Hemp (from Old English hænep) is a commonly used term for high-growing industrial varieties of the Cannabis plant and its products, which include fiber, oil, and seed and less than 0.03% THC. Hemp is refined into products such as hemp seed foods, hemp oil, wax, resin, rope, cloth, pulp, paper, and fuel.
Hemp is not to be confused with the close relative marijuana, which also comes from the Cannabis plant, but is widely used as a recreational drug and medicine. The marijuana variants have a higher content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids. The legality of marijuana varies widely from country to country, and from state to state in the United States. In many countries regulatory limits for concentrations of psychoactive compounds, particularly THC, in hemp require the use of strains of the plant which are bred for low content.[1]
Uses
Hemp field in Côtes-d’Armor, Brittany, France
Hemp grown for milk animal fodder.
Hemp is used for many varieties of products including the manufacture of cordage of varying tensile strength, durable 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”) oxidizes (commonly, though inaccurately, called “drying”) to become solid 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 feed mix as well.[2] A survey in 2003 showed that more than 95% of hemp seed sold in the EU was used in animal and bird feed.[3]
In modern times hemp is used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, construction (as with Hempcrete and insulation), body products, health food and bio-fuel.
Food
Hemp seeds.
Hemp seeds can be eaten raw, ground into a meal, sprouted or made into dried sprout powder, made into hemp milk (akin to soy milk) and hemp juice, prepared as tea,[4] and used in baking. Roughly 30-35% of the mass of the seeds can be extracted as hempseed oil, which is rich in unsaturated fatty acids. The fresh leaves can also be consumed in salads. Products include cereals, frozen waffles, hemp milk ice cream, hemp tofu, and nut butters. A few companies produce value added hemp seed items that include the seed oils, whole hemp grain (which is sterilized by law in the United States, where they import it from China and Canada), dehulled 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. Even though hemp and marijuana are both made from the ‘Cannabis’ species (but different sub-species), hemp seeds contain negligible levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),[citation needed] which is the psychoactive substance in marijuana.
Market
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 United States Department of Agriculture has concluded 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.”[5] In 2011, the U.S. imported $11.5 million worth of legal hemp products, up from $1.4 million in 2000, most of that driven by growth in hemp seed and hemp oil used in food products.[6]
Nutrition
Further information: Hemp seed
Hemp seed, hulled
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 2,451 kJ (586 kcal)
Carbohydrates
4.67 g
Sugars
lactose
1.50 g
0.07 g
Dietary fiber 4.0 g
Fat
48.75 g
Saturated 4.600 g
Trans 0 g
Monounsaturated 5.400 g
Polyunsaturated
omega‑3
omega‑6
38.100 g
9.301 g
28.698 g
Protein
31.56 g
Tryptophan 0.369 g
Threonine 1.269 g
Isoleucine 1.286 g
Leucine 2.163 g
Lysine 1.276 g
Methionine 0.933 g
Cystine 0.672 g
Phenylalanine 1.447 g
Tyrosine 1.263 g
Valine 1.777 g
Arginine 4.550 g
Histidine 0.969 g
Alanine 1.528 g
Aspartic acid 3.662 g
Glutamic acid 6.269 g
Glycine 1.611 g
Proline 1.597 g
Serine 1.713 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv.
beta-carotene
(0%) 1 μg
(0%) 7 μg
Vitamin A 11 IU
Thiamine (B1) (111%) 1.275 mg
Riboflavin (B2) (24%) 0.285 mg
Niacin (B3) (61%) 9.200 mg
Vitamin B6 (46%) 0.600 mg
Folate (B9) (28%) 110 μg
Vitamin B12 (0%) 0 μg
Vitamin C (1%) 0.5 mg
Vitamin E (5%) 0.80 mg
Minerals
Calcium (7%) 70 mg
Iron (61%) 7.95 mg
Magnesium (197%) 700 mg
Manganese (362%) 7.600 mg
Phosphorus (236%) 1650 mg
Potassium (26%) 1200 mg
Sodium (0%) 5 mg
Zinc (104%) 9.90 mg
Other constituents
Water 4.96 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Link to Complete USDA Nutrient Database Entry
Units
μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams
IU = International units
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Hemp seeds are notable as a high-protein food source, providing 73% of the Daily Value (DV) in a 100 g serving.[7] Hempseed amino acid profile is comparable to other sources of protein such as meat, milk, eggs and soy.[8] Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score values (PDCAAS), which measure the degree to which a food for humans is a “complete protein”, were 0.49-0.53 for whole hemp seed, 0.46-0.51 for hemp seed meal, and 0.63-0.66 for dehulled hemp seed.[9]
Hemp seeds are also a rich source of the dietary minerals, magnesium (160% DV), zinc (77% DV) and iron (53% DV), and a good source of dietary fiber (13% DV).[7]
Approximately 73% of the energy in hemp seeds is in the form of fats and essential fatty acids,[7] mainly polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic, oleic and alpha-linolenic acids.[8]
Hemp can substitute milk
