High Tech Hemp
Boldly going where no plant has gone before
Cannabis is a plant, older than humanity itself. It has been central to human development, being used for food, textiles, and medicine as well as for spiritual and social purposes. Cannabis enters the archaeological record about 11,500 and 10,200 years ago. By that point it was widely distributed from Japan to Eastern Europe.
“Hemp was probably the earliest plant cultivated for the production of a textile fiber.” — Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1913, p288 [MORE]
According to the “Lu Shi,” a Chinese work of the Sung dynasty, Emperor Shen Nung, in the twenty-eighth century B.C., first taught the people of China to cultivate ‘má’ (hemp) for making hempen cloth. The name ‘má’ (大,麻), occurring in the earliest Chinese writings, designated a plant of two forms, male and female, used primarily for fiber. Later the seeds of this plant were used for food. There’s no evidence that cannabis was used for spiritual or social purposes in China but was likely used medicinally along with other herbs as part of Chinese Traditional Medicine. Preparations like bhang, charas, and ganja were developed by other cultures farther west, particularly in India and Central Asia, which were used for spiritual or social purposes.
Today cannabis is one of the most popular substances consumed by humans. Approximately 266 million people smoke the stuff every year and millions more consumer it’s seed or wear it’s fibers. Its’ popularity as a healthy food has only grown as the residue of cannabis prohibition begins to wear off. Hemp, the industrial strain of Cannabis sativa, has many useful applications as food, fuel, textiles, and medicines. Unlike those strains which contain THC, the intoxicating chemical in cannabis, hemp does not contain THC and therefore can notget you high. But like medicinal effects of THC, it too has some extraordinary qualities.
America has a long history with hemp, Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag using hemp cloth and George Washington farmed it at Mt. Vernon. Unfortunately, hemp missed out on the agricultural revolution as drug restrictions banning marijuana also suppressed hemp cultivation and development. By falsely tying industrial hemp to narcotic forms of cannabis, the US Government suppressed an industry that had previously been central to American agriculture. That was until a 2014 farm bill opened the door to industrial hemp authorizing states to allow the cultivation of hemp.
As the American Hemp industry get’s back on it’s feet it is finding new applications and uses in today’s fast paced, tech-driven world. Hemp could eventually find itself in many everyday products and is already being used in groundbreaking research and other high-tech products.
Hemp is an Amazing Plant
Growing hemp is incredibly environmentally friendly. It’s deep, penetrating roots can break up hard compact soil, improving it for the next crop cycle. Hemp takes less water and can produce four times as much paper as an acre of trees would. Hemp can be grown in a wide variety of soils and climates. It is one of the strongest plant fibers and is naturally resistant to weeds and most pests. It can be quickly harvested, growing 10 to 20 feet in just four months. This means that in some areas farmers will be able to harvest 2 to 3 times per year.
Hemp fiber, from the stalks and stems, can be used for rope as well as clothing. It is one of the strongest and most durable fibers, retains its color better than other fibers, and the more you wear it the softer it becomes.
Then there are the seeds. Hemp seeds are a good source of healthy fats and protein. More than 25 percent of their calories come from high-quality protein. Consuming hemp seeds has been linked to a reduction in risk of heart disease and easing of PMS and digestion.
As a form of sustainable agriculture, hemp farming holds enormous potential. Hemp could also be used for the production of ethanol, a cleaner-burning alternative to gasoline that releases only CO2 and water vapor when burned which is then absorbed by plants lessening the impact of the CO2 on our environment.
The myriad uses we know about the cannabis plant make it seem too good to be true. In a world full of environmental damage and concerns about the climate, hemp has the potential to address matters on multiple fronts. Still as long as hemp farmers need the DEA’s approval before sowing seeds, the barrier to entry will remain high.
Hemp for the Future
Hemp’s potential to be not just as an alternative to cotton or wood, but also a potential use for high-tech innovations like graphene and other nanomaterials makes the future of hemp promising. One researcher from Clarkson University in New York discovered that if they cooked and dissolved leftover hemp fibers they were able to create carbon nanosheets which could then be assembled into energy storing supercapacitors essentially creating a hemp-based battery at a cost that was much lower than other methods.
Another innovative use of hemp is hempcrete, a type of concrete made with hemp hurds and lime. Hempcrete has a negative CO2 footprint as it fixes carbon from the atmosphere as it cures, thus alleviating the greenhouse effect and actually improving air quality. Its natural insulating capabilities keeps homes warm during the winter and cool during the summer, reducing the need for heating and cooling. Hemp, when put under high pressure, isIts durable and resistant to cracks making it perfect for earthquake-prone areas like Los Angeles. It is even mold, fire and termite proof and appears to have antimicrobial qualities. In China, researchers have been developing blended hemp fabrics which are resistant to staph in order to lower the risk of sometimes fatal infections that frequently occur in hospitals. Considering that 90,000 people die and at least two million people are infected with staff in US hospitals, replacing conventional fabrics with hemp fabrics could be a life-saving innovation. One Colorado-based company, EnviroTextiles, is working on a hemp-rayon fabric blend that has shown to be 98.5 percent staph resistant. In addition, EnviroTextiles also has hemp fabrics which are resistant to UV and infrared wavelengths which have possible applications in the military and law enforcement.
America has a long history with hemp. Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag using hemp cloth and George Washington farmed it at Mt. Vernon. Unfortunately, hemp missed out on the agricultural revolution as drug restrictions banning marijuana also suppressed hemp cultivation and development. That was until a 2014 farm bill opened the door to industrial hemp authorizing states to allow the cultivation of hemp. This has opened the door for products like Randy’s Remedy which leverage the power of natural cannabinoids found in hemp to unlock the body’s natural healing potential. Hemp’s potential to be not just as an alternative to cotton or wood, but also a potential use for high-tech innovations like graphene and other nanomaterials makes the future of hemp promising.
