oil, although hemp oil typically is a shortened term for hemp seed oil. Hemp seeds are packed with nutrients and are a member of the cannabis plants. Hemp seed oil is created by cold pressing hemp seeds into an unrefined oil that is commonly light or dark green in appearance.
Hemp Seed Oil Is Amazing for Your Skin—Here's Why
Keep reading for our complete list of everything you can do with hemp seed oil and why you need it in your life. Hemp seeds and hemp seed oil are packed with omega-3 fatty acids. If you are looking for hemp oil vs hemp seed oil , check out this post from Hippie Butter where you can find everything you need to know. Everything from calcium and vitamin D, B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. The list goes on.
Top 6 Benefits & Uses for Hemp Seed Oil
Hemp oil hemp seed oil is oil obtained by pressing hemp seeds. Cold pressed, unrefined hemp oil is dark to clear light green in color, with a nutty flavor. The darker the color, the grassier the flavour. It should not be confused with hash oil , a tetrahydrocannabinol -containing oil made from the Cannabis flower. Refined hemp seed oil is clear and colorless, with little flavor. It is primarily used in body care products. Industrial hemp seed oil is used in lubricants, paints, inks, fuel, and plastics. Hemp seed oil is used in the production of soaps, shampoos and detergents. The oil has a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids.
Hemp seed oil has an incredible amount of beneficial properties that are only recently being studied with increasing enthusiasm thanks to the amazing benefits that hemp seed oil can provide when consumed daily.
Hemp oil can refer to a full-spectrum oil from the Cannabis sativa plant or hemp seed oil, which is oil that comes from just the seeds of the hemp plant. There is very little risk of intoxication from hemp oil as all forms of hemp oil come from food-grain strains of hemp.
Hempseed oil in a nutshell
Industrial hemp is as a class of non-drug Cannabis sativa varieties, and hempseed is technically an achene, or nut. Both the seed and hemp's tall stalk provide significant carbohydrate feedstocks for a wide variety of industrial purposes in several countries. The oil pressed from hempseed, in particular, is a rich source of polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are essential for human health. These same fatty acids in hempseed oil make it a fine drying oil that is used in the production of paints, varnishes, and other coating materials. Plastic flooring such as linoleum and similar materials have been made from hempseed oil, and other non-food uses of hempseed oil are similar to those of linseed oil flaxseed oil. Flax, of course, also has a long history as a companion species that parallels hemp in the founding of our civilizations. Unfortunately, when one reads the Latin words Cannabis sativa these days, the first thoughts that come to mind may not be of hemp, or its nutritious seed, or useful oil products, or even the durable outer bast stem fiber or the cellulose core from the stalk of this old-world plant. These lesser-known features of Cannabis were certainly well known to Carl Linneaus when he assigned its name in The words " canvas " and " cannabis ," for example, both derive from similar-sounding words in Greek, Latin, and Arabic for the fabric and the plant from which it is made. The second part of the Linnean binomial, sativa , comes from the Latin word sativus , which means "sown" or "cultivated.
Hemp Oil Benefits and Uses
Hemp has been around for a millennia actually, since there is evidence that it was being cultivated around that time. In China , both the oil and the seeds were used in food. Not only was the plant used for food, but the ancient Chinese used the stalks for building materials. They also made clothing and shoes from hemp cord. Beginning around BCE, there is evidence of hemp being used to produce paper. By the CE era, hemp was a familiar plant in Europe.
