About Hemp
History
The 16th century B.C. is the first noted date of hemp usage. The ancient Egyptians used the crop to make ropes and cosmetics. In the 5th century B.C., Herodotus described the use of hemp by the ancient Greeks, who converted it in textiles with high quality standards. The Chinese improved the growth-, harvest- and processing techniques of hemp. In the 9th century hemp was also used in Europe to make ropes and textiles. In the following ages, the hemp seeds and oils were widely spread throughout Europe to cure skin- and respiratory diseases, yellow fever and colics. In the 15th century hemp was introduced in the American colonies. After that time much of the paper and clothing in colonial America was made from hemp, with the textiles being recycled into “rag paper”, known to this day as one of the strongest and most long-lasting papers in the world. During colonial hemp shortages it was a punishable offence for landowners (sometimes by death) for refusing to grow hemp. While hemp has been used thousands of years for spiritual, medical, nutritional and industrial purposes, it was also partially responsible for enabling European imperialism in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Most of the seagoing nations would never have been as successful without the strong fibres with which to craft 90% of sails, plus ropes, rigging, and even the ‘oakum’ that sealed cracks in the boats watertight. In basic terms, if it wasn’t made of wood on a ship, it was made of hemp! Hemp rope and sails were incredibly strong and resisted the salt water damage and mould that were among the common wear and tear experienced in the nautical industry. In the 18th century, as a result of upcoming slavery, cotton became available everywhere and by the 20th century, cotton banned hemp in the textile industry and wood replaced hemp in the making of paper. Hemp was totally banned from the western market. It became a too big concurrent for wood industry (hemp produces 4 x more raw fibre than the same area wood...and can be harvested after 4 months <-> wood) In WWI, hemp was shortly promoted by the American government. Since the 90’s the demand in ecological and ethical products increased enormously. That’s when hemp got rediscovered! Although people these days still encounter hemp in the form of clothes, shoes, tents, twine, and nautical equipment, the availability of and dependence upon hemp is nothing compared to a few hundred years ago.
Hemp is one of the oldest and most versatile crops in the world. It’s the non-psychoactive version of the Cannabis Sativa L., containing less than 0,3% THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive ingredient. Since Ancient History, hemp seeds, stalks and flowers have been used for nutritious, medical, spiritual and industrial purposes. The seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids (including gamma linoleic acid (GLA), a very rare nutrient, also found in mother's milk) and vitamin E. The fibres from the stalks boast an unusually high tensile strength, leading to incredibly high-quality, durable and wearable clothing items. Hemp fibre is one of the softest and most durable fibres produced by any natural product.
Hemp was first cultivated by the Chinese in the 2nd century A.C.. At that time, the fibres where used for paper and textile and the seeds for food and in medicines.
Even flags, uniforms and fishing nets were fashioned from the fibre, and all these were above decks. Below, ships’ logs, maps, charts and bibles were printed on hemp paper as it was up to 100 times stronger than traditional papyrus preparations, and many of the lamps that lighted the dark evenings were dependent on hemp oil fuel. In fact, prior to 1883 between 75% and 90% of everything made of or printed on paper was from hemp, and before petrochemical companies most paints, oils, varnishes, and even glues and adhesives were manufactured from hemp.
Underneath you see to the propaganda movie "hemp for victory"
Hemp vs Marijuana
Hemp and Marijuana are two different types of the same plant. They look very much alike. The difference lies within the chemical composition of the plants. Marijuana gets its psychoactive characteristics because of a high level of THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), the authorised hemp only contains 0,3% of THC.
Farmers who are interested to cultivate hemp must know that the hemp seed must be certificated. The seed is strictly inspected. In Belgium it’s allowed to grow hemp after asking the permission to the department of agriculture of the Belgian government.
In a lot of countries hemp cultivation is still prohibited. In Europe, it’s Germany and France who plays the leading part in the adjustment of some surpassed laws.
Facts about hemp
Don't panic... it's organic !
- Hemp has been used for thousands of years throughout different civilisations.
- Till 1883, more than 75% of the paper worldwide was made out of hemp fibre. Even banknotes and bibles and the first constitution of the USA were printed on it.
- More tan 25 000 products can be made out of hemp such as paper, textiles, food and drinks, body care, paints, fuels, building materials, plastics, oils etc.
- Hemp absorbs more than cotton and retains three times more its shape. It's also stronger and more durable.
- Hemp absorbs up to 95% of the harmful UV rays, therefore it's a superb protection against the sun.
- Hemp is fully grown within four months and because of the deep roots, it prepares the soil for the next crop.
- Hemp can produce four times (per acre) more paper than trees.
- Hemp fibre is used in the stables of Buckingham Pallace for livestock bedding.
- For thousands of years hemp oil is known for its wholesome effects on different skin types and treatment of skin diseases.
- Hemp has strong anti-fungal and antibacterial characteristics.
- Until the ‘20's, hemp was used in 80% of clothing- and textile production. Hemp grows almost everywhere, like in Africa and Asia where a lot of people suffer from famine.
Hemp & Environment
Hemp doesn't cost the Earth !
Hemp is an extremely eco-friendly crop. Hemp grows in a completely organic way. From itself, the plant is resistant against different kinds of harmful insects, the use of pesticides is superfluous!
Hemp grows really fast, weeds won't get any chance to survive. You don't need herbicides, in fact, they only pollute our soil and rivers.
Hemp is resistant against many botanical diseases. The biggest challenge are the birds, who quickly find their way to the field after sowing. They like the nutritious and tasty seeds. But the old farmer says: ‘the seed makes the birds sing', so we don't mind them.
All over the world the textile industry replaced hemp by cotton. That's a shame because cotton is one of the most polluting crops. It consumes 25% of the worldwide use of pesticides and needs more crop protection and fertilizers than hemp.
A T-shirt of 55% hemp instead of 100% cotton can save up to 3000 liters of water!
Hemp fibre was replaced by wood fibre as a raw material for paper. Hemp only needs four months to be fully grown, trees need 10 to 20 years to be so. Chopping a tree also means destroying an entire ecosystem. A hemp field produces around four times as much as rough fibre than a similar surface area of trees.
Hemp fibre has a lighter colour than the fibre of wood. The wood has to be bleached, this process heavily pollutes our rivers.
Every part of hemp can be used, there is minimal waste. A least 25 000 products can be made from it, replacing a lot of polluting petrochemical products used today. Hemp can be used to make biodegradable plastics and ecological fuels.
Hemp & Agriculture
Hemp has big advantages, also for the agriculture. Only a few farmers still knows how it can be useful for the pollination. It’s only the bees who can transport the pollen, sowing hemp around for example a potato field makes them stay a little longer!
Besides that it also keeps harmful insects at a distance and can also prevent the formation of fungus on some crops.
Hemp is very keen on a temperate climate like ours, it doesn’t ask special treatment of the soil and it grows almost everywhere. Hemp can be cultivated in crop rotation (with mais and beets for ex) and alone.
The crop can be sowed from March until June and needs only four months to be fully grown (2 – 3 meters). Used as a rotation crop, it prepares the soil for the next crop. The long roots and fallen leaves will become humus for the next crop.
Hemp consumes a lot of nitrogen but needs only a little humus and it doesn’t exhaust the soil. Hemp don’t need a lot of water and is not labour-intensive.
Hemp is surely strong enough to grow without pesticides and herbicides. That’s not only good news for our environment and health, but also for the farmer’s wallet!
In Asia, hemp is used frequently to cure animals. A ball of hemp flowers, sugar and grains is given to the cattle to cure colics, diarrhoea and maggots. If you give hemp seed to your chicken on a regular basis, they will keep laying eggs without interruption!
Healthy animals, healthy crops, a healthy soil and a healthy environment gives a better yield!
Hemp & Health
Hemp seed was of use as first-aid food in China, Australia and during WWII also in Europe. Today bosa, a mixture of goose grass seeds and hemp, and mura, made with roasted grains, amaranth, rice and hemp seeds, is still been eaten by the poor people of India.
Hemp seeds are extremely nutritious. Hemp seed, but soy, is the most rich in proteins. And unlike soy better for digestion. Besides that, the seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids (Omega 3 – 6 & 9 including gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), a very rare nutrient, also found in mother's milk!) in their most natural proportions. Unsaturated fatty acids are needed to keep our veins, skin, joints and memory in top condition. But they are very hard to find in their natural form. Mostly they are added artificially in food products such as butter. Hemp oil also contains vitamin E and B and consists 35% of fibres cleaning the body.
Unsaturated fatty acids can be a help for people with a high cholesterol level, they make the veins wider and prevent the blood from clotting. After a few weeks of eating hemp seed, the blood pressure can drop and stays in balance.
Unsaturated fatty acids are very sensitive to warmth, light and oxygen. Keep the oil and seeds on a dry, dark and covered spot to preserve their effect.
Why did hemp disappear?
If hemp is such an extraordinary plant, than why did it dissappear?
In our search for an explanation we have to think about the economical and political circumstances.
At the end of the 18th century the production process of cotton and the exploitation of the colonies through slavery evolved in such matter that cotton became a cheaper alternative for hemp.
Another industrial revolution, the invention of the steam engine, gave hemp the finishing stroke. The merchant ships were now driven by engines and no longer by sails. Rope was no longer an essential product and the rope industry, which was an important economical business, collapsed.
Hemp was still cultivated locally, but no longer for commercial purposes. Hemp lost ground in the advantage of cotton, rayon and synthetic fibres. Nylon was the first product made out of petrol. Traditional ropes were replaced by synthetic alternatives, but they were not stronger, only a little lighter, than hemp ropes.
That petrol isn’t renewable, was not an issue at that time. The only reason why hemp was replaced by synthetic alternatives was the lower cost of synthetic mass production.
In the 1930’s hemp was prohibited in an increasing amount of countries under the cloak of drug prevention. Marijuana, as you know by now, is gained out of another variety of the Cannabis Sativa. Hemp became a victim of the war on drugs at that time, however it has nothing to do with drugs! But the mixing up was very welcome for some other powerful industry lobbies.
In Belgium hemp was already prohibited in 1921, in the USA in 1937 followed by Canada in 1938. For now, Europe & Canada allows hemp cultivation again, but in the USA it’s still prohibited.
Only during WWII the hemp cultivation was shortly encouraged because of the lack on synthetic products and the problems with the supply of alternatives like abaca and jute.
If we look at the political and economical climate from the 1930’s, it’s obvious that industrial companies had an interest in prohibiting hemp.
Activists described in details how paper-, plastics-, cotton-, car- and oil companies felt threatened by the mechanical development of the hemp industry which could mean the revival of hemp.
Rudolf Diesel designed an engine that could run on vegetable oils (like hemp oil). And even Henry Ford designed an entire car made out of vegetable waste such as soy, cellulose and hemp fibres. This was of course bad news for the iron industry!
Underneath you can see a little movie about the Ford Hemp car:
A lot of ecological advantages of hemp were overshadowed by the less durable but economic more interesting alternatives. Developments in chemistry made it possible to find some techniques to process some natural products like rubber, sisal and hemp. For the western countries it meant more independence from oil producing countries.
It seemed that plastics, nylon and fossil fuels would be the future raw materials. But today it’s clear what the consequences are of a civilisation that runs on oil and other non-renewable raw materials (war, dependence,…). Luckily people finally start to realise this and the demand for renewable raw materials (bio-diesel) and plants (like hemp and flax) is rising.