6 HUGE Uses of Hemp

Hemp (not marijuana, not weed, not pot, not ganja, not reefer, not mary jane, nor any other nickname) has been used for 1000s of years in versatile ways. Hemp is a miracle plant that comes from a strain of the cannabis sativa plant species that is grown predominately for its industrial uses. It is not meant for smoking because, unlike marijuana, there is usually less than 1% of THC (if any at all), the ingredient responsible for getting you high.

It is a super eco-friendly crop that does NOT require irrigation, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or GMO seeds to grow it. On top of that, hemp brings balance to our planet by naturally cleaning the soil, air, and water. Such a shame how the stigma behind any kind of hemp (so many think it's weed when it's not) has led people to ignore and miss out on the better benefits that have actually helped advance mankind.

Here are six (6) historically "dope" uses of the hemp plant:

🥗 1) Food

From the edible hemp seeds for snacking, hemp milk and cheese, hemp oil for cooking purposes, hemp salad dressings, and hemp protein powder, its high content of vitamins and essential fatty acids makes hemp ideal for healthy eating lifestyles. Hemp seeds aka hemp hearts can be consumed raw, cooked, or roasted. Hemp also has natural fat-burning properties. Here is a cool, healthy recipe for the Oatmeal Raisin + Hemp Breakfast Cookies from Love Wild Live Free pictured above. In addition, eating hemp not only aids in weight loss, but it also boosts your immune system, reduces inflammation, and enhances brain health. Go ahead and add a little hemp to your diet. Your body will thank you!

 

👕 2) Clothes

It is said that archaeologists discovered hemp fabric over 10,000 years ago in Iran, Iraq, and China. Twisted and weaved hemp fibers can create textile fabrics that are lightweight, absorbent, inexpensive, and 3x the tensile strength of cotton making it very long-lasting. Hemp fabric is also very versatile in that it can be blended with other fibers to create different qualities and textures such as hemp cotton and hemp silk. It is great for outdoor wear since the fabric is UV and mold-resistant. The hemp shirt and yoga pants pictured above were created by a WOC organic apparel brand called Sweet Skins in Eugene, OR.

 

📖 3) Paper

Crushed hemp fibers and mulberry tree bark were smashed together to form a pulp dried in molds to make paper in China millenniums ago. It is even believed that Gutenberg's Bible (the first full-scale work printed using moveable metal type in Europe) and drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper. Inherently, hemp paper is a better, more sustainable paper source than wood since it does NOT require deforestation to mass produce it. The business cards pictured above are made from three different papers from the Hemp Collective company in Austraila.

 

🎗 4) Rope

Hemp rope is made from weaved hemp fibers and has supposedly been around for at least 10,000 years in many countries according to archaeologists. The rope was highly used in the era of sailing ships, but people had to be careful as excessive exposure to sea water could cause the ropes to rot from the inside out over time and snap. Nevertheless, hemp fiber is still considered to be one of the most durable of all time and is very safe to use for people and pets. Bulk Hemp Warehouse carries a lot of different hemp ropes.

 

🏥 5) Medicine

The flowers, leaves, and seeds of the hemp plant have been used in ancient natural herbal medicines and remedies since the early BC years. It is a high source of protein, is loaded with essential fatty acids, and contains a plethora of vitamins and minerals including vitamin E, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, and zinc. Hemp aids in pain relief from sore muscles, menstrual cramps, head and body aches, arthritis, and other areas of pain. It also helps with stomach issues, epilepsy, reduces inflammation, induces sleep, lowers risk of heart disease, decreases symptoms of PMS and menopause, relieves stress, and more. Hemp's medicinal uses seem endless.

 

💄 6) Beauty Care (*Our Fav!*)

Through the green beauty revolution, hemp is helping people to recognize genuine self-care through natural beauty regimens. Hemp oil is a jewel for skin, hair AND nails as it is packed with vitamins + omega 3 and 6 fatty acids that help to combat acne breakouts and eczema, strengthen nails, improve moisture retention, make skin supple, reduce appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, add shine to hair, soothe your scalp, and more. Today, you will find hemp and hemp CBD in creams like our Better Butter, serums, soaps, lotions, scrubs, shampoos, conditioners...you name it! We are so excited to grow our line of natural, vegan CBD beauty care products for you. We are going to show you what hemp is made of (pun intended)!

We only featured six in this article, but there are many more uses for hemp fibers and stalks including construction materials, biofuel, plastic composites, and much more. Heck, the list of why hemp is making our world a better place keeps growing, which is why WE LOVE HEMP at Shea Med!

Best,

Shea Med Team

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We want to hear from you. Tell us in the comments if you have ever used hemp products before and how they helped you or if you want to start slowly incorporating hemp into your daily life, how will you do so. We hope one of your answers is Better Butter by Shea Med (shameless plug). Have a great rest of your day!