Uses of Hemp
Hemp Textile
For thousands of years, hemp fiber has been used for many industrial applications. This is because it offers the strongest and longest natural fiber known to mankind. Industrial hemp has been used for decades as the main fiber in the production of textiles such as apparel, clothing, rugs, shoes, upholstery and hats. This is mainly because hemp fibbers are more absorbent, durable, softer, and warmer than cotton and other types of fabric available today. Because of its flexible and versatile nature, hemp can be blended with other kinds of fiber such as silk and cotton. There are many other benefits of using hemp for textile use:
Fast growth: Hemp grows and matures extremely fast than cotton that mostly takes a whole season before being ready for harvest. Farmers who cultivate hemp therefore benefit from faster yields and greater profits due to the plant’s fast growth.
Requires little to no irrigation: Unlike cotton that requires a lot of water during its growth, hemp can quickly grow and mature with little to no irrigation. Hemp has deep tap roots that enable it to reach and make use of deep subsoil water.
Weather resistant: Because of its hardness and weather-resistant nature of hemp it can be cultivated almost anywhere in the world. Whether they are planted on the grasslands, lowlands or mountainsides, they will thrive and produce the expected yield.
Blocks UV rays: Textile hemp also blocks 50 percent more ultra violet rays than cotton. Even if only 50% hemp is used in a textile product, it is still able to offer the same level of blockage to UV rays.
Mold & insect resistant: Hemp is naturally resistant to fungus and insects. As such, it does not require any pesticides during its cultivation like cotton, which is a very delicate plant that needs tons of insecticides and pesticides for it to effectively grow. This makes the cultivation of hemp a cost-effective venture for any farmer.
No herbicides/pesticides required: Hemp naturally restrains or suppresses weed growth. This is because it quickly grows to a height of 5 meters resulting in dense foliage that blocks the growth of weeds. As such, herbicides are not required during their planting, thus further alleviating the ecological problems associated with chemical planting of fibers.
HEMP FACTS
- It was legal to pay taxes with hemp in America from 1631 until the early 1800s. (LA Times. Aug. 12, 1981.)
- In 1753 carl Linnaeus a Swedish botanist who created the modern system of classifying organisms named the plant cannabis sativa.
- Refusing to grow hemp in America during the 17th and 18th centuries was against the law! You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769 (G. M. Herdon. Hemp in Colonial Virginia).
- Oldest known records of hemp farming go back 5000 years in China, although hemp industrialization probably goes back to ancient Egypt.
- George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers grew hemp. (Washington and Jefferson Diaries. Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China to France then to America.)
- All school books were made from hemp or flax paper until the 1880s. (Jack Frazier. Hemp Paper Reconsidered. 1974.)
- Benjamin Franklin owned one of the first paper mills in America, and it processed hemp. Also, the War of 1812 was fought over hemp. Napoleon wanted to cut off Moscow’s export to England. (Jack Herer. Emperor Wears No Clothes.)
- For thousands of years, 90% of all ships’ sails and rope were made from hemp. The word ‘canvas’ comes from the Middle English word “canevas” which comes from the Latin word cannabis. (Webster’s New World Dictionary.)
- 80% of all textiles, fabrics, clothes, linen, drapes, bed sheets, etc., were made from hemp until the 1820s, with the introduction of the cotton gin.
- In 1938, hemp was called ‘Billion Dollar Crop.’ It was the first time a cash crop had a business potential to exceed a billion dollars. (Popular Mechanics, Feb. 1938.)
- The first Bibles, maps, charts, Betsy Ross’s flag, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were made from hemp. (U.S. Government Archives.)
- The first crop grown in many states was hemp. 1850 was a peak year for Kentucky producing 40,000 tons. Hemp was the largest cash crop until the 20th century. (State Archives.)
- Rembrandt’s, Van Gogh’s, Gainsborough’s, as well as most early canvas paintings, were principally painted on hemp linen.
- In 1916, the U.S. Government predicted that by the 1940s all paper would come from hemp and that no more trees need to be cut down. Government studies report that 1 acre of hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees. Plans were in the works to implement such programs. (U.S. Department of Agriculture Archives.)
- Quality paints and varnishes were made from hemp seed oil until 1937. 58,000 tons of hemp seeds were used in America for paint products in 1935. (Sherman Williams Paint Co. testimony before the U.S.Congress against the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act.)
- Henry Ford’s first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the car itself was constructed from hemp! On his large estate, Ford was photographed among his hemp fields. The car, ‘grown from the soil,’ had hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel. (Popular Mechanics, 1941.)
Why Buy Hemp Products?
By buying hemp products, you are helping the world work towards a more sustainable future. Hemp can be made into practically ANYTHING. Hemp foods is packed with nutrition. Hemp is not just good for us on the inside, but on the outside, too. Not only can we benefit from hemp nutritionally, and as a beauty aid, it's also beneficial from an environmental viewpoint. From paper to clothes, from construction materials to even building cars and running them on bio fuel, hemp is literally a miracle crop.
Spread the word!