Hemp oil
Not to be confused with Hash .
Hemp or hempseed is obtained by pressing hemp seeds. Cold pressed, unrefined hemp is dark to clear light green in color, with a nutty flavour. The darker the color, the grassier the flavour. It should not be confused with hash , a THC containing made from the cannabis flower, hailed by somefor its medicinal qualities.
Refined hempseed is clear and colorless, with little flavor and lacks natural vitamins and antioxidants. Refined hempseed is primarily used in body care products. Industrial hempseed is used in lubricants, paints, inks, fuel, and plastics. Hempseed has found some limited use in the production of soaps, shampoos and detergents. The is of high nutritional value because of its 3:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids, which matches the balance required by the human body.It has also received attention in recent years as a possible feedstock for the large-scale production of biodiesel. There are a number of organizations that promote the production and use of hempseed.
Hempseed is manufactured from varieties of Cannabis sativa that do not contain significant amounts of THC, the psychoactive element present in the cannabis plant. This manufacturing process typically includes cleaning the seed to 99.99% before pressing the . There is no THC within the hempseed, although trace amounts of THC may be found in hempseed when plant matter adheres to the seed surface during manufacturing. The modern production of hempseed , particularly in Canada, has successfully lowered THC values since 1998.] Regular accredited sampling of THC in Canadian hemp seed shows THC levels usually below detection limit of 4 ppm (parts per million, or 4 mg/kg). Legal limit for THC content in foodstuffs in Canada is 10 ppm. Some European countries have limits of 5ppm or none-detected, some EU countries do not have such limits at all.
Hash , not to be confused with hempseed , is used for both medicinal and recreational purposes and made from the mature female flowers and leaves of the herb cannabis, thus having a much higher THC content. Hash should not be confused with hemp, as the modern usage of the word 'hemp' is reserved for plants that meet the legal requirement of containing 0.3% THC or less.
Nutrition
About 30–35% of the weight of hempseed is an edible that contains about 80% as essential fatty acids (EFAs); i.e., linoleic acid, omega-6 (LA, 55%), alpha-linolenic acid, omega-3 (ALA, 22%), in addition to gamma-linolenic acid, omega-6 (GLA, 1–4%) and stearidonic acid, omega-3 (SDA, 0–2%).
The proportions of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid in one tablespoon per day (15 ml) of hempseed easily provides human daily requirements for EFAs. Unlike flaxseed , hempseed can be used continuously without developing a deficiency or other imbalance of EFAs. This has been demonstrated in a clinical study, where the daily ingestion of flaxseed decreased the endogenous production of GLA.
In common with other s, hempseed provides 9 kcal/g. Compared with other culinary s it is low in saturated fatty acids.
Highly unsaturated, and especially poor quality, can spontaneously oxidize and turn rancid within a short period of time when they are not stored properly; i.e., in a cool/cold, dark place, preferably in a dark glass bottle. Hempseed can be frozen for longer periods of storage time. Preservatives (antioxidants) are not necessary for high-quality s that are stored properly.
Hempseed oil has a relatively low smoke point and is not suitable for frying. Hempseed oil is primarily used as a food oil and dietary supplement, and has been shown to relieve the symptoms of a skin disease called eczema (atopic dermatitis).
Wood finish
Hemp oil is a "drying oil", as it can polymerize into a solid form. Due to its polymer-forming properties, hemp oil is used on its own or blended with other oils, resins, and solvents as an impregnator and varnish in wood finishing, as a pigment binder in oil paints, as a plasticizer and hardener in putty. It has uses similar to linseed oil and characteristics similar to tung oil.
