3 Reasons Why We’re Obsessed with Hemp

As sustainable proponents, we love hemp. And with good reason. Whether it’s plastics, fuel, concrete or even beer, the miracle plant has over 25,000 industrial applications — all of which are completely eco-friendly. Ahead, we take a closer look at three of our favourite ways to use hemp and how they can positively impact our daily lives. 

You Are What You Eat

When it comes to food, hemp is well-known for packing a nutritional punch with nutrients like protein, dietary fibre, ‘the good kind’ of polyunsaturated fats, along with a handful of essential vitamins and minerals. Most of which come from its seeds that can be eaten raw, ground into a meal, made into milk, and even used to make protein powder. Hemp seeds offer a whopping 31g of protein per 100g serving; that’s twice the amount of protein when compared to chia seeds or linseeds, making it a great addition to the vegan diet that can easily be combined with salads, smoothies or drizzled on top of a porridge for some extra crunch. These power seeds are also known for decreasing food cravings and intolerances, inflammation and blood pressure as well as improving digestion, immunity and energy levels — talk about a superfood!

Beauty That's Skin-deep

As if being a wholesome breakfast accompaniment wasn’t enough, the holy hemp seed extends its wondrous benefits to your beauty routine as well in the form of topical oils. Hemp seed oil is extracted purely from hemp seeds — not to be confused with hemp oil, which is a blanket term for all oils that come from hemp and can include cannabidiol (CBD) oil. While other kinds of hemp oil (like CBD) are rich in cannabinoids (that tend to get you high), hemp seed oil typically has little-to-none and contains mostly omega fatty acids that have numerous skincare benefits. According to dermatologists, hemp seed oil is capable of reducing inflammation, locking in hydration and regulating oil production on combination skin — all, without clogging your pores. It can also be used for strengthening your nails and healing cuticles. 

Wear Hemp, While Others Get High on It

As far as its textile applications go, hemp is poised to disrupt the most ubiquitous yet problematic raw material: cotton. Anything made from cotton can be made better with hemp with a substantially lower environmental impact as it's a more sustainable, organic and regenerative agricultural crop than cotton. Hemp uses about 5% the amount of water it takes to grow cotton and can often be rain-fed. It can also grow in almost all soil conditions, and unlike cotton (which depletes the soil of nutrients) hemp’s deep-reaching roots end up preserving the soil. Grown from the Sativa plant, hemp is a type of ‘bast fibre’, that offers the most deliciously soft feeling when worn and is known for growing softer with each wear. The fabric is also innately resistant to bacteria and can quite literally act as your very own sun shield through its natural ability to provide UV protection.

P.S. A high percentage of citizens do not know the difference between industrial hemp and cannabis, and tend to get the two mixed up frequently. Often confused with cannabis plants (aka marijuana) that are grown for its psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) properties, hemp contains less than 0.3% THC — so you can’t really get high on it but you can definitely enjoy its material benefits. Find our lineup of hemp shirts, trousers, jackets and so much more right here.
 

Published by: Vibhuti Vazirani/ 2020-10-08