What is Hemp

The hemp plant. You’ve heard about it but you don’t know what it is. It’s just another name for Marijuana, right? Actually, no, not at all! Hemp is completely separate from Marijuana. The traditional Marijuana plant is psychoactive, which means it gets you high when ingested. The difference between Hemp and Marijuana is crucial. Hemp doesn’t get you high, and that is because it’s NOT psychoactive. Well, what is the difference you ask? It all comes down to one compound - THC. THC is short for tetrahydrocannabinol. Marijuana contains TCH, and that’s what is responsible for the euphoric high feeling people rave about. However, Hemp also has TCH, except the Hemp plant was bred to contain less than 0.3% TCH. Such a low amount of TCH is not going to get you high and is akin to decaffeinated coffee or Kombucha, which still has trace amounts of alcohol.

History of Hemp

Now that we know what Hemp is and is not, let’s talk briefly about the history. You’re reading this article right now because you want to know what Hemp is. Great! Did you know that Hemp has been in use for more than 10,000 years? Yeah, that’s right. Our great great great ancestors have been using it in their daily lives all along. Hemp has been used in thousands of applications world wide for almost as long as humans have existed. In the 16th century, Britain was using Hemp for various components of their battleships, such as ropes, rigging, sails, etc… They even used it for paper on which they drew their maps for navigation. They used Hemp even to print their bibles on.

During the colonization of America in the 17th century, settlers were actually ordered to grow Hemp on their land. During the 18th century, Hemp had grown so important that the government made it a law requiring you to grow Hemp on your land, else you be jailed!

What is Hemp used for?

We’ve come a long way since then. Now a days Hemp is still used for many things. Paper, clothing, cosmetics, and even for its chemical properties. Hemp contains special compound(s) called Cannabidiol or, CBD for short. These compounds are believed to have healing properties that are included in nutritional supplements. If you’d like to learn more about CBD and what it’s used for and why it’s really popular, click here.

Hemp has been in use for a long time and It’s not going anywhere any time soon. If anything, it’s becoming more and more popular. Now that you know a little bit about what hemp is, you can feel confident about the difference between Marijuana and Hemp. Hemp isn’t a bad word, so start saying it! Tell your friends about Hemp and it’s amazing applications and special properties. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below! We also urge you to do more research about Hemp and CBD in general. You’d be amazed at what you’ll find. That’s all for now! Stay natural!