Hemp foods and their benefits

Historically, hemp has been consumed as a food, and in many different forms. In addition to its gustatory qualities, hemp also dispenses some of its benefits in its edible form.

Seed-based foods

Hemp seeds are particularly popular with vegetarians, vegans and other gluten-intolerant people. They can be eaten raw, although most people prefer to eat them shelled, rather than with other foods, or even processed to obtain milk.

The virtues of hemp seeds mainly revolve around their omega-3 and omega-6 content and their protein content.

Hemp proteins

The hemp plant can be processed and crushed to obtain a protein powder. This powder can be sprinkled on any dish, although it is best used on sweet dishes. The taste is, according to the manufacturers, «sweet and truculent» and goes well with chocolate.

Juices

Very popular with Americans, the cannabis juice is obtained simply from flowers and leaves, and allows much better absorption of cannabinoids, without any psychotropic effects! The terpenes are well preserved and the resulting juice is rich in flavor, perfect for connoisseurs.

Flowers

In France, the law prohibits the industrial and commercial use of cannabis flowers, even if they are one of the authorized industrial hemp varieties. There are therefore normally no hemp flower-based foods on the market in France.

Eating cannabis flowers is something that is done in countries where cannabis is legal, to enjoy the same way as with cannabis juice of the THCa's therapeutic properties.

The benefits

A study showed that cannabis has major nutritional benefits. According to the scientists, «Our results show that Cannabis Sativa seeds and saplings have beneficial effects on human proteins and cells and should be further investigated as a potential food source.»

As well as being easy to grow and having minimal ecological impact, the hemp plant provides a wealth of nutrients, including all 21 amino acids, 9 of which the body cannot produce. In 2014, three Italians have set up an association with the aim of growing hemp to produce oil, flour, pasta and beer. The benefits are numerous: the seeds alone offer a wide range of nutritional benefits, from omega and protein intake to weight regulation.

We also know the antioxidant effects of smoked cannabis, which are even more pronounced in eaten cannabis. Ancient Chinese culture speculates hemp even boosts fertility and vigour!

In the case of flowers, eating the heads raw allows you to ingest the acidic forms of cannabinoids, that is, the form naturally present in the plant before combustion or decarboxylation transforms them into psychoactive substances.

These molecules, such as THCa or CBDa have therapeutic effects such as pain relief, without any psychological or behavioural changes.

Many patients suffering from fibromyalgia or arthritis use the flowers directly from the plant to make a medicinal juice, although there is a crucial lack of studies on this subject. Ingestion of the buds also improves the taste of the fruit. cannabis terpenes and aromas and hemp.