Go To Pot! Sun, Feb 6, 2001, by Stanton Fleiss.
Docs hail amazing new snack food… made from hemp
In a twist that gives new meaning to the phrase “potluck dinner,” scientists have discovered you can add years to your life by eating the seeds of the hemp plant – marijuana’s next of kin.
The only difference between the two is that hemp lacks THC, the chemical that provides pot with its mind-altering kick. Unlike its relative, hemp is perfectly legal… and perfectly healthy.
“Hemp contains the best essential fatty acids found in nature, and in the best possible balance,” says Dr. Michele Trankina, a nutritionist at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.
Health-enhancing essential fatty acids (EFAs) fight everything from heart disease to PMS, to cancer. Foods such as flaxseed oil and fish have long been touted as the best sources of EFAs, but recent research proves hemp seeds, commonly known as hemp nuts, are even better.
Women in particular can benefit from hemp nuts. Studies show that women with the highest levels of EFAs in their systems are 70 percent less likely to develop breast cancer. Additionally, hemp nuts associated with menstruation, such as PMS, cramps and breast tenderness.
“Hemp nuts contain powerful anti-inflammatory compounds,” says California hemp expert Richard Rose. “Taken daily, they can relieve symptoms the way Motrin and Midol do, but without the risk of stomach upset and bleeding.”
Researchers also credit hemp with boosting levels of “good” HDL cholesterol as much as 12 percent while lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol up to 13 percent.
And if that’s not enough, hemp nuts can also lower blood pressure and dissolve blood clots, Trankina says.
Hemp nuts are so EFA-rich that it only takes a handful—one or two ounces – to get the appropriate daily dose.
For variety, use hemp oil as a tasty salad dressing and hemp nut butter as a sandwich spread. Also available at health food stores: hemp pretzels, tortilla chips, waffles, cheese and burgers.
Caption: SPREAD nature’s miracle on your bread. There are high hopes it will add years to your life.
Pull quote: Did you know? George Washington farmed hemp, and Thomas Jefferson called it “the first necessity to the wealth & protection of this country.”
