Tag Archives: hemp

Hemp That Heals.

Now for another in the series on the wonders of hemp, in this instance I am talking about the medicinal uses of cannabis, it seems that it has the ability to cure an enormous number of different illnesses. It’s good for most forms of cancer, and can kill the cancer cells while leaving healthy ones to get on with their business, apparently it actually causes the cancer to commit suicide! This is already a much better report card than you will find regarding chemotherapy, and without all those nasty side affects too. In fact if you do go the mainstream route for your illness, cannabis is wonderful for preventing the nausea that goes along with chemo.

medicalmarijuana

There has been extensive research done in this area by pioneering doctors and the evidence is mounting in favour of hemp or marijuana being used as a medicine. It’s been known to be successful with heart disease, depression and anxiety, migraines, diabetes, arthritis, the list goes on and on, and yet governments are ignoring this potential for reducing the enormous amount of suffering that goes on amongst so many people in the world today. Mmmmmm don’t suppose those good old vested interests have anything to do with it, in particular the pharmaceutical companies, seems that some of them are actually quietly preparing for the day that this information can no longer be denied.

The documentary “Run From The Cure” talks about this information and tells the story of Rick Simpson who lives in Nova Scotia in Canada, he grows marijuana and makes hemp oil, which he then gives away for free to people who are in need. There are many who owe their lives to Rick and yet in 2008 he was sentenced in the supreme court for being a supplier of an illegal substance, this film isn’t so well made and a bit long, but it’s worth watching none the less. When are we going to put people before profits?

http://www.nextworldhealthtv.com/page/24647.html

You can find more information on this subject at: http://www.phoenixtears.ca/

Hemp: Reefer Madness.

ReeferMadness

And now for a little trip down memory lane, not that I am old enough to remember the 1930’s but I do remember laughing at “Reefer Madness”, a great example of a very American kind of insanity. There were many reasons to wage a war on hemp, according to this article it had a lot to do with bureaucracy justifying its existence and grabbing more power. Now why does that sound familiar, look at your local council and you can probably find some examples that seem awfully similar, time to do things differently in the very rational hope of creating new outcomes.

http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2010/10/reefer-madness-and-the-prohibition-of-marijuana-in-the-united-states/

In America it is still illegal to grow hemp, even as an industrial crop which doesn’t actually have enough THC to get anyone stoned anyway, even if that was the real issue. In Europe they are growing hemp for all kinds of things, check out my post “The House That Breathes”: 9 October 2013, to read some more about that, hemp is a very sustainable crop and to ignore those sorts of benefits is madness indeed, one that doesn’t require drugs to fuel it. Of course many people end up on a toxic cocktail of pharmaceutical drugs, some of which probably shouldn’t even be on the market, profits come first and so we ignore the potential benefits of medical marijuana. Here is a trailer to the 1932 film, “Reefer Madness”, propaganda of the highest order!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1jB7RBGVGk

But that’s another post, you see the thing is I can go on and on about hemp and marijuana and the positive things that can come from proper cultivation and use of these ancient substances. And everything else that falls into that category, look to Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic philosophy for knowledge of nature’s pharmacopeia, and there are no doubt even now plants we haven’t discovered yet that may hold the cure for all major illnesses.  Many of the pharmaceutical drugs are modelled on what scientists find in nature, and nature can often help us with little or no side effects, so lets cut out the middle man!

More posts on hemp to come!

The House That Breathes.

Here in Australia we are hearing more and more about hempcrete, a combination of industrial hemp and lime that ticks the box on sustainability on just about every aspect of its use as a building material. It has a good rating in terms of strength and is also extremely fire resistant. But here’s the best bit, hempcrete is an excellent insulator, it allows the house to breathe unlike other materials such as concrete or bricks. So the humidity equalises which means that little in the way of heating or cooling is required even in the most extreme environment, and mould is simply not an issue!

hempcretebrick

So economy in the long-term as far as efficient use of energy goes, is also a feature of this excellent building material, with the cost of electricity going up this is no mean saving. And the fact that the hempcrete holds on to carbon means that it ends up carbon negative even though the lime has been burned, why would you use anything else really! The initial cost may be more, although it is not difficult apparently to learn how to do it yourself and so you can save in that way, Johan from Hempcrete Australia trains people in how to do it. But over time you can save up to 70% on your energy consumption in a house made with hempcrete.

And I personally really like the rendered finish which is the cheapest option, for me it would also be the best option because it looks great, I would be choosing whichever finish helped the house to merge into the earth, into its surroundings. So as far as the house goes, we have a building that looks good, may not require heating or cooling even in quite extreme climates, which will do well in areas where bush fires are a seasonal danger, and that score very highly when it comes to efficient use of energy. Being carbon neutral is also a pretty big plus, I have a feeling that hempcrete is going to be a popular part of future housing, it seems to make sense in all different kinds of climates.

A house made with hempcrete.

A house made with hempcrete.

The benefits of hemp as a crop go on but the agricultural side of things will have to wait until another post, just be assured that the sustainability benefits of hemp go on and on, and on, and on………….

In the meantime………don’t forget to breathe!

Here is an interview with Johan from Hempcrete Australia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsZs40RWCx0

And a report on the industrial uses of hemp in Europe:

http://www.nextworldtv.com/page/20240.html