Date:
January 29, 2014
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Long stigmatized because of its "high"-inducing cousins, hemp -- derived from low-hallucinogenic varieties of cannabis -- is making a comeback, not just as a source of fiber for textiles, but also as a crop packed with oils that have potential health benefits. A new study details just how many healthful compounds hempseed oil contains.
Oil from non-drug varieties of hempseeds are full of health-promoting compounds.
Credit: American Chemical Society
Long stigmatized because of its "high"-inducing cousins, hemp -- derived from low-hallucinogenic varieties of cannabis -- is making a comeback, not just as a source of fiber for textiles, but also as a crop packed with oils that have potential health benefits. A new study, which appears in ACS'Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, details just how many healthful compounds hempseed oil contains.
Maria Angeles Fernández-Arche and colleagues note that for millennia, people around the world cultivated cannabis for textiles, medicine and food. Hemp has high levels of vitamins A, C and E and beta carotene, and it is rich in protein, carbohydrates, minerals and fiber. In the early 20thcentury, many countries banned cannabis because some varieties contain large amounts of the high-inducing compound THC. And although Colorado recently legalized recreational marijuana use -- and some states have passed medical marijuana laws -- the drug remains illegal according to U.S. federal law. But the European Union has legalized growing low-THC versions of hemp, and it's making its way back into fabrics and paper. With increasing interest in plant oils as a source of healthful compounds, Fernández-Arche's team wanted to investigate hempseed oil's potential.
They did a detailed analysis of a portion of hempseed oil. They found it has a variety of interesting substances, such as sterols, aliphatic alcohols and linolenic acids, that research suggests promote good health. For example, it contains α-linolenic acid, which is an omega-3 fatty acid that some studies suggest helps prevent coronary heart disease. The findings could have implications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and non-food industries, they state.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by American Chemical Society.Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
S. Montserrat-de la Paz, F. Marín-Aguilar, M. D. García-Giménez, M. A. Fernández-Arche. Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Seed Oil: Analytical and Phytochemical Characterization of the Unsaponifiable Fraction. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2014; 140123151546004 DOI: 10.1021/jf404278q
Cite This Page:
American Chemical Society. "Hempseed oil packed with health-promoting compounds, study finds." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 January 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140129115155.htm>.
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