Hemp (from Old English h??nep ) is the name of the soft, durable fiber that is cultivated from plants of the Cannabis genus, cultivated only for industrial (non-drug) use.
In modern times, industrial hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, food from the hemp seed, and fuel, with modest commercial success. In the past three years, commercial success of hemp food products has grown considerably.
Hemp is one of the fastest growing biomasses known, producing up to 25 tonnes of dry matter per hectare per year, and one of the earliest domesticated plants known. For a crop, hemp is relatively environmentally friendly as it requires few pesticides and no herbicides.
Cannabis sativa L. subsp. sativa var. sativa is the variety grown for industrial use in Europe, Canada, and elsewhere, while C. sativa subsp. indica generally has poor fiber quality and is primarily used for production of recreational and medicinal drugs. The major difference between the two types of plants is the appearance and the amount of ?? 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) secreted in a resinous mixture by epidermal hairs called glandular trichomes, although they can also be distinguished by genetic means. Strains of Cannabis approved for industrial hemp production produce only minute amounts of this psychoactive drug, not enough for any physical or psychological effects. Typically, hemp contains below 0.3% THC, while Cannabis grown for marijuana can contain anywhere from 6 or 7 % to 20% or even more.
Industrial hemp is produced in many countries around the world. Major producers include Canada, France, and China. While more hemp is exported to the United States than to any other country, the United States Government does not consistently distinguish between marijuana and the non-psychoactive Cannabis used for industrial and commercial purposes.
Uses
Hemp is used for a wide variety of purposes, including the manufacture of cordage of varying tensile strength, clothing, and nutritional products. The bast fibers can be used in 100% hemp products, but are commonly blended with other organic fibers such as flax, cotton or silk, for apparel and furnishings, most commonly at a 55%/45% hemp/cotton blend. The inner two fibers of hemp are more woody, and are more often used in non-woven items and other industrial applications, such as mulch, animal bedding and litter. The oil from the fruits ("seeds") dries on exposure to air (similar to linseed oil) and is sometimes used in the manufacture of oil-based paints, in creams as a moisturizing agent, for cooking, and in plastics. Hemp seeds have been used in bird seed mix. Hempseed is also widely used as a fishing bait.
Food
Hemp seeds contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life. The seeds can be eaten raw, ground into a meal, sprouted, made into hemp milk (akin to soy milk), prepared as tea, and used in baking. The fresh leaves can also be eaten in salads. Products range from cereals to frozen waffles, hemp tofu to nut butters. A few companies produce value added hemp seed items that include the seed oils, whole hemp grain (which is sterilized as per international law), hulled hemp seed (the whole seed without the mineral rich outer shell), hemp flour, hemp cake (a by-product of pressing the seed for oil) and hemp protein powder. Hemp is also used in some organic cereals, for non-dairy milk somewhat similar to soy and nut milks, and for non-dairy hemp "ice cream."
Within the UK, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has treated hemp as purely a non-food crop. Seed appears on the UK market as a legal food product, and cultivation licenses are available for this purpose. In North America, hemp seed food products are sold, typically in health food stores or through mail order. The USDA estimates that "the market potential for hemp seed as a food ingredient is unknown. However, it probably will remain a small market, like those for sesame and poppy seeds."
Nutrition
About 30–35% of the weight of hempseed is hempseed oil or hemp oil, an edible oil that contains about 80% essential fatty acids (EFAs); i.e., linoleic acid, omega-6 (LA, 55%), alpha-linolenic acid, omega-3 (ALA, 22%), in addition to gamma-linolenic acid, omega-6 (GLA, 1–4%) and stearidonic acid, omega-3 (SDA, 0–2%). Hempseed also contains about 20% of a highly-digestible protein, where 1/3 is edestin and 2/3 are albumins. Its amino acid profile is close to "complete" when compared to more common sources of proteins such as meat, milk, eggs and soy. The proportions of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid in one tablespoon (15 ml) per day of hemp oil easily provides human daily requirements for EFAs. Unlike flaxseed oil, hemp oil can be used continuously without developing a deficiency or other imbalance of EFAs. This has been demonstrated in a clinical study, where the daily ingestion of flaxseed oil decreased the endogenous production of GLA.
Hempseed is an adequate source of calcium and iron. Whole hempseeds are also a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese.
Hempseed contains no gluten and therefore would not trigger symptoms of celiac disease.
Storage
Hemp oil is a highly unsaturated oil. As a highly unsaturated oil, it has a relatively low smoke point and is not suitable for frying. It is primarily used as a food oil and dietary supplement, and has been shown to relieve the symptoms of eczema (atopic dermatitis). Hemp oil can spontaneously oxidize and turn rancid within a short period of time if not stored properly; it is best stored in a dark glass bottle, in a refrigerator or freezer (its freezing point is -20C). Preservatives (antioxidants) are not necessary for high quality oils that are stored properly.
Dietary supplement
Hemp oil has been shown to relieve the symptoms of eczema (atopic dermatitis).
Hemp Seed contains a large dietary supplement of omega-3, higher even than walnuts which contain 6.3% of n-3. These oils are known to improve memory and strengthen brain cells.
Medicine
Main article: Medicinal cannabisHemp oil has anti-inflammatory properties.
THC inhibits tumor growth.
Fiber
The fiber is one of the most valuable parts of the hemp plant. It is commonly called bast, which refers to the fibers that grow on the outside of the woody interior of the plant's stalk, and under the outer most part (the bark). Bast fibers give the plants strength. Hemp fibers can be between approximately 0.91 m (3 ft) and 4.6 m (15 ft) long, running the length of the plant. Depending on the processing used to remove the fiber from the stem, the hemp may naturally be creamy white, brown, gray, black or green.
The use of hemp for fiber production has declined sharply over the last two centuries, but before the industrial revolution, hemp was a popular fiber because it is strong and grows quickly; it produces 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax when grown on the same land. Hemp has been used to make paper. It was used to make canvas, and the word canvas derives from cannabis . Abaca or Manila replaced its use for rope. Burlap, made from jute, took over the sacking market. The paper industry began using wood pulp. The carpet industry switched over to wool, sisal, and jute, then nylon. Netting and webbing applications were taken over by cotton and synthetics.
Building material
In Europe and China, hemp fibers have been used in prototype quantities to strengthen concrete, and in other composite materials for many construction and manufacturing applications. See Hempcrete.
Composite materials
A mixture of fiberglass, hemp fiber, kenaf, and flax has been used since 2002 to make composite panels for automobiles. The choice of which bast fiber to use is primarily based on cost and availability.
Paper
There is a niche market for hemp paper. World hemp paper pulp production was believed to be around 120,000 tons per year in 1991 which was about 0.05% of the world's annual pulp production volume. The cost of hemp pulp is approximately six times that of wood pulp, mostly due to the small size and outdated equipment of the few hemp processing plants in the Western world and hemp is harvested once a year (during August) and needs to be stored to feed the mill the whole year through. This storage requires a lot of (mostly manual) handling of the bulky stalk bundles, which accounts for a high raw material cost. Hemp pulp is bleached with hydrogen peroxide, which can also be used for wood pulp.
In 1916, US Department of Agriculture chief scientists Lyster H. Dewe, and Jason L. Merril
Leopard Zebra Tiger Animal Print Bedding
Animal Print Duvets Covers Faux Fur Bedding ... More cool animal print stuff ..... curtains. pillow covers rugs
Animal Print Bedding-Zebra-Leopard-Giraffe- Sheets Comforters
Find Animal Print Bedding including sheets, comforters, duvet covers and accessories in Zebras, giraffes, leopard and ocelot prints. Choose from sateen cotton, satin and cotton ...
Animal Print Bedding zebra leopard serengetti tiger zoo wild
Large variety of animal prints in satin percale cotton and more.
Animal Print Bedding & Sheets Zebras, Leopards, Giraffe, Ocelot Cotton ...
Find Animal Print Bedding & Sheets including Zebras, Leopards, Giraffe and Ocelot in 100% sateen Cotton and Charmeuse Satin. All sizes including xl twin and california king ...
Animal Print Bedding | Comforters, Bed-in-a-Bag
Check out our complete Animal Print Bed-in-a-Bag Bedding Sets and Daybed Ensembles! Choose from Zebra, Leopard and Giraffe themed comforter sets and more!
Animal Print Bedding Safari Decor Animal Print Decor Animal Print Gift ...
Animal print decor Animal Print Bedding Safari decor animal theme decor
Americanbedlinens -Duvet Covers,Comforters,Luxury Bedding,Sports ...
American Bed Linen is a leading online Home shopping site with luxury and contemporary style bedding. Specialized in comforters.duvet covers, bedding ensembles, wildlife,animal ...
Animal print safari bedding 300 tc 100% cotton sateen sheet sets and ...
Animal print Safari 300 tc 100% cotton bedding are Sophisticated and exotic. These dramatic sheet sets, duvet covers and bedding are inspired by animal skins rendered in new large ...
Animal Print Bedding - Zebra, Leopard, Cheetah, Tiger, Giraffe
Animal print bedding with zebra, leopard, tiger, giraffe and cheetah print bedding.
Animal Print Bedding
Animal Print Bedding at WesternBedding.com