Hemp is a plant grown for its strong fiber. Hemp fibers are obtained from the plant’s woody stem. They are used to make rope, cord, and twine. Hemp also has a number of other uses. Hemp fabric is used to make clothing. Hemp is rich in nutrients and is added to a variety of food products. The hemp plant is native to central and western Asia. Farmers grow hemp in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, and other countries. The cultivation of hemp is restricted in some areas because other varieties of the same plant are grown to produce the drug marijuana. However, industrial hemp contains only low concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the most important chemical in marijuana.
Hemp is an important source of cannabidiol (abbreviated CBD). This compound, also found in marijuana, may help alleviate chronic (ongoing) pain and reduce anxiety for some people. CBD does not produce the euphoria or “high” caused by THC and other compounds in marijuana. CBD oil is added to a variety of products, including baked goods, candy, lotions, and tinctures for its therapeutic effects.
The hemp plant is an annual—that is, it lives only one growing season. It grows best in a moist, mild climate. In regions where hemp is grown commercially, some hemp plants are raised for their seeds, and some are raised for their fiber. Both seed and fiber hemp have their pollen, or staminate, flowers on different plants from those that produce the seed, or pistillate, flowers. The pollen flowers are yellowish-green and grow in large clusters.
Fiber hemp can be sown simply by scattering the seed on the ground. Each seed grows to a single slender stem 4 to 12 feet (1 to 4 meters) high.
Seed hemp is planted in furrows, or drills, with earth covering them. The stalk reaches a height of 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 meters). It is thicker than the fiber-hemp stalk and has many branches.
Hemp is harvested in industrialized countries by harvesting machines that mow the stalks and spread them in even layers. After the long stalks are gathered, the hemp fibers must be removed. To free the fibers, the stalks are either soaked in soft water or hung up in the open, where they are exposed to the weather, especially to the dew. This process is called retting, or rotting. The water or dew rots the matter around the fiber, so it can be removed easily.
