I know that there are a lot of questions that have started to rise up now that hemp is once again legal here in the United States. What can we do with it, why was it made illegal in the first place, and is it really worth all of the hype that surrounds it? Well, I am here to answer those questions today.
You see, a large part of this is that it gets a bad reputation due to the plant that it comes from. After all, it comes from the cannabis plant, so it tends to get lumped in with marijuana. There is actually a significant difference between the two: that being the THC content. You can read further on that topic here, https://www.besthealthmag.ca/article/what-is-hemp/, to understand the meaning behind that.
Can Hemp Get You High?
I think it is important that we address this question first, since it seems to be asked a lot. The answer to this is a resounding no. The same goes for products that contain “CBD” or are labelled as such. This means it is a cannabinoid, not that it will get you high. So, there is no reason to worry that a hemp soap or bodywash will induce that sort of effect for you.
Now, you might be wondering why that is, considering it does come from the cannabis plant. It all boils down to the fact that different varieties of this plant exist. Did you know that humans have been cultivating it for hundreds, probably even thousands, of years?
This means that a lot of them were practicing plant breeding and genetics before we even knew what that was! Essentially, two main strains were developed: one with high levels of THC content and one with little to no traces of that chemical. The former is designed to give the user that euphoric sensation while the latter is intended for more practical purposes.
In all honesty, it might be more accurate to ask what it can’t do. That being said, I will do my best to offer you with a bit of a guide to this useful plant. With a lot of what I will mention, you could go to thehempcollect and try for free if you like the sound of it, so do be sure to keep that in mind as we proceed!
One of the main uses that we have come up with is CBD oil. There are many different varieties of it, thankfully, so it is pretty easy to find something that could work for you. There are five main functions of it.
The first I will discuss is mental health and symptom management. Nothing can entirely cure most mental health disorders. However, I really think that there are ways to mitigate symptoms using things like CBD oils. Most prominently, there are some promising studies that demonstrate a potential for lessening symptoms associated with anxiety and depression.
After that, pain management in general is another avenue of health in which doctors and other specialists are offering their patients oils derived from hemp plants. Of course, humans have been using it for purposes like this for a very long time, but it is only now that we are conducting serious experiments relating to it, so I am eagerly following the scholars on this.
Most notably, there is some evidence that it relieves inflammation. That is a big part of pain and how it works for our bodies, so that is certainly promising. You can learn more about it in articles such as this one.
Now, most of us know how harrowing cancer can be. The symptoms that people experience while suffering from it, and a lot of the side effects from treatments like chemotherapy, can be painful and difficult to go through. Some doctors are looking at CBD oils and other substances for treatment options.
Just keep in mind that it might not always be a safe choice for you depending on the medications that you are taking, so it is usually best to consult with your doctor before you make a definitive decision on using CBD products. It never hurts to do some of your own research as well!
The final two aspects of health and hemp that I would like to cover today are a bit more speculative. There is not exactly hard evidence, just know that there are scientists that are conducting the appropriate research. Out of these two, the first is in terms of heart health.
Something interesting is that there is a chance that heart health and the use of these oils is linked, at least to some extent. Regular use of oils does have some potential to lower blood pressure, for example. So, you could consider talking to your health care professional if that is something you would like to know more about or even try!
Finally, there might also be some neuroprotective properties in certain types of oils. Mostly, this means that there might be some protection from things like Parkinson’s disease, so if that is something that runs in your family, it may be worth looking into. Obviously, there is no guarantee, but in general I think that taking any step that we can to lessen our risks is better than doing nothing.
Hopefully, this article has taught you something you didn’t know about this fascinating plant!
