Hemp - a versatile plant with great potential!
Hemp is a plant with great potential that man can use in so many areas of the economy or health. Hemp is an annual plant that needs only a few months to reach full maturity and reach even more than 4 meters in height! Each part of the plant can be used in various ways and applied in various fields of economy. This post aims to show as many uses as possible of the various parts of hemp, including stems, flowers, leaves and seeds.
What can we do with hemp?
Like any plant, hemp consists of roots, a hard stem, leaves, flowers and seeds.
What can we do with them so that nothing goes to waste?
Leaves
Cannabis leaves or marijuana leaves have a characteristic shape known to almost everyone. Such leaves can be dried by making the simplest infusions and teas. The decoctions obtained will have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and relaxing effects. Whole hemp leaves contain essential minerals, including magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, sodium and calcium, so they can also be used raw. Some people prepare very healthy juices from fresh hemp leaves. Hemp leaves are rich in vitamin B and E, as well as a certain amount of CBD. The kitchen is a place for creativity with their participation, whether as an addition to dishes or as decoration.
Hemp stalks:
Cannabis has thick and hard stems. Thanks to them, the plant stays upright, despite the very large size it reaches. The stem consists of two parts - bast and wood. We can successfully use each of them!
Hemp fibers
The fibers are located on the outer side of the stem, this is the so-called plant bast. By separating the phloem from the woody center of the stem, long hemp fibers and, as a result of processing, also short hemp fibers can be obtained. The former are the most sought after and used, e.g. for the production of hemp fabrics, which are later used, for example, in the production of clothes. Short fibers are intended for e.g. for insulation, but also for the production of pulp, paper or composite materials.
Hemp shiv
The shiv is the woody inner part of the stem, cleaned of fibres. Shift is as much as 70% of the material that is obtained from hemp stalks, the rest is bast fibers. With the so-called hemp wood can be produced, among others:
- HEMP CONCRETE
Ecological hempcrete is a wet mixture of shives with a lime binder. Hempcrete is an excellent insulator, more durable and stronger than regular concrete. Natural concrete made of hemp shives is non-flammable and resistant to fungi and molds.
- BRIQUETTS and PELLETS
Hemp shives are also used to produce briquettes or pellets for heating. With such a fully natural energy raw material, more heat is obtained than when burning wood.
- HEMP LITTLE
October can also be used for the production of so-called. hemp bedding for large animals (horses, cattle) and small animals (hamsters, mice, pigs, etc.). Such bedding is great for allergy sufferers, absorbs moisture and neutralizes unpleasant odors, and of course it is 100% biodegradable.
Unfortunately, currently in Poland there are no machines for hemp processing and for separating part of the wood from bast fibres. Such devices can be purchased abroad, but their cost is too high. The method we use, called "retting", consists in spreading hemp straw in the field. Such a treatment makes microorganisms, especially fungi, thanks to secreted enzymes, peel the fiber from the wood.
hemp seeds
Hemp seeds for consumption are classified as so-called. super food. It is a source of fibre, protein, vitamin E, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, minerals including: iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc. Seeds can be eaten in many ways - roasted, ground or processed, for example, into the so-called hemp milk. Thanks to the addition of hemp seeds to the diet, we gain better health, healthier hair and nails. We can also count on greater immunity or help in the fight against weight loss thanks to better digestion. The natural antioxidants in the seeds also help keep you young and energetic!
- Hemp seed oil
Hemp seed oil contains omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids in very healthy proportions - 3:1. Unsaturated fatty acids build cell membranes in our body, provide nutrients, remove toxins from cells, strengthen the immune system or, for example, reduce infections. Hemp oil reduces inflammation, pain and swelling of muscles and joints. It has anti-allergic, regenerative and anti-aging properties. Seed oil does not contain CBD!
- Biodiesel - hemp seed fuel
Hemp fuel is made by using extracted hemp seed oil and a catalytic mixture. The production of such fuel emits less carbon dioxide and emits trace amounts of sulfur oxide compared to gasoline. In addition, burning hemp biofuel emits up to 85% less greenhouse gases than burning gasoline. Such fuel can be used in any diesel engine! You can even come across detailed instructions on how to make such fuel on the Internet.
Cannabis Flowers
Hemp flowers are the main material from which the so-called drought hemp, drought CBD, recently also drought CBG. It is from hemp flowers that you can get the most beneficial for humans cannabinoids, but also flavonoids and terpenes. After collecting the inflorescences and drying them properly, we can further increase the number of active cannabinoids present in them. In this case, the material must be decarboxylated. Decarboxylation occurs spontaneously in the plant, but many acidic forms also remain in it, including THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) and CBDA (cannabidiolic acid). They are beneficial for the human body in themselves, but if someone wants more, e.g. CBD, they can decarboxylate the herb at home, e.g. with the help of an oven. By heating the flowers at the right temperatures, the process of converting acidic forms into cannabinoids will take place. Time and temperature are very important here, you should be guided, among others, by the boiling point of individual cannabinoids so that they do not degrade. However, this is a topic for a separate post :)
If we already have properly prepared hemp drought, we can use it in many ways. Belong to them:
- Vaporization
The drought subjected to vaporization, i.e. the heating process, thanks to bringing it to the right temperature, allows the most health-promoting substances to evaporate from it, mainly cannabinoids, but also terpenes.
- Production of teas and infusions
Hemp teas are usually a mixture of dried flowers, but also leaves and stems. Not every hemp tea will contain CBD or other hemp cannabinoids, and it is the phytocannabinoids that give the so-called hemp teas the most beneficial properties. The best hemp teas - from hemp flowers - have antioxidant properties, relieve vomiting, nausea, relieve pain, and help fall asleep. A common motive for drinking hemp infusions is also the desire to calm down and calm down. It is best to add a little fat to the brewed tea so that the beneficial ingredients can dissolve in it and penetrate into our body. Hemp teas can be prepared in the form of infusion, but also used for inhalation, compresses or baths.
Hemp cosmetics they contain a lot of microelements, as well as fatty acids (saturated and unsaturated). They perfectly nurture and nourish the skin, have soothing properties, protect the skin from harmful factors and prevent water loss. There are studies that prove the positive effect of CBD on seborrheic skin, as well as skin with atopic inflammation (AD).
- Production of hemp oils, CBD oils, CBG oils
Products obtained from the extraction of dried herbs are the so-called CBD oils, CBG oils or full spectrum hemp oils. The currently used methods of extraction, i.e. obtaining CBD oils, include: alcohol extraction and CO2 extraction. The most beneficial properties are attributed to the cannabinoids contained in the oils, mainly CBD and CBG, but also (in the case of full spectrum oils) to flavonoids and terpenes also obtained from hemp. Thanks to the presence of the endocannabinoid system in the human body, cannabinoids contained in e.g. in hemp affect the regulation of physiological processes. Cannabidiol or CBD is the best-studied hemp cannabinoid to date. Thanks to this, we know that it can support the proper functioning of the human body, preventing e.g. excessive stress, insomnia, mood swings, digestive problems and problems with lack of appetite. That is, common ailments that most people face.
In addition, CBD contained in oils:
- shows great preventive and/or therapeutic potential in the case of diseases of the nervous system (i.e. epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, ischemic strokes, multiple sclerosis, migraines, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression;
- alleviates the symptoms and effects of chemotherapy in people with cancer (CBD relieves pain, prevents nausea and vomiting, and improves appetite);
- it can protect the heart as well as prevent and/or treat diseases such as atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension, cardiomyopathy, myocardial ischemia;
- it can help in the case of diseases: irritable bowel, stomach ulcers, cancers located in the digestive system;
- can be helpful in treating addictions by reducing the need for the addictive substance.
What do we do with the potential of hemp?
Unfortunately, due to the small acreage of crops and the lack of specialized equipment, e.g. used to separate the hemp phloem from the woody core of the stems, the potential of hemp is not used as we would like. Despite the low cost of cultivation and its ecological nature (no need to use fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides), the costs of materials obtained from hemp (clothes, paper, concrete, etc.) are too high. This is due to e.g. the need to import finished hemp products from abroad. However, the popularity of cannabis is constantly growing, as is the desire to use the full potential of this plant. Poles are more and more boldly approaching hemp topics, not only those related to oils or dried CBD. This is the first step towards the return to the glory days of hemp in our country.
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