The fascinating uses of hemp
By David Wooderson
Whats so special about about hemp?
It seems that every other week CBD oil or CBD based products catch the headlines in all sorts of blogs, magazines, newspapers and so on. As a result of the press and the attention CBD is getting, retail stores for CBD products are slowly starting to appear up and down the UK and a lot of the western world.
The majority of CBD products are made using extracts from hemp, while CBD is one of hemp's most popular and “it” by-products right now, what are some of the other uses of hemp? There are so many you may not know about, so we wanted to highlight some of the other uses of this fantastic and underappreciated crop.
We don’t want people don’t just look at hemp as just a “type of CBD” that people consume! Theres so much more to it!
So what else can you do with hemp?
There are literally thousands of products and materials that can be made using hemp. Below is a list of things that hemp can be useful for, and you will be surprised!
Hemp Plastics
This without a shadow of a doubt has to be the most important potential use of hemp, in a world that is heading in a downward spiral in regards to global pollution, single use plastics, lack of recycling and so on. This could be a game changer. It is reported your average plastic water bottle can take up to 500-1000 years to biodegrade. Hemp Plastic can take as little as 3 months. This is just one example of how this could change the game of plastics forever, there is almost nothing that is made from plastic that can’t also be made from hemp.
Single use plastics are one of the most damaging causes to the environment. According to PlasticOceans.org we are dumping 8 million tones into the ocean each year. This is a catastrophe for the environment and wildlife. 150 million single use plastics are made each year for its one fleeting moment of use.
With the world becoming more environmentally conscious, and governments slowly easing its restrictions on CBD legislation, we need hemp to become more a central figure in industry, for the sake of the worlds future.
Hemp Milk
Hemp Seeds can be used to make milk! Yes, that’s right, anyone who is looking to add a touch of green to their diet or has an intolerance to dairy products. Naturally it will taste slightly different to your regular milk, but hemp seeds are very nutritious.
Shoes & Clothing
Many companies are starting to use hemp as a base for making shoes & clothes, it has a slightly more canvass feel to them. Even Nike has had a special release shoe made of hemp, and there are luxury mens’ suits made from hemp too. Hemp fibres can be woven into fabric for any clothing imaginable.
Rope
This is one of the original uses of hemp, rope has been made out of hemp fibres for an estimated 10,000 years! This plant has some history.
Paper
Paper has again been made from hemp for thousands of years. There was an urban legend the declaration of independence was written on Hemp Paper! (Though this is widely found to be myth)
Hempcrete
This is our favourite one! It’s exactly what it sounds like, it’s like concrete, but made with hemp. Buildings are able to be completed with an incredibly strong hemp based infrastructure. Allegedly hemp structures date back to roman times, but there are now eco friendly companies that provide building and restructuring services using hemp based building materials. Check out Hempcrete UK for info!
Hemp Protein Powder
This is a popular one, hemp is high in nutrients, vitamins and protein and for those that look for a healthier active lifestyle with a greener diet, this is the perfect mix. Again, avoids the use of dairy, unnatural flavours and sugars.
While Buying CBD Oil and CBD products are at the forefront of peoples minds, these are just a few of the things that hemp can be useful for, and we have barely scratched the surface with this. If you are interested to find out more, be sure to google :) .