The World's Most Versatile Plant
by Ruth Fahrbach
Even at a cool, blustery Earth Day Celebration on April 24th, there was a demand for ice cream. Taos Hemp did not offer your regular Ben & Jerry's or Haagen Daz; this was Hemp I Scream! produced by Original Sources in Boulder, Colorado. This Vegan delight is packed with good nutrition for kids and adult-kids too. Why? There are Omega-3 and Omega6 essential fatty acids (EFAs) which our bodies need and can only obtain from a precious few sources. EFAs are an important part of our diet and are mostly found in fish oils and hemp seed and encapsulated for human consumption. Considering that many fish now contain contaminants, hemp seed oil is certainly the best choice for EFAs. By ingesting a tablespoon of hempseed oil daily, a person can lessen the effects of such maladies as high blood pressure, blood clotting, HIV and other auto-immune disorders as well as providing relief from arthritis, diabetes, and the nausea from chemotherapy. Aside from preventing or assisting with many chronic diseases hemp oil is also used externally to rejuvenate cell growth and add luster to the skin. Hemp beauty products are also well known for their efficacy.
It is no mystery that hemp is possibly the most versatile plant known to humankind.
| Cannabis Sativa, the Latin name for hemp, means, "the useful plant." "Make the most you can of the Indian hempseed and sow it everywhere," said George Washington, first president of the United States. Aside from its potential as a human health enhancer, the hemp plant can be grown and used to make paper, textiles, clothing, fuel, and building materials. Because it grows so quickly, up to 18ft. in 4 months, and its fibers are so strong, it could ostensibly replace our endangered trees as well as other precious natural resources for so many uses. However, it is widely theorized that, among other reasons, the petro-chemical industry emerging in the 1920s and '30s was threatened by the versatility of hemp in a time when America was bent on "so-called" modernization. So, hemp and marijuana, were lumped together and subsequently demonized by the authorities, with much support from companies like Dupont and the Hearst media dynasty. The reality is that hemp contains no tetrahydro-carbinol (THC), the intoxicating element of marijuana. | Hemp Hemp Hooray the green people say it's the miracle plant grows like a weed a spiritual seed to feed, clothe, shelter, medicine, and fuel the world, by self-sustaining the soil, allowing the famer to prosper and gratefully toil. Hemp is the organic giver healing the wounds of Mother Earth. |
Growing hemp in the US is currently illegal,with the exception of small, controlled plots located in, just a few states. Hemp products are certainly available in the US but they are very expensive because they are imported from places like China, Eastern Europe, and Canada. No wonder Original Sources calls it Hemp I Scream. We all need to be screaming at our federal government to change its archaic, untruthful, unjust laws which list hemp as a Schedule I drug on the Controlled Substance Act. Why not put poppyseed right there with it? It contains .3% THC. Which is about as much as members of the nightshade family which includes eggplant, tomato, pepper, and potatoes. Should we outlaw these also?
Land of the overweight and home of the triple whopper; give us your tired, your poor, your hungry, and let them eat hempseed. It's okay to scream for Truth. By supporting hemp in New Mexico and beyond, you support the mission of a truly self-sustaining plant and planet. Industrial Hemp is the giver, the organic, freedomloving plant that can feed the Planet if allowed to grow. For future reference, here are a few hemp resources:
Take a walk to our new local hempstore: Simple Pleasures in Baca Plaza and talk to Cindy Fugman, owner. Ask a local bookstore to order The Hemp Cookbook: From Seed to Shining Seed by Todd Dalotto and The Hempseed Cookbook by Carol Miller and Don Wirtshafter, and Natural Health, Natural Medicine, by Andrew Weil, MD.
Go to www taoshemp.com (Gotta plant my own seed) www.hia.org and www.votehemp.com as resources on the overall strategies of legalizing hemp.
Originally printed in "Living in Balance" magazine, Taos
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Thank you for supporting Hemp and Hemp Farmers Worldwide! © 2000-2006 Ruth Fahrbach, Taos Hemp TMMS |