Friday, March 4, 2016

Hemp Seed oil

Hemp Seed Oil   Species/Cannabis sativa  - Family/Cannabaceae
Hemp is an annual herbaceous plant, often referred to as industrial hemp.  In general the hemp plant appearance is as described however there are slight variances with each cultivar, these differences are addressed under their cannabis strain section.  The stems are slightly branching with grayish green hairs, ranging up to ¾ inches in diameter, and being slender and erect in appearance, growing from three to fifteen feet or more in height.  The leaves are palmate, with serrated edges and five to nine leaflets.  The upper leaves are dark green having a smooth texture and the under leaf surface is light green in color with a downy texture.  The small flowers are unisexual with the female producing the small oval nut-like fruit.  The hull of the fruit is brownish grey with a smooth texture that contains the seed (fruit).  The hull consists mainly of fiber and small amounts of chlorophyll.  Hemp seeds mature in late summer and are slightly larger than a sesame seed. 
The hemp plant has a strong taproot that penetrates deep into the soil.  Although hemp is very adaptable to most soil and climate conditions it thrives on richly fertile, silt or clay loams and well-drained soils of ph of six or greater with subsoil moisture retentive properties.  Hemp grows rapidly, requires little cultivation, little to no pesticides, no herbicides, helps to control erosion of topsoil, requires some weeding in early stages of growth however soon crowds out weed growth. Although hemp may tend to exhaust the soil of nutrients, most nutrients rapidly regenerate after the harvest.  Hemp may be grown in succession however makes a great rotation crop as well as companion crop for brassica plants (the mustard family: vegetables like cabbage, kale, mustard, broccoli, cauliflower, turnip and more) due to the volatile essence emitted from the root systems which inhibits pathogenic micro organisms in the soil and repels the cabbage white butterfly.
Hemp is the common name for the family of cannabis although more often referring to strains cultivated for industrial use and not for medicinal or recreational use.  Since Cannabis is such a wealthy plant of huge merit, all cultivars will be addressed with their abundant offerings for a green society to therapeutic values.  Hemp can be manufactured into more than 25,000 environmentally friendly products ranking high on ensuring a green future for our planet, not to mention the enormous impact it could have on our own country’s present financial dilemma at this time.  Financial is only one small fragment of the total equation hemp delivers.  Hemp has many variable uses such as: paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, health food, body care products, hemp seed oil, hemp oil, seed, fuel, building materials, and to produce nontoxic paints and cleaners.  The major producers of industrial hemp are Canada, France and China.  Also, cultivated in Australia, Austria, England, Russia and Spain.  Industrial Hemp contains only minute amounts of THC 0.3% or less.
Hemp fiber imprints have been found in pottery shards in China and Taiwan that date back to more than 10, 000 years ago.  Medical marijuana is confirmed in surviving text in ancient Egypt, Greece and India; cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for approximately 4,000 years.  In the Napoleonic era hemp was used for the production of military uniforms, due to the durability of the fabric and no doubt to the swiftness of crop production time line to produce the textiles desired.  Christopher Columbus’ ships were decorated with hemp textiles from the canvas, sails, sacks, and ropes; hemp seeds were also aboard the ship as an additional food source and in the event of shipwreck, for crop planting to produce raw material.  In 1645, the puritans were the first to cultivate hemp in New England.  In the 1800's the gulf and Carolina states had very large hemp industries, second only to cotton.  George Washington and Thomas Jefferson cultivated hemp on their farms.  George Washington said “Make the most of hemp seed and sow it everywhere.” Benjamin Franklin started the first American hemp paper mill.  Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag from hemp.  Thomas Jefferson drafted the declaration of independence on hemp paper. In War war II uniforms, canvas, ropes and hemp were grown in the Midwest and Kentucky.  
In the United States Hemp “ALL cannabis strains” have been banned/illegal since 1937.  In 1942 the ban was lifted for the war effort, “Hemp for Victory” being the slogan however was terminated in 1957 and has been banned and/or illegal on a federal level since this date.  In the United States, medical marijuana is legalized in 16 states and the District of Columbia of which California (California became the first state to legalize medicinal marijuana November 5, 1996) and Rhode Island utilize the most progressive dispensaries to sell medicinal cannabis.  Most all states require a medical marijuana registry identification card or caregiver prescription and the rules and regulations vary state to state.  Some of the approved medical conditions for medical marijuana are: Cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, seizures, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, Hepatitis C, severe nausea or vomiting, persistent muscle spasms including multiple sclerosis (MS), Crohn’s disease, agitated Alzheimer’s disease, migraine, nail patella syndrome, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Post-Traumatic Stress disorder, hospice patients and other debilitating and chronic medical conditions. 

Fiber cultivar cannabis strain
These cultivars grow tall and thicker girth stems with little branching.  Better fiber is produced when grown in more northerly latitudes; fiber is commonly called bast.  The fiber is obtained from the stem.  Male plants produce the best fibers.  Hemp fiber is harvested approximately 70 to 90 days after planting, in the autumn after the last pollen has shed and the plants begin to turn brown.  Bast may be produced into paper, textiles, ropes, biodegradable plastics, and building materials. 
Tree paper uses bleaches, toxic chemicals, and contributes to deforestation.  Plastics are petroleum based and therefore do not decompose as easily.  The cotton industry uses more than 50% of the toxic chemicals produced each year. 
Hemp paper uses hydrogen peroxide to whiten paper and requires no toxic chemicals to produce paper, never yellow, more durable than tree paper, cultivation requires only a season to produce, does not contribute to deforestation, and far surpasses the production level of tree paper.  Hemp textiles produce a more durable, stronger fabric, do not require the use of toxic chemicals to produce, becomes softer with more wear, and naturally resistant to mold and ultraviolet rays; produces 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax using the same acreage of land.

Medicinal/recreational cultivar cannabis strain
Medicinal and/recreational Sativa subsp. Indica strains are short in height, much branching with smaller dark-green leaves.  Medicinal marijuana strains grow better and produce more in warmer more tropical climates. While the before mentioned cannabis strains cultivated for seed, seed oil and fiber grow better in more subtropical and temperate regions. 
The cannabis plant is the only plant that contains significant amounts of phyto-cannabinoids or natural/herbal Cannabinoids; within the genetic makeup of the cannabis plant approximately 85 Cannabinoids have been isolated.  Cannabinoids are naturally occurring within the human body’s nervous and immune system as well as other animals, known as the endocannabinoid system.  Isolated cannabinoids may be naturally derived by whole herbal plant or synthetically derived via endocannabinoid or herbal chemical structure.  There are various cannabinoid profiles within each species of cannabis.  The cannabinoid Tetrahdrocannabinol (THC) is preferred in higher concentrations for recreational marijuana and the cannabinoid Cannabidiol (CBD) is preferred in higher concentration ratio for medicinal marijuana use. 
Medicinal marijuana may contain anywhere from 7 to more than 20% delta-9-tetrahdrocannabinol (THC): the psychoactive ingredient with narcotic properties.  The leaves and resin on the buds contain the most active ingredient of THC. Within the chemical makeup of Cannabinoids: Cannabidiol (CBD): is non-psychoactive and non-toxic with a multitude of therapeutic properties. 
Cannabinoids are analgesic, anti-oxidant, neuroprotectant, anti-inflammatory, anti-psychotic, anti-glutamatergic, anxiolytic, anti-convulsive, anti-anxiety and anti-cancer abilities thereby aiding relief of oxidation associated diseases like ischemic (head injuries, heart disease, stoke, vascular dementia), age related disorders, inflammatory, dysfunction/disease of the nervous system and autoimmune diseases.  Assisting Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson disease, HIV, dementia, anxiety, temporal lobe epilepsy, schizophrenia, Bipolar disorders, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, acute myocardial infarction, Glioma, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, and inhibits cancer cell growth.
Cannabigerol (CBG): is a non-psychtomimetic Cannabinoid, found in higher concentrations in hemp rather than the THC-centered varieties of cannabis.  Cannabigerol assist relieving intraocular pressure that may benefit glaucoma and high blood pressure concerns. 
Cannabis essential oil contains approximately 12-35% b-caryophyllene, which reduces tissue inflammation and higher concentrations of CBD and less than 1% THC. 
Medical marijuana may be ingested by means of vaporizing, smoking, drinking, eating, juicing, suppository, transdermal patch, sublingual absorption, or capsules.  Medical marijuana is antibacterial and analgesic.  The leaves of the plant may be used as a poultice to affect healing of corns, sores, varicose veins, gout and rheumatism. 
Medicinal marijuana helps with conditions such as alcohol withdrawal, cystitis, asthma, depression, Tourette syndrome, delirium, epilepsy, fever, inflammation, insomnia, jaundice, lockjaw, malaria, migraine, morphine withdrawal, neuralgia, palsy, rheumatism, toothache, whooping cough, and nausea. Medical marijuana is very soothing to central nervous system disorders, useful as a pain killer and reducing symptoms of many diseases such as glaucoma (using the essential oil of cannabis around the outer-ocular area of the eye would be a wonderful approach to treating glaucoma) and the unpleasant side effects suffered by people undergoing chemotherapy for cancer as it helps increase the appetite, acts as a pain killer, and relieves nausea.  Medicinal marijuana has helped to increase the appetite of Aids patients and those who suffer from anorexia.  
It would be safe to say that cannabis encompasses a multitude of wondrous healing properties!  Furthermore it would appear obvious that a deficient or imbalance within the human endocannabinoid system that it would be greatly enhanced and strengthened through natural/herbal cannabinoids that are provided by Mother Nature’s apothecary. 

Seed cultivar cannabis strain
These cultivars have shorter stalks, larger seed heads, and numerous branches.  Seed cultivars are harvested when 60% of the seeds have ripened.  Seeds are best-harvested early morning when conditions are still damp.  The stems are cut and the seeds are shaken out over canvas sheets or beaten with sticks to extract the seeds.  The seed contains 30-35% oil by weight and dry on exposure to air. 
Hemp seed is used nutritionally in numerous food and/or health food products ranging from waffles, tofu, butter, flour, protein powder, non-dairy seed milk, ice cream, may be prepared as a tea and as a source of birdfeed. When purchasing hemp seeds it is best to check for non-sterilized seeds to ensure nutrients are in tact.
Hemp meal is a by-product of making hemp oil and can be used as a plant fertilizer and to enrich feed for animals, due to high protein and essential fatty acid content. 

Hemp seed oil
Hemp seed oil is used as a nutritional supplement; in the making of natural cosmetics, hair and body care products.  Hemp seed oil is typically cold-pressed, unrefined, light green in color with a nutty and/or grassy flavor.  Cannabinoids are present in all cannabis strains to a lesser or greater degree.  Cannabinoids have antioxidant and neuro-protectant properties.  Hemp seed oil is 80% by volume essential fatty acid content with a balanced Omega 3 to 6 ratio (3:1 ratio).  Both the seed and seed oil contains up to 20% source of complete protein, all 8-essential amino-acids, and essential fatty acids of linoleic, alpha-linolenic, oleic, palmitic, stearic, gamma-linolenic, and eicosaenoic acids.  Hemp seed and seed oil contain vitamins A, B-1, B-2, B-6, C, E, carotenes, inositol, enzymes, phospholipids, phytosterols, calcium, iron, fiber, and sodium.  Hemp seed and seed oil promote cellular growth, healthy skin, hair and eyes, wound healing, hormonal balance, and weight control.  Hemp seed and seed oil contain both anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties; assists in immune and cognitive functions, tissue inflammation, hypertension, dry skin, liver and kidney regeneration, skin eruptions, edema, hair loss and is a muscle relaxant.  Hemp seed oil has a light to medium sunscreen protection factor.              


© 2011-2016 Robin Michaels, Cosmic Essential oils, All rights reserved

With Gratitude and Love
Robin Michaels


Healing Salve, 2oz jar

Healing Salve (Burn Salve), 2oz jar Healing Salve "Hand, Foot and Lip" All organic ingredients: Beeswax. Butters of: Mango, Shea, and cocoa. Infused olive oils of: St. Johns Wort, Roman Chamomile, and Calendula. Lanolin and Jojoba, Castor, Hemp, Avocado and vitamin E oils. Essential oils of: Myrrh, Niaouli, Lavandin (+) more. . . . This salve is wonderful for cracked lip, hands and feet, cold sores, HEALING BURNS (Hair dressers love this!), wound healing and fungal concerns. Anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-septic. (Super Wonderful, enjoy) This is offered while supplies last, as I made for a client and of course I made extra, people love this yummy salve!) 2oz jar Made: 1st New Moon of the Year, 8 February 2016. w/Love, Cosmic Essential oils, Robin



Robin Michaels is an Aromatherapist, LMT, and a certified instructor for continuing education courses in Aromatherapy NCBTMB approved provider since 2006.  Robin has over twenty-two years of experience in Bodywork and Thirty-three years within the Holistic Health realm. Robin has worked as the Spa Coordinator/Manager at the Adobe Grand Bed and Breakfast since 2006 as well as an independent practice specializing in Holistic Aromatherapy Massage.  Robin graduated from the Harold J. Reilly School of Massage Therapy at the Edgar Cayce Foundation in 1994 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  
Robin is the owner and founder of Cosmic Essential oils, LLC, wholesaling Cosmic Essential oil products and assisting Spa and Holistic businesses with signature products suited to their unique businesses since 2004.  Cosmic Essential oils was inspired as a desire to assist her son Ayran who suffered from Migraines, both mom and son were amazed at the results and the rest well divine creations with a compassionately passionate heart. 

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