Hempseed (Cannabis sativa L.) is one of the healthiest, nontoxic, and abundant sources of oil. Beauty products made from organic, cold-pressed hempseed oil are great for skin, scalp, nails, and hair because they are an excellent source of the essential fatty acids (EFAs) omega-3 and omega-6. According to an Italian study published in the July-August 2005 issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Science, hempseed oil has positive effects on the skin--its unsaturated essential fatty acids do indeed alleviate dryness and conditions related to aging. [continues 415 words]
That the hemp plant is used as food initially surprises and confuses most people. The public information system has largely restricted knowledge of hemp to its use in making rope and cloth from the fibre of the plant, and paper from the plant stalk. Yet both the oldest Chinese agricultural treatise, the Xia Xiao Zheng, written around 1600 BC, and other Chinese records discuss hemp as one of the major grain crops grown in ancient China. The cultivation and use of hemp (Cannabis sativa) has also been documented by many other ancient civilizations, including India, Sumeria, Babylonia, Persia, Egypt, Europe, the Aztec and Mayan civilizations of South America, and native cultures in North America. Over thousands of years, hemp has followed humankind throughout the world--or vice versa. Grown legally in Canada since 1998, it is making a comeback as a highly sustainable crop that grows easily in the Canadian climate, providing both health and environmental benefits. [continues 583 words]
"Most people don't know hemp seeds as a traditional food staple documented in China as far back as 1500 BC." Health food aficionados could not have overlooked the recent grocery shelf appearance of hemp foods: pure hemp oil, salad dressings, nutrition bars, corn chips, nut butter and the basic material, the hulled hemp seeds, or hemp nuts. What's in these foods, and why would we want to eat them? By definition, hemp foods contain the seeds or oil of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa. Familiar to us as birdseed, most people do not know hemp seeds as a traditional major food staple documented in China as far back as 1500 BC. Legal to grow in Canada since 1998--following a 60-year prohibition--health-conscious eaters in North America and Europe are now rediscovering that these seeds have what it takes to make healthy and tasty foods. [continues 456 words]
Scientists in Australia have genetically engineered poppy plants capable of producing twice the usual amount of opium. Australia produces about 25 per cent of the world's legal opium. Senior police sources fear drug gangs, who have already stolen more than 50,000 poppy heads this year, could target seeds from the new super poppy. [end]
