Don Wirtshafter, J.D., is an environmental attorney and founder of the Ohio Hempery in Guysville, Ohio.

 

The cultivation of Cannabis sativa is as old as agriculture. In many parts of the world hemp was grown for its valuable fibers. In other places people concentrated on its psychoactive properties. In either case, wherever cannabis was cultivated, the nutritious and delicious seeds of the plant were prized as food and medicine. Cultures around the world had their local recipes. The most common way to use the seeds was to grind them into a porridge called gruel. The seeds were also pressed to obtain an edible oil. Many cultures also developed fancy treats for traditional celebrations.

 

The prohibition against cannabis just about wiped out the use of this ancient food. Still, in parts of China freshly toasted hemp seeds are sold like popcorn outside movie theaters. Street vendors fill their customers' hands for a small coin. In the Ukraine's hemp growing regions, ancient hemp seed recipes are still shared. The Japanese use ground hemp seeds as a condiment. Some Polish cooks continue to bake them into holiday sweets.

 

Today, there is a resurgence of interest in using hemp seeds for human nutrition in the United States and Western Europe. The Hemp Seed Cookbook was written in 1991 by Carol Miller and this author. It contains information on hemp seed nutrition and 22 recipes for using the seeds. The use of hemp seeds for cooking has created so much demand for the seeds that they are currently in short supply.

 

Hemp Seed Nutrition

 

The author commissioned a nutritional analysis of one batch of sterilized hemp seeds and hemp seed oil. The work was performed by several laboratories and is summarized in this article. These results confirm that hemp seeds are an extremely valuable human food with unique properties that deserve attention.

 

Where possible, the results of this testing program are compared to the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) set by the United States Department of Agriculture. A complete mineral assay was performed on the sterilized hemp seeds. It can be seen that hemp is especially high in the most needed minerals: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur. It is also low in heavy metals like strontium, thorium, arsenic, and chromium. Heavy metals must be avoided in a healthy diet.

 

The vitamin results seem disappointing until one notes that hemp seed's vitamin content compares favorably with that of other grains. Vitamins are mostly provided by fresh vegetables. One would have to eat over a pound of hemp seeds to meet the RDA for many vitamins. The heat from the sterilization process may also affect the vitamin content. This will be the subject of further research. The fresh green leaves of the hemp plant could not be tested for nutrition. They are used in the Indian beverage called bhang, a conscious-altering frothy concoction of cannabis leaves, spices, milk, and honey.

 

PROTEIN

 

Hemp seeds contain up to 24 percent protein. A handful of seeds provides the minimum daily requirement for adults. Our testing confirms that hemp contains high quality protein that provides all eight essential amino acids in the correct proportions humans need. The basic proteins in hemp are easy to digest. Soybeans contain a higher total percentage of protein, but these are complex proteins that many people find difficult to digest. Widespread use of hemp seed for protein could nourish many of the world's hungry. Because hemp seeds are so digestible, many scientists suggest their use for nutrition blocking diseases and for treating malnourishment.

 

In addition to all this these seeds taste great. Hemp seeds can be used as a protein and flavor enhancer in any recipe. Once the seeds are cleaned and roasted, they can be substituted for up to one-fourth of the flour in any recipe. Less oil should be used than is called for in the recipe because hemp seeds contain so much of their own oil.

Hemp seeds remain an important Chinese medicine. Known as huo ma ren, they are said to affect the meridians of the spleen, stomach, and large intestines. The seeds are prized for treating constipation in aged or debilitated persons. This is easy to understand as the high oil and fiber content of the seeds acts to clean the intestinal system.

 

Hemp Seed Oil

 

The hemp seeds tested contained 30 percent oil by weight. Varieties of hemp bred for high oil content contain up to 40 percent oil. This is said to be the most unsaturated oil derived from the vegetable kingdom. Hemp oil consists of up to 81 percent of the polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (EFAS) that are needed, but not produced by the human body. Furthermore, the proportions of these oils in hemp seed match the ratios previously determined to be the most beneficial to human nutrition (Erasmus 1993). The addition of hemp seeds or oil to our diet can supplement deficiencies of these needed nutrients.

 

The natural oil consists of three fatty acids bound on a glycerine molecule in what is called a triglyceride. Of the dozens of fatty acids we normally consume, only two have proven to be essential in sustaining human life. Originally, these were called the vitamin Fs. Perhaps because scientists found it impossible to put vitamin F in a vitamin pill, the name was changed to the essential fatty acids (EFAS) in the 1950s. They are a recognized part of the recommended daily requirement: 3 grams/day of the omega-6 Iinoleic acid (LA) and 2 grams/day of the omega-3 Linolenic Acid (LNA). No requirements for a third, important oil, the super omega-6, gamma linolenic acid (GLA) has been set.

 

Some scientists blame the increased prevalence of degenerative diseases in our society on the lack of essential fatty acids in the modern diet (Finnegan 1992; Rudin and Felix 1987). The present craze for "fat free" diets misses the need for EFAs. Some oils do plug up the system, but other oils are essential for sustaining life. Further, without oils in the diet, one does not get the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K. Unless one is consistently eating the correct, extremely fresh foods, the "no fat" diet will eventually leave one devoid of these needed nutrients (Erasmus 1993).

 

The EFAs are used in a variety of body functions. They act as the lipids in the membranes of all body cells. They prevent buildup of arterial plaque. They are the precursors of the prostaglandins needed by our immune system. At least 200 articles a year studying the EFAs are published in scientific journals.

 

Because of the increased public awareness of EFA deficiencies, consumption of therapeutic oils that provide the EFAs has markedly increased. Flax oil has become a $6 million per year industry. It is popular because it is rich in LNA. Deficiency of LNA is much more common than LA deficiency. Flax oil is primarily used to treat cancer and arteriosclerosis.

 

Dr. Andrew Weil, author of Natural Health, Natural Medicine, and Spontaneous Healing, contrasted flax oil to the edible grade of hemp oil in the April/May 1993 issue of Natural Health magazine:

 

Most flax oil is not delicious. There is a great variation in taste among the brands currently sold in natural food stores, but the best of them still leaves much to be desired. I have been recommending flax oil as a dietary supplement to patients with autoimmune disorders, arthritis and other inflammatory conditions, but about half of them cannot tolerate it. Some say that it makes them gag, even when concealed in salad dressing or mashed into a baked potato. These people have to resort to taking flax oil capsules, which are large and expensive. Udo Erasmus, author of the classic book, Fats and Oils [Alive 1986], says that the problem is freshness. Unless you get flax oil right from the processor and freeze it until you start using it, it will already have deteriorated by the time you buy it.

 

Unlike flax oil, hemp oil also provides 1.7 percent gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). There is controversy about the value of adding this fatty acid to the diet, but many people take supplements of it in the form of capsules of evening primrose oil, black currant oil, and borage oil. My experience is that it stimulates growth of hair and nails, improves the health of the skin, and can reduce inflammation. I like the idea of having one food oil that supplies omega-3s and GLA without the need to take more capsules.

 

If you have a chance to try hemp oil, a long-forgotten, newly discovered food, I think you will see why I am enthusiastic about it.

 

Therapeutic use of evening primrose oil, borage oil and black currant seed oil has been accepted by naturopathic physicians and the general public. All are sources of super omega-6, gamma linolenic acid (GLA). The problem with these oils is that they are generally available in a solvent extracted form, not the much preferred cold pressing. Healthy bodies can process LA into GLA. This is why GLA is not officially considered an essential fatty acid. Systems under stress from autoimmune diseases, alcohol abuse, or other imbalances cannot make this transition, so supplementation with GLA can prove beneficial.

 

None of the previously available nutritional oils combine the needed EFAs in anything close to the proportions scientists have determined as ideal. One would have to carefully use a combination of these oils to get the optimal combination. Hemp oil is unique. It has a perfect 3:1 ratio of LA to LNA and a healthy GLA component (1.7 percent) as well. It's no wonder that Udo Erasmus in his new book, Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill, pronounced hemp "the most perfectly balanced, natural EFA-rich oil available" and "nature's most perfectly balanced oil" (Erasmus 1993, 287 and 400).

 

These therapeutic oils all share one difficulty; they are so reactive that they have a short shelf life. The better an oil is for us, the more quickly it will degrade. Unless properly protected, the good oils will go rancid in a matter of days. This is why our modern junk food diets are so devoid of EFAs. Food engineers design "convenience foods" to be low in EFAs so that their products can sit for years without going rancid. Manufacturers start with saturated fats (coconut and palm oils), or they artificially saturate the oils through the hydrogenation process. Hydrogenation produces the harmful trans-fatty acids that should be avoided in a healthy diet.

 

The shelf life problem is why one should be careful of many of the toasted hemp seed treats that are now sold in this country. Once the seeds are ground or toasted, the rancidity reactions begin. Cooked hemp seeds are safe in bakery goods that will be consumed within a few days but not for any product that must sit longer. The Food and Drug Administration issued a cease and desist order against one company that tried to wrap hemp granola bars in cellophane. Better technology could end this problem.

 

For years, no one was able to figure out how to put EFAs in a bottle or a pill and make them last. In 1986 advanced seed oil companies began using technology that could extract oils in the absence of heat, light, and air. This proprietary technology uses inert gases and vacuums to cold press an oil without contaminating it with oxygen. By keeping the oxygen away from the oil, the process does not start the chain reactions that create rancidity. Finally, the reactive oils, like hemp, can be pressed into a product that can be kept in opaque bottles for up to two years without going rancid.

 

The hemp oil available now is rather expensive, about twice the cost of flax oil. This is because the seeds have to be imported into the United States and the pressing technology is so expensive. Still, when one compares the grams of GLA per dollar, it turns out that hemp is already a better deal than many of its competitors such as evening primrose oil. The price will continue to go down with increased production and competition. When the U.S. government finally allows the growing of hemp seeds domestically, we will be able to produce a high quality hemp oil that may compete in price with corn oil.

 

Other Uses of Hemp Seed Oil

 

Skin cells readily absorb EFAs but not saturated oils. A coconut oil based skin cream will only coat the skin surface, offering some moisture protection simply by blocking the loss of additional moisture. A lotion rich in EFAs can be absorbed into the skin cells, replenishing the lipids damaged by sun rays and dry air. Hemp oil is especially effective in saving sunburned skin and preventing it from peeling.

 

Hemp oil was known in ancient times as linum, the root word for liniment. (True, flax is generally and taxonomically known by this name It is wonderful to untangle the ways the oil and fibers of these plants have become intertwined through history.) There are many ancient recipes for making soothing rubs from the oil or even from the roots of the hemp plant. It makes a wonderful massage oil, except for its irritating ability to permanently stain bed sheets a light green color.

 

Why Sterilized Seeds?

 

The only hemp seeds legally available for purchase in America have been precooked under governmental supervision. This makes them legal to possess but compromises their value considerably. The problem is that this cooking destroys much of the nutritional potential of the seeds and leaves them prone to rancidity.

 

Allowing the sterilized seeds into commerce was a compromise worked out during congressional hearings for the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act. Representatives of the American bird food industry testified before the House Ways and Means Committee that parakeets would not sing unless they were fed hemp seeds. Pigeon growers had been unable to find a substitute for hemp seeds in their feed. Bowing to pressure from Harry Anslinger, the infamous commissioner of narcotics, the producers agreed to precook their seeds past the point of germination.

 

Legal hemp seeds are either heat sterilized or steam sterilized. Contrary to popular conception, none of the companies currently supplying legal seeds use gamma irradiation to treat their products. The only purpose for the sterilization is to keep the seeds from growing into new plants. The cooking does not affect the level of THC, which is already almost nonexistent in the live seeds, especially if the dust is rinsed off the seeds before use.

 

The word sterilized creates misconceptions. The seeds are not cooked to the point of killing bacteria, i.e., boiled for 15 minutes. Instead, the seeds are brought to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes and then cooled. This is hot enough to alter some of the enzymes necessary for photosynthesis. If the seeds were cooked further, the seed coats would break, allowing the reactive oils in the seeds to go rancid quickly. As it is, the shelf life of the cooked seeds is considerably compromised. The heat opens microfissures in the hull that allow oxygen to penetrate into the delicate kernels. Live seeds can still sprout after being kept in a drawer for five years. The cooked seeds can go rancid in a few months, especially if not refrigerated.

 

Robert Stroud, known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," became an expert on birds during the long years he avoided execution on California's death row. His 1939 book, Diseases of Birds, still stands as an authority in its field. Stroud explained how nutritious hemp seeds were but expressed frustration with the "sterilized" seeds that were coming on the market as a result of the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act.

 

I want to make it perfectly clear right now that anything said in these pages about the virtues of hemp seed apply to fresh, unsterilized hemp seed—most assuredly not to the rancid trash now on the market.... Because the seed is rich in the reproductive vitamin, an unlimited supply of it should be kept before the hens making eggs to insure a high percentage of hatchability.... The oil of hemp seed becomes rancid very quickly and what was once a valuable food becomes deadly poison. For this reason, hemp seed must always be used with care.

 

This is still important advice. Hemp seeds should be tasted before cooking. If the seeds are old enough to have lost their nutty flavor or taste rancid, they should be discarded. Many people are buying their seeds from animal feed stores that do not pay attention to the freshness of their product. Rancid oil seeds feel scratchy at the back of the throat. Tasting for rancidity is an acquired skill that one should learn to protect oneself from all sorts of spoiled foods.

 

The 1937 compromise agreed to by the bird food industry created many problems. Principally, the seeds could no longer be grown in this country. The seeds are now grown overseas, mainly in China. This greatly increases the price and lowers the quality of the currently available seeds. Organically certified seeds are very difficult to find at this time.

 

 

Are These Seeds Really Legal?

 

Sterile hemp seeds are specifically excluded from the definition of marijuana and are not controlled substances under federal law according to Public Law 91-513, Section 102(15). The term marijuana is defined as:

 

all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa, whether growing or not, the seeds thereof, the resin extracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of such plant, its seeds or resin; but shall not include the mature stalks of such plant, fiber provided from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivation, mixture or preparation of such mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil or cake or the sterilized seed of such plant, which is incapable of germination. [Emphasis added.]

 

These exceptions to the definition of marijuana are what has allowed the resurgence of the American hemp industry.

 

The importation, sterilization, and commercial distribution of hemp seed is regulated by the DEA pursuant to the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act, U.S.C. 952 Et. Seq. and 21 C.F.R. 1311. In calendar year 1990 approximately 60 tons of seeds were imported into this country, mostly for use as birdseed. The seeds themselves contain almost no THC, the most psychoactive principal in marijuana. The THC is concentrated in the female flower top and leaves. Tiny quantities of THC are found in the dust of these crushed plant parts that inevitably end up being packaged with the seeds. The varieties of hemp grown for seed are genetically low in THC, so the residue that comes with commercial seeds is hardly worth smoking.

The DEA recognizes that legal, sterilized hemp seeds contain detectable quantities of THC. The DEA's official testing procedure requires laboratories to test for the viability of hemp seeds taken into evidence. Viability testing (rather than THC analysis) determines whether or not the material constitutes a controlled substance.

 

Conclusion

 

In the rush toward discovery of medical uses of the cannabinoids, we should not ignore the other important health and medical uses of the cannabis plant. Hemp seeds are clearly an important historical food with much to offer in our future. But the revival of their use must be accompanied by a close watch on their potential rancidity. What starts out as a health food can quickly turn into a health hazard unless proper steps are taken to preserve the freshness of hemp products. With this precaution in mind, the prolific hemp plant can be a strong ally in our common goals of achieving good health and solving malnutrition around the world.

 

References

 

Erasmus, U. 1986, repr. 1993. Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill (formerly, Fats and Oils: The Complete Guide to Fats and Oils in Health and Nutrition). Burnaby, BC, Canada: Alive Books.

Finnegan, J. 1992. Fats and Oils: Promise or Poison, the Inside Story About Oils That Nourish Us and Those That Poison Us—and the New Breakthrough Methods of Producting Good Oils. Malibu, CA: Elysian Arts.

Miller, C., and D. Wirtshafter. 1991. The Hemp Seed Cookbook. Athens, Ohio: Hempery. Osborne, L., and J. Osborne. 1992. Hemp Line Journal. Maricopa, CA: Access Unlimited. Robertson, L., C. Flinders, and B. Godfrey. 1976. Laurel's Kitchen. Bantam Press.

Rudin, D., and C. Felix. 1987. The Omega-3 Phenomenon. New York: Rawson Associates.

Weil, A. 1990. Natural Health, Natural Medicine: A Comprehensive Manual for Wellness and Self-Care. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Weil, A. 1993. Therapeutic hemp oil. Natural Health. March/ April, 10-11.

Weil, A. 1995. Spontaneous Healing: How to Discover and Enhance Your Body's Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself. New York: Knopf.