Hemp as Food

2009.06.28

According to new studies presented on the Journal of Industrial Hemp, from the International Hemp Association, affirms that in terms of dietary oil, protein, vitamins and minerals, hemp offers a unique nutritional package. That is considered because as showed by biology researches the hemp seed oil contains the essential fatty acids, which are the linoleum and the alpha-linoleum acids, and it is highly unsaturated. The protein in hemp seed contains all of the essential amino acids, in high concentrations, which makes it a very complete.

Even though it is almost common sense that cannabis is most well adapted to temperate and equatorial climes, that is not entirely true. Hemp varieties that are capable of flowering during long photo periods are an ideal variety for high latitudes. In Central Europe, for example, the production of seeds is greater than 60% from the Equator. According to the Journal of Industrial Hemp, when produced in higher latitudes the hemp seeds show a higher degree of unsaturation in the oil production.

Historically the cultivation of hemp was primarily for the production of fiber, and for that flowering is not desirable, but for the production of seeds, flowering is very necessary. But considering the waves of prohibition that happened in the last centuries, it is not hard to comprehend why the best species for the production of seeds are regulated or not permitted even in countries that the use is permitted. However, the researchers question those assumptions, because they consider that both production of fiber and seeds (for the food crop) can resolve problems of taste and nutrition, as well as economic and environmental issues.

Regarding the food crop, there is a Finish variety of hemp, called Finola. As a “non-drug Cannabis” it is the only variety registered as an early-blooming one. This variety of hemp can produce over 2000kg of seeds per hectare, and is in currently commercial cultivation in Finland, France, England, Canada and Australia.

Finola can satisfy a curious regulation requiring the production of mature seeds in order to receive the fiber subsidy in EU, even if the early-blooming varieties do not appear in the EU list of approved hemp. Finola is frost tolerant, and because of that it is perfect for high latitudes. The THC in this plant varies between 0.04 and 0.16%, only in dry mature females. That is way below of the interdiction of EU and Canada that prohibits any level above 0.3%.

This specie is short and when it grows at lower latitudes is even shorter, and cannot compete with other varieties. However, its fiber is the most entirely primary and is softer than fiber from other varieties. Finola produces abundant amounts of pollen, and at high latitudes produces pollen somewhat later than most plants.

Hemp seed oil has high amounts of the fatty acids that are most essential to human health. Using the varieties of species for the productions of different products, would improve the economy and the lack of nutrients in different diets around the world.