As an organic food source, hemp is one of the world’s most nutritious substances with one of the largest concentrations of Omega 3 fatty acids of any known food. Widely considered a super-food, hemp is also rich in proteins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids. For centuries it has been a household staple, used for making flour for cakes, breads and fillings for pies and other culinary dishes. Health food manufacturers use hemp in a variety of protein supplements and powders, and given its zero toxicity, hemp has become a popular base for cosmetics, personal hygiene products and cleaning supplies.
It is worth noting that on October 7, 2003 US Patent 6630507 was assigned to the United States of America, as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services. The patent protects “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants” for the purposes of providing “…a new class of antioxidant drugs, that have particular application as neuroprotectants, although they are generally useful in the treatment of many oxidation-associated diseases,” according to Patent Storm database.
Given hemp’s medical and nutritional healing properties, it becomes clearer why major congressional lobbies have driven hemp reform into committee caverns for the last several decades. The pharmaceutical lobby might top the list, as would petrochemical industry lobbyists, and for good reason. Perhaps the most noteworthy application of hemp is its effectiveness in making biofuels and composites conventionally made with petroleum products for use in the automotive industry. In 1896, Rudolph Diesel’s first motor engine was designed to run on biofuel made from vegetables and grains including hemp. Henry Ford was a hemp farmer who used hemp to manufacture and fuel his automobiles through the 1940s.
“Why use up the forests, which were centuries in the making, and the mines, which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?” – Henry Ford
The December, 1941 edition of Popular Mechanics Magazine reported that the Ford Motor Company had completed 12 years of research and has assembled a prototype plastic body car made from 70 percent fiber (wheat straw, hemp) and 30 percent resin. The plastic panels could withstand a blow 10 times greater than steel without denting; the car weighed 1000 lbs less making it more fuel-efficient.
Modern automakers are reintroducing hemp features into their new car designs. The 2011 Ford Explorer is made of hemp composites. Canadian auto manufacturer Motive Industries recently revealed their design of their hemp-bodied Kestral. In 2008, more than 25% of the composite materials used in the Lotus Eco Elise super car prototype were made of hemp. Due to its strength, agility and minimal weight, supercar manufacturers are following suit with even more hemp composites.
It is estimated that each car made demands a minimum of 10 to 20 pounds of fiber. With an average of 13 million cars produced annually, there is a potential market of 260 million pounds of fiber annually in North America alone. Each pound of hemp fiber is sold for between $.05 and $.30 each, compared to plastic compound at $.20 to $.60 per pound, which adds up to significant savings for auto makers, and best of all, millions of dollars for otherwise struggling farmers.
As an organic food source, hemp is one of the world’s most nutritious substances with one of the largest concentrations of Omega 3 fatty acids of any known food. Widely considered a super-food, hemp is also rich in proteins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids. For centuries it has been a household staple, used for making flour for cakes, breads and fillings for pies and other culinary dishes. Health food manufacturers use hemp in a variety of protein supplements and powders, and given its zero toxicity, hemp has become a popular base for cosmetics, personal hygiene products and cleaning supplies.
It is worth noting that on October 7, 2003 US Patent 6630507 was assigned to the United States of America, as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services. The patent protects “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants” for the purposes of providing “…a new class of antioxidant drugs, that have particular application as neuroprotectants, although they are generally useful in the treatment of many oxidation-associated diseases,” according to Patent Storm database.
