What is hemp and what is it used for
The hemp plant is an annual plant that is ambiguous, there is both a female and male version of the plant. The male plant produces pollen, when the female plant is pollinated it produces hemp seeds.
The history of the hemp plant
Hemp is one of the oldest domesticated crops known to mankind. It has been used for thousands of years to produce paper, textiles, rope and many more things. The book "Columbia History of the World" even says that the oldest relic of human industry is a piece of hemp that is dated to about 8000 BC.
What is the difference between hemp, cannabis and weed?
The word hemp is used for cannabis plants that are mainly used for industrial purposes such as the production of rope, fiber, hemp seeds or insulation material. Cannabis is a collective name for hemp, weed and hash. The word weed is used as an alternative name for the female flowers of the cannabis plant. Hash or hashish is the name of the compressed crystals of a cannabis plant. Hash and weed can be bought legally in one of the many Dutch coffeeshops.
Hemp is one variety of the cannabis plant, but it does not have the same mind-expanding effect as weed or hash. Industrial hemp may contain a maximum of 0.2% THC. This is far too little to get high or stoned. THC is the psychoactive substance in cannabis that has a mind-expanding effect. THC is the best known cannabinoid in the cannabis plant. In addition to THC, CBD is also a cannabinoid that has gained popularity in recent years. CBD is not psychoactive and has various medicinal characteristics. CBD works, among others, anti-inflammatory, it promotes sleep, reduces epileptic seizures and it counteracts the psychoactive effects of THC.
The industrial hemp plant
Traditionally, the versatility of the hemp plant has already been used extensively. The applications such as rope, fiber, paper and textiles are often mentioned as an example, but hemp can also be used as a replacement for plastic like DVD and CD covers.
The medicinal characteristics of the hemp plant
For centuries, hemp has been a common agricultural crop, harvested for its protein-rich seeds, oil and fibers for rope and clothing.
According to a Chinese legend, Emperor Shen Neng (2737 BC) was one of the first great leaders in the ancient world who officially prescribed hemp tea for the treatment of various diseases including gout, rheumatism, malaria and bad memory. Even in India, hemp was used medically hundreds of years before Christ, religious, recreational and spiritual. Cannabis was (and still is) mixed with special drinks that are used for simple enjoyment but also for medical reasons. One of the most popular drinks is bhang - a mix of cannabis paste, milk, ghee and various spices.
Car made from hemp fibers
In 1940, Henry Ford designed a car partially made of hemp. The bodywork was lighter and therefore more economical than a normal metal body. Although the formula used to make the plasticized panels has been lost, it is assumed that the first design of the bodywork is partially made of soybeans and hemp. In our online headshop various hemp products can be found, like clothes made from hemp textile, hemp rope with beeswax that can be used to light pipes and bongs and many more.
