The global hemp market is expected to hit $5.33 billion this year alone. But with so many people trying to get their hands on hemp nowadays, you might be wondering: what is hemp plant used for, anyway?
News flash: It’s not just for smoking!
Curious about the many uses of hemp? Learn more about seven hemp plant uses you may not know about today!
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Food Products
Here’s the thing: Hemp is used for nutritious food products all the time. Not to mention that hemp seeds are often included in healthy recipes too.
It gets better…
You can buy hemp seeds either de-shelled or shelled as well. When it doesn’t have its shell, though, it’s considered a hemp heart, which is even more delicious. Besides this, other hemp-infused foods include hemp protein and hemp milk.
Sounds good to us!
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Nutritional Supplements
Speaking of nutrition, we couldn’t tell you about the many uses of hemp if we didn’t spend more time talking about hemp protein. One of the best parts about hemp protein is that it has more healthy fats and proteins than almond milk, but fewer calories than cow’s milk.
As one of the most efficient sources of plant-based protein, hemp is also considered to be a complete protein because it contains nine essential amino acids that you need from your food. In case you didn’t know, this is pretty hard-to-find in the plant-based protein world.
Pro tip: expect to see a lot more hemp-based protein supplements in your nutrition aisle soon!
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Sustainable Clothing
Incredibly enough, the debate between cotton and hemp has been going on for many years. Before cotton was all the rage, hemp was used to create clothes. That’s because hemp is crafted from “fibrous stalks,” which are excellent for weaving into clothing.
Although there are a wide variety of uses for hemp fiber, clothing and textiles are one of the most popular ways to use it. If you know anything about the history of hemp, then you’ll know that it was prohibited back in the day as well. When that happened, cotton became king in the clothing world.
But here’s the kicker: Hemp clothing options are some of the most sustainable on the market. So keep an eye out for organic shirts made from hemp fiber shortly too.
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Hemp Biofuel
Believe it or not, scientists are even discussing creating hemp biofuel for vehicles. As fossil fuel becomes a thing of the past, researchers are searching for ways to make sustainable and environmentally-friendly fuel.
In a nutshell, hemp biofuel is a type of “cellulosic ethanol,” which is basically the “fibrous stalks” of hemp plants. Since cultivating hemp has become much more acceptable these days, it’s a widely available resource too!
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Plastic Alternative
In addition to being an excellent fuel alternative, hemp is also a viable replacement for our plastic-based products. As a matter of fact, hemp-based plastic is already a form of bioplastic. However, it’s not very popular yet.
On the flip side, the world is in the middle of a so-called “plastic crisis,” so scientists will most definitely want to look further into the possibilities of using bioplastic in the future. In the meantime, researchers are still wondering if bioplastics are a feasible alternative for the widespread use of plastic.
Even if it’s only partially used to replace plastic, hemp-based plastic should at least make a positive impact on the environment, right? We think so too!
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Hemp Paper
For the uninitiated, hemp-based paper has been popularly used for centuries. Back in ancient Egypt, the Egyptians turned hemp into paper. Even the Declaration of Independence was first written on hemp-based paper.
That being said, hemp paper has clearly been around for a very long time. It can be made in two ways – from the short bast fiber (pulp) of the hemp plant or the long bast fiber (hurd) of the hemp plant. To put it simply, hurd is stronger while pulp is easier to produce.
The result is this: A much more durable, sustainable form of paper that doesn’t get yellow as time goes on!
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Plant-Based Milk
Generally speaking, plant milk has become a much more popular option than cow’s milk recently. In fact, many people believe that the dairy market is doing more harm than good to the environment. This is one of the biggest reasons why consumers are cutting out the cow in the lactose department.
Even though almond milk and soy milk are equally common picks, hemp milk is definitely making a splash in the milk world too. For those of you who are unaware, milk is made from the seeds of the hemp plant.
Here’s how it works. Water is blended with hemp seeds and strained through a cheesecloth. Similar to producing nut milk, hemp milk has an extremely earthy taste that many hemp milk lovers say is naturally creamy as well.
But that’s not all – hemp milk is also filled with healthy fats and proteins. At the same time, it’s low in caloric intake. How can you possibly beat that?
Bonus: Now that you’ve learned about hemp stalk uses, you may be interested in different strains of hemp as well. For a more well-rounded hemp experience, we highly recommend that you look into various hemp strains too!
Want to Hear More About Hemp Plant Uses?
Want to hear more about hemp plant uses?
When it comes to the many uses of hemp, we’ve got you covered. From the history of hemp to hemp fiber uses, we’ve got everything you need to know to make your hemp knowledge grow.
Still curious about cannabis?
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