NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF HEMP SEEDS

“Hemp”; a common English term used to describe high growing varieties of the cannabis plant, has numerous nutritional benefits. It is an amazing plant source that surprisingly provides a perfect ratio of essential oils that are good for health and vitality. Furthermore these Cannabis seeds contain many essential amino acids and essential fatty acids that are generally required for a healthy human lifestyle.

There has been evidence that essential fatty acids (found in hemp) are responsible for our immune response. This fact has been researched by Mr. R. Hamilton (ED.D, Ph.D.) Medical Researcher-Biochemist U.C.L.A. Emeritus when in his studies he said

“In the old country the peasants ate hemp butter. They were more resistant to disease than the nobility. The higher classes wouldn’t eat hemp because the poor ate it.”

There are many reasons where this may have been the case and among them is that:

  • Hemp seeds have a higher content of essential fatty acids above any other plant
  • Hempseed oil is lowest among saturated fats at 8% of total oil volume
  • The oil pressed from hempseed contains 55% linoleic acid (LA) and 25% linoleic acid. Only flax oil has more linoleic acid at 58%, but hempseed oil is the highest in total essential fatty acids at 80% of total oil volume.

Hemp seeds are a good addition to diet because the essential fatty acids in them are also necessary for governing growth, vitality, and the state of mind. In order for this to happen LA and LNA’s (which are modified versions of RNA and/or RNA which have modified nucleotides) need to run their course so they can produce life energy from the food we consume and regulate in throughout our bodies. In addition to that they play a part in transferring oxygen in the air to the lungs. These processes are successful because they are slippery strands that do not clog arteries and are ones that do not interfere with other body processes.

Also they attain a negative charge which gives them a tendency to form very thin surface layers. This property is called ‘surface activity’, and it provides the power to carry substances like toxins to the surface of the skin, intestinal tract, kidneys and lungs where they can be removed.

The astonishing factor in these seeds is that this immensely positive effect is protected by nature. The seeds’ inner core which has this effect is covered by a natural shell that keeps all of its beneficial ingredients enclosed in the seed. In addition to that the outer shell is edible as well so there are minimal chances of a person not getting the full use of this ingredient.

There are many ways of consuming this product and among them are:

  • Adding to granola or trail mixes
  • Grounding to make a paste (The paste would look like peanut butter but in taste would have a delicate flavor)
  • Baking them into breads, cakes or casseroles

By consuming these seeds in many of the above listed ways people are actually preventing cardiovascular diseases. Promising studies have shown that the result of these cardiovascular diseases are related to fatty degeneration caused by the continued over-consumption of saturated fats and refined vegetable oils which turn essential fatty acids into carcinogenic killers. This is the exact opposite result of what a nutritious hempseed consumption provides.

In addition to all of these duties Hemp Seeds provide the protein which contains certain amino acids to maintain health in the body. These products provide the necessary nutrition to make human serum albumin and serum globulins like the immune-enhancing gamma globulin antibodies.

The central idea is that the body should be able to produce a massive amount of antibodies to fend off attacks that aim to reduce health in normal human processes. If the above mentioned material is in short supply the body does not have the energy or in other words the resources to fend off attacks like this because they are in too short of an amount to fend of the attacking sickness. The best way to ensure that this amino acid material is in abundant supply in the consumption of theses cannabis seeds. The Hempseed protein is 65% globulin Edestin and includes quantities of albumin, so its easily digestible protein is readily available in a form quite similar to that found in blood plasma.

Overall, the astonishing ratio of essential oils and essential fatty acids in these cannabis seeds are efficient in providing a nutritious diet that prepares your immune system to fend of many problems and diseases in the foreseeable future.

HOW IS STREET MARIJUANA DIFFERENT FROM THE FEDERALLY REGULATED DRUG?

Marijuana has had a long history for being used for medicinal purposes in many cultures. It is known for prevent nausea, vomiting and is effective in helping people with regaining their appetite. It is also used to alleviate a person from chronic pain in their muscles or joints. Canada drifted into regulating medicinal marijuana in 2001 and currently is available to people with a prescription.

To date the two most significant ways of using medicinal marijuana is smoking marijuana cigarettes or ingesting it in pill form. The pill is a desirable method for some as it effectively ingests THC (the active ingredient in Cannabis/Marijuana) without the health risks of smoking Marijuana.

When this drug was regulated there were many conditions put into effect on who could be prescribed this drug. For example this drug was only available to:

  • Individuals allowed to apply for medical marijuana are people being treated for symptoms within the context of providing end-of-life care.
  • Individuals with severe pain and muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury or disease are eligible to apply for medical marijuana.
  • People suffering from severe pain, anorexia, weight loss and nausea from cancer or HIV/AIDS, seizures from epilepsy or severe pain from arthritis.
  • Individuals with any other medical conditions must be able to prove that other treatments have not worked and that those treatments failed to relieve their symptoms.

Now come to the issue of how the drug is acquired there are many procedures that need to be followed. For example many users were reluctant to use the street drug, but due to its illegality and unsafe handling government regulated marijuana was preferable. A key difference in its quality is where the drug comes from. When someone legally purchases medical marijuana, they can be assured that the quality of the marijuana is consistent, because it is coming from a company in which the production is standardized and the quality is controlled by Health Canada. Whereas there is not surety of the street drug which can be processed under unknown conditions and is quite illegal in Canada. Also when buying marijuana on the street, there is always a high risk of it being laced with additives and other drugs that lead the user to attain the opposite effects of the drug’s medicinal purposes.

Although the sale of recreational marijuana is illegal, many people use it regardless. This can be a good study to learn from because the recreational users who attain the drug illegally are using it for its psychoactive effects. Whereas people using for medicinal purposes seek a much milder effect where they attempt to modify the symptoms of their acquired disease. This effect cannot be achieved with the recreational use of this drug because recreational users seek to alter their state of consciousness and perception, which generally allows the street drug to be much more powerful.

Although medical marijuana is available for eligible, seriously ill people, it is still an illegal substance and the law forbids its sale on the street. This is an important aspect to keep in mind whilst discussing this issue because many times people allow their perspective be altered for its medicinal purposes due to the fact of its illegality. However, in the case of some terminally ill patients, the short-term benefits may outweigh the long-term effects. Although research is still being conducted in what cases medicinal marijuana is best used the outstanding fact is that the regulated drug has a much milder and more effective impact on the patients.

CANNABIS IN ANCIENT INDIA

Due to its significant traces in legends and religion Cannabis has had a long history in India. The earliest mention of Cannabis was in a sacred Hindu text called the Vedas. These texts date back to 2000 to 1400 B.C. According to these findings cannabis was considered a plant that was heavenly and among one of the five sacred plants this text deems the most essential. Its purpose at the beginning was to give joy, liberate people of illnesses and compassionately heal humans as it was the plant that had pleased Lord Shiva. According to legend this plant had pleased Lord Shiva and had alleviated him from his unpleasant circumstances.

Cannabis has been famous in India since the start of times because it has been taken as a drink for worship and for medicinal purposes. There have been records of this Cannabis drink (called Bhang in India) being given to soldiers if they were wounded. It had been proven that in many cases it raised their hopes and distracted them from the pain. They believed that Bhang was the quickest way for the soldier to be fit for battle again; this resulted in many folktales of how drinking bhang made the soldiers much stronger. The scenario in these stories would be the western equivalent of Pop-eye’s muscles after eating a can of spinach.

When the British colonized India, the use marijuana was to their distaste and believed that it should be eradicated for the Indians to assimilate. They perceived the use of this sacred plant vulgar and believed it was a well-developed excuse for the use of marijuana for recreational purposes. Although there is some truth in marijuana being used for pleasure but there is equally as much evidence of its medicinal purposes.

In their time the ladies who worked long hours in the village were accustomed to drinking Bhang before child-birth. They felt that they could handle its effects because they were accustomed to being active at least 12 hours of a 24 hour day and felt that they could “wear off” any side effects if there were any. They felt that it reduced the pain and allowed them a more comfortable delivery. The neat thing is the culture of these ladies were sensible to detect that they should avoid bhang when breastfeeding. This was a discovery that the British thought they educated the Indians with, but was in their customs traditionally.

To add on the fact that Bhang served its purpose for the common problem of arthritis. This disease came with chronic pain and at the time many seniors suffered this common problem. Like studies have proven today, the Indians also vaporized or ingested marijuana to reduce the pain.

To have the above mentioned effects it was common in Indian culture to mix nuts and spices, like almonds, pistachios, poppy seeds, pepper, ginger and sugar with marijuana and boil them in a small amount of milk. They were correct in mixing marijuana with milk because it effectively increased the effect of the extracted THC. Scientists predict that this mixture was perhaps more stronger that western marijuana and was accustomed the way of life in Asia.

This form of Cannabis is continued to be used in the 21st century as it varies on the circumstances of each citizen. For instance it is uncommon for the people with more privileges to use marijuana because they feel it is below their dignity unless for a medicinal or holy purpose. Whereas people in poverty acquire it so they can work a 14-16 hour shift regardless of their health condition. All in all the well-integrated presence of cannabis is present in many circumstances of the Indian population even today.