Hemp is considered one of the first crops of human civilization
and has always been used in natural medicine, just think that the first human artefact found, dating back to 8,000 BC. it is a piece of Hemp.
This magnificent plant native to Central Asia was used to make fabrics by the Mongols, Tartars and Japanese even before the advent of cotton and silk.
The diffusion, which almost certainly occurred thanks to the nomadic populations who reached around 500 AD. Europe, was very fast thanks to the enormous versatility and the multiple uses in which it was used and around the year 1000 it was considered the "Queen of fiber plants". Initially used for the construction of fishing nets because it is very resistant to salt water, this fiber was brought into vogue by seafaring populations, such as the Venetians or the Genoese, who used it to create the best sails and ropes for navigation as it is a very light and resistant material.
In addition to its use in navigation, this plant was used in nutrition: hemp seeds are rich in properties because they contain all the essential amino acids; Rich in omega 3 and omega 6, they are also a valid aid against arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disorders.
The use of cannabis for rheumatism, gout and other pathologies has been reported since the beginning of the third millennium BC, in China, often with more emphasis on medicinal and therapeutic properties than on psychotropic ones. Traces of the anti-inflammatory use of Cannabis are also found in the history of Ancient Greece.
Hemp oil
Hemp oil is obtained by cold pressing the seeds of Cannabis Sativa. It can be used in the kitchen like any other oil and can be integrated into a normal diet to promote and protect the correct functioning of physiological processes, from metabolism to immune defenses.
It is known for its multiple properties: antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, to reduce stress, insomnia and anxiety. Furthermore, it has a perfect balance between Omega 3 e Omega 6. Hemp seeds, used to make oil, are considered a complete food from a protein point of view, often defined "super food", have different properties and can be consumed raw. Thanks to the high presence of polyunsaturated acids, they are useful for fighting and preventing various disorders including arteriosclerosis, cardiovascular disorders, cholesterol, arthrosis, respiratory system diseases, eczema and acne.
Cannabis as fuel
Cannabis confirms itself as a friend of the environment and as a valid substitute for oil. Using it for combustion would not increase the quantities of Co2 released into the atmosphere, as the emission of carbon dioxide during combustion would be counterbalanced by the quantity of Co2 absorbed by the plant itself during the cultivation of the relevant plants.
Not everyone knows that fuel can be obtained from plant sources, such as industrial hemp, but also rice or sugar beet. The method is a pyrolysis process that works by letting the juices and oils obtained from the plants ferment by removing oxygen. To be precise, ethanol is obtained through hemp cellulose.
One of the advantages that derive from the use ofhemp ethanol, obtained precisely from the stems of the plant left in fermentation, is that of not having to make any modifications to current engines so that they can operate with even higher performance than those achieved with fossil-derived fuel.
In addition to ethanol, the processing of the plant also produces methanol, equal to a vegetable oil similar to that which was experimented for the first time by Rudolf Diesel himself, in the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1900. The abundance of hemp on a global level promises to be a "raw material" which in the not too distant future could represent a worthy substitute for the fuels derived from petroleum and used today.
As regards the production yield of ethanol following the processing and decantation processes of the various parts of a plant such as hemp, some important studies have confirmed the fact that it is very high.
The same studies conducted in 2010 at the University of Connecticut led by prof. Richard Parnas, have verified how 97% of the oil obtained from this plant can be transformed into biological fuel.
Another important aspect is the low temperatures at which ethanol develops energy compared to petroleum derivatives, but also to others biodiesel.
"Ethanol" is obtained from hemp stalks, while "biodiesel" is obtained from the seeds.
There are several advantages that derive from the use of these cannabis derivatives: among these, which include the absence of sulphur, include the fact that they do not give off the bad smell typical, for example, of benzene. In its place, however, there is the much more pleasant one of hemp (and certainly more natural) as in the case of oil derived from the same plant. The hemp biodiesel it is among the safest fuels during transport, because it has a flammability level that is approximately three times lower than that of commonly used biodiesel, derived from petroleum.
