A brief look at CBD, Hemp and it's uses

Many of us must have come across the terms CBD, THC and hemp. If you don't know what they are, you're not alone. People usually get confused when they come across any of these three terms, and some even think they all refer to the same thing. Short answer? They don't. Here is some basic information that you should know about CBD and hemp.

CBD is short for cannabidiol, a class of compounds present in the cannabis plant. Parts of the cannabis plant are harvested and processed to extract certain compounds of which CBD, THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and hemp oil are the major ones. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the compound responsible for most of marijuana's effects on our consciousness. It acts much like the cannabinoids produced in the body. Cannabinoid receptors are dense in the areas of the brain associated with thinking, memory, pleasure, coordination and perception of time. THC attaches to these receptors and activates them and affects everything that comes within their functioning range. Hemp is the plant, also known as Cannabis sativa L which is used to extract CBD and hempseed oil, mainly due to it's very low THC content and high amounts of CBD. The reason CBD is preferred to THC is for its lack of psychotic properties. No matter how much CBD you consume, you cannot get high.

Even though hemp is used for it's rich content of CBD and other cannabinoids, as well as terpenes and flavonoids; we are not going to discuss them here, as they fall under benefits of CBD. In this post we will be focusing more on the uses of hemp as a raw material or a base material in a diverse range of applications.

Hemp seeds are considered to be superfood, since they contain high amounts of fatty acids as well as several other nutrients. They are used to make hempseed oil, which has a high nutritional value.

Fibres of the hemp plant are super strong, and are used to produce a range of fabrics. Hemp is considered a better alternative to cotton for producing threads and other weaving materials, since it uses significantly lesser amount of water, and does not require as much nutrition as cotton does. It is also naturally unsuitable for consumption by a lot of insects. Today hemp fibres are being used to make bags, shoes and clothing items.

Parts of the hemp can be turned into hemp proteins, which are being used more and more by sports and fitness enthusiasts to boost their performance and promote recovery after workout.

Hemp is also used in the manufacture of papers and other such products. These papers are however, meant for special applications only as their manufacturing costs are four to five times higher than that of paper produced from wood and other materials. Hemp paper is used to make cigarette papers, banknotes and purpose specific filter papers.

Hemp fibre has been widely used in the past by sailors and seafarers to make sail canvas. The term 'canvas' itself is derived from cannabis.

Hemp is also used to manufacture building blocks for construction. They may not be strong enough to provide support to entire buildings on their own, but they find extensive use as a replacement for wood. One USP of using such materials along with traditional materials is that you can create very durable and breathable buildings.

Hemp is used to make hempcrete as well as hemp isolation blocks that provide thermal insulation.

One of the most important benefits of hemp is that it can be used to clear unwanted chemicals and such components in soil and water. They are used as sewage effluent. They are also being used to neutralize contaminants at the Chernobyl disaster site. Hemp is not only good for your health and well-being, it also has a wide range of benefits for our convenience and for the environment.