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The Hemp
plant (Cannabis Sativa) is an incredibly versatile plant that has many uses
and benefits. As described in the article on the
History on Hemp, Hemp has
been around for and has been used by man for a very long time.
Almost every
part of the plant is uasable. Either as a food, as a nutritional
supplement, as building material, animal feed and/or bedding.
Hemp Fibre
As the
premier plant fibre, Cannabis Sativa has served mankind for
thousands of years. This venerable fibre has always been valued for its
strength and durability. Materials made from Hemp have been discovered in
tombs dating back to 8,000 BC. Christopher Columbus sailed to America on
ships rigged with Hemp sails and Hemp Rope. Hemp was grown extensively in colonial America
by numerous farmers including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Betsy
Ross sewed the first American flag from Hemp. In fact, its combination of
ruggedness and comfort were utilized by Levi Strauss as a lightweight duck
canvas for the very first pair of jeans made in California.
For thousands
of years Hemp was traditionally used as an industrial fibre. Sailors relied
upon Hemp cordage for strength to hold their ships and sails and the
coarseness of the fibre made Hemp useful for canvas, sailcloth, sacks, rope,
and paper.
While Hemp
fibre was the first choice for industry, the coarseness of the fibre
restricted Hemp from apparel and most home uses. Hemp needed to be softened.
Traditional methods to soften vegetable fibres used acids to remove lignin,
a type of natural glue found in many plant fibres. While this method to
remove lignin worked well with cotton or flax, it weakened the fibres of
Hemp and left them too unstable for use. Hemp therefore remained as an
industrial fabric.
In the mid
1980's however, researchers developed an enzymatic process to successfully remove
lignin from the Hemp fibre without compromising its strength. For the first
time in history, de-gummed Hemp fibre could be spun alone or with other
fibres to produce textiles for apparel. This technological breakthrough has
catapulted Hemp to the forefront of modern textile design and fashion. Given
Hemp's superiority to other fibres, the benefits of this breakthrough are
enormous.
Superior
Properties
Hemp fibre is
one of the strongest and most durable of all natural textile fibres.
Products made from Hemp will outlast their competition by many years. Not
only is Hemp strong, but it also holds its shape, stretching less than any
other natural fibre. This prevents Hemp garments from stretching out or
becoming distorted with use. Hemp may be known for its durability, but its
comfort and style are second to none. The more Hemp is used, the softer it
gets. Hemp doesn't wear out, it wears in. Hemp is also naturally resistant
to mould and ultraviolet light.
Due to the
porous nature of the fibre, Hemp is more water absorbent, and will dye and
retain its colour better than any fabric including cotton. This porous
nature allows Hemp to "breathe," so that it is cool in warm weather.
Furthermore, air which is trapped in the fibres is warmed by the body,
making Hemp garments naturally warm in cooler weather.
Environmental Advantages
Hemp is an
extremely fast growing crop, producing more fibre yield per acre than any
other source. Hemp can produce 250% more fibre than cotton and 600% more
fibre than flax using the same amount of land. The amount of land needed for
obtaining equal yields of fibre place Hemp at an advantage over other
fibres.
Hemp grows
best in warm tropical zones or in moderately cool, temperate climates. Hemp
leaves the soil in excellent condition for any succeeding crop, especially
when weeds may otherwise be troublesome. Where the ground permits, Hemp's
strong roots descend for three feet or more. The roots anchor and protect
the soil from runoff, building and preserving topsoil and subsoil structures
similar to those of forests. Moreover, Hemp does not exhaust the soil. Hemp
plants shed their leaves all through the growing season, adding rich organic
matter to the topsoil and helping it retain moisture. Farmers have reported
excellent Hemp growth on land that had been cultivated steadily for nearly
100 years.
Hemp
Fabric
As a fabric,
Hemp provides all the warmth and softness of a natural textile but with a
superior durability seldom found in other materials. Hemp is extremely
versatile and can be used for countless products such as apparel,
accessories, shoes, furniture, and home furnishings. Apparel made from Hemp
incorporates all the beneficial qualities and will likely last longer and
withstand harsh conditions. Hemp blended with other fibres easily
incorporates the desirable qualities of both textiles. The soft elasticity
of cotton or the smooth texture of silk combined with the natural strength
of Hemp creates a whole new genre of fashion design.
The
possibilities for Hemp fabrics are immense. It is likely that they will
eventually supersede cotton, linen, and polyester in numerous areas. With so
many uses and the potential to be produced cheaply, Hemp textiles are the
wave of the future!
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Carpets
Hemp fibre is
also used in the carpet industry. A blend of industrial hemp and wool fibers
can produce a carpet that retains the durability of wool carpet, but
produces an even softer and more health promoting carpet than a pure wool
carpet.
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Making Paper
Until the 1880's between 75% and 90% of paper was made with Hemp fibre. The
Gutenberg bible published in the 15th Century, the King James bible in the
17th Century and Thomas Paines 18th Century pamphlets, including "The Rights
of Man", were all printed on Hemp paper.
The use of discarded Hemp rope, sails and rag to form the source for paper
making fibre began to change in the late 1800's. When unnatural fibres began
to be included in cloth production, rag was used less for paper pulp. In
1937 DuPont patented a sulphuric acid process for wood pulp thus making it
possible to use trees to make paper.
The chemical residues left by the acid process make wood based paper a short
lived product that is breaking down from the moment it is produced. By
contrast Hemp paper is stable for centuries. The Hemp plant being made up of
only 4% lignin (lignin glues plant fibres together) as compared to a figure
of 18-30% lignin in trees, needs far less acid to remove it to produce pulp
for paper.
Soda ash can be used to process Hemp pulp thus eliminating completely the
acid needed to process wood pulp. It is possible to ret (a process of
freeing the fibres) Hemp using an entirely natural process, putrefactive
fermentation, which yields fine, soft, white, silky fibre. There are obvious
benefits of a process free from the chlorine bleach needed for paper made
from wood. The elimination of dioxin discharges from paper mills would be a
significant environmental achievement.
The precise date that Hemp came to the British Isles is uncertain but it was
introduced into East Anglia in about 600 AD by Anglo-Saxon farmers and by
1200 AD it was a tithe crop (taxed by the church). In the 16th century Henry
VIII and Elizabeth I both fined land owners with more than 60 acres for not
growing Hemp.
Concern about deforestation and the impact of pollution from industry
continues, the time has come when we can no longer afford to ignore the
plant that from early human history until only this century was a mainstay
of existence. S.S. Boyce writing in 1900 says, in his book "Hemp":
"The Hemp plant is the most simple and the most widely adapted to
cultivation in all climates, the most susceptible to the manipulations of
chemical and mechanical processes."
Through a combination of historical accident and willful deceit, Hemp has
been denied its rightful place in our world economy.
Hemp Seed Oil
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Industrial Grade Hemp
Seed Oil
Once the EFA's in Hemp Seed Oil has
degraded to the point where the oil no longer has nutritional value, the oil
can be used as Industrial Grade Oil.
Paints & Varnishes
Paint and
varnish manufacturers formerly used large quantities of Hemp to obtain quick
drying oils. Rising petroleum prices could help re-establish this
traditional use of Hemp.
Until the 1930's, most paints were made
from Hemp seed oil and flax seed oil.
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Hemp and flax oil make durable, long
lasting paints because they contain high levels of essential fatty acids
that react with oxygen and dry into a thin film that renders wood
water-resistant.
The oil is turned into an alky resin which is then utilized
in the manufacture of the various paint and varnish products.
BioDiesel
Biodiesel can be made
from domestically produced, renewable oilseed crops such as Hemp. With
over 30 million successful U.S. road miles Hemp biodiesel could be the
answer to the world’s cry for cheaper fuel. We have spent the last
century polluting our beautiful earth with our petroleum based fuels that
could have easily been replaced with fuels derived from Hemp. It would
only take approximately 6% of our current arable land to produce enough
Hemp, for Hemp fuel, to make South Africa energy independent from the rest
of the world.
What is Hemp Fuel?
Biodiesel is the name
for a variety of ester based oxygenated fuels made from Hemp oil, other
vegetable oils or animal fats. The concept of using vegetable oil as an
engine fuel dates back to 1895 when Dr. Rudolf Diesel developed the first
diesel engine to run on vegetable oil. Diesel demonstrated his engine at the
World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 using peanut oil as fuel.
Why Hemp Bio Fuel?
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Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that runs in any
conventional, unmodified diesel engine. It can be stored anywhere that
petroleum diesel fuel is stored.
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Biodiesel is safe to handle and transport because it is as
biodegradable as sugar, 10 times less toxic than table salt, and has a
high flashpoint of about 300 F compared to petroleum diesel fuel, which
has a flash point of 125 F.
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Biodiesel can be made from domestically produced, renewable
oilseed crops such as Hemp.
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Biodiesel is a proven fuel with over 30 million successful
US road miles, and over 20 years of use in Europe.
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When burned in a diesel engine, biodiesel replaces the
exhaust odor of petroleum diesel with the pleasant smell of Hemp, popcorn
or French fries.
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Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel in the US to
complete EPA Tier I Health Effects Testing under section 211(b) of the
Clean Air Act, which provide the most thorough inventory of environmental
and human health effects attributes that current technology will allow.
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Biodiesel is 11% oxygen by weight and contains no sulfur.
The use of biodiesel can extend the life of diesel engines because it is
more lubricating than petroleum diesel fuel, while fuel consumption, auto
ignition, power output, and engine torque are relatively unaffected by
biodiesel.
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The Congressional Budget Office, Department of Defence, US
Department of Agriculture, and others have determined that biodiesel is
the low cost alternative fuel option for fleets to meet requirements of
the Energy Policy Act.
Angling / Fishing
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It is well known, that certain
flavourings attract different species of fish. For example, roach respond
well to aniseed, turmeric and Hemp Seed Oil. Carp like a bit of Hemp seed meal
and Hemp oil mixed in with the bait as it clouds the water nicely as it
breaks up.
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Tip
1
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To
make a fantastic spod mix, blend 45% Crushed Hemp (Hemp Cake/Hemp Meal) and 45% Molasses Meal with
10% Kelp Meal. Then mix in Hemp Seed Oil to make the blend tacky. The minute
this mix hits the water it will start to work by releasing enzymes and amino
acids, oils, sugars and trace elements that carp are naturally attracted to.
Food particles will drift far and wide on the undertow, drawing carp in to
feed.
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Tip
2
To boost
Hemp Pellets attraction properties further, soak them in Hemp Oil for 24
hours before use. This will not break the pellets down and will provide
excellent leak off in even the coldest water temperatures. Hemp Oil is also
ideal for use in colder temperatures due to its viscous properties.
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