What Is Hemp?

Here at Axis Labs, we’re always looking for new ways to improve our line of products and offer our customers the best-quality materials and goods. That’s why we’ve started offering a line of Hemp-based products that may be used to enhance your health and wellness. We extract a full spectrum of beneficial components from non-GMO, industrial grown hemp in Kentucky for a product like no other. But what exactly is hemp? Decades of misconception have clouded many people’s perceptions of this plant and the many uses and benefits it has. In order to better educate our clients, and build trust in our products, we’ll explore this ancient and practical plant.

Understanding Hemp

Hemp is a part of the cannabis species and is a form of the sativa plant. The cannabis family includes other plants like marijuana, leading many to assume that hemp is the same as marijuana. However, despite being within the same family, the two plants are very distinct from each other. Marijuana is known for its psychoactive properties that leave you feeling “high.” This is because of the high amount of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC that’s in marijuana.

Conversely, hemp has little to no THC present in its makeup. Therefore hemp is considered a non-psychoactive plant. It has been known that a low of the hemp's components counteract the effects of THC, almost ensuring that you cannot get “high” from the consumption of hemp products. Hemp is useful for many more purposes than its cousin marijuana. Hemp itself is prized for the durability of the fibers and seeds that it yields, making it an ideal industrial crop.  

Growing And Harvesting Hemp

Hemp has been a part of the agricultural history of humans for millennia. Carl Sagan suggests in his 1977 book, Dragons of Eden, that early humans harvested hemp and that it “led generally to the invention of agriculture, and thereby civilization.” This is likely because hemp itself is a surprisingly robust plant, requiring little in the way of specialized growing practices or even growing conditions to produce vast quantities of the crop. Simply put, hemp can grow in places that other plants cannot. Hemp requires little in the way of space, quality soil, or water to thrive. It’s not uncommon then to find hemp growing around the world. The plant is typically grown by the acre, and the plants grow very close together in tight clusters. The simplicity of the plant makes it a valued cash crop for many farmers.

The appearance of hemp is rather unique. The plant is made up of long, skinny leaves that are grouped at the top of the plant, not unlike the top of a tree. There are few, if any, smaller leaves or branches that grow beneath the top of the plant. Hemp can grow to be very tall, and in some cases, hemp plants have been found to be as tall as 20 feet.

Historic Uses Of Hemp

As a widespread, and ancient plant, hemp has a myriad of uses and applications, and that list continues to grow to this day. Historically, however, there are some notable uses for the plant. Hemp can be easily made into a fiber fabric, and some of the earliest known fabrics are made from hemp and are nearly 10,000 years old. Shockingly, these fabrics have retained their integrity and strength after thousands of years. Early people across the world recognized the value of hemp. In Russia, people made hemp ropes, while in China and the Middle East, groups used it to make paper products. In Europe, it was a cash crop for farmers in England and Germany. In one famous example, King Henry the VIII, known for his many wives, also encouraged the nation to grow hemp to create ropes and other materials. It was the widespread cultivation of hemp that allowed England become a naval superpower in the 17th through 20th centuries.

Hemp Today

In the recent past, hemp has played a variety of roles, and been the subject of much interest and scrutiny. The plant was unfairly categorized as the same as marijuana, and was restricted in 1906 and then criminalized in 1937 by the United States government. These were steps to combat the known psychoactive effects of marijuana, but the usefulness of hemp could not be ignored. Throughout the Second World War, farmers were encouraged to grow hemp to create cargo nets, parachute cordage, and many other war-winning products.

The 1970s and the Controlled Substance Act once again focused on cannabis plants, making it impractical for farmers to try and grow hemp. It was not until the 21st century that hemp began to have the renaissance that we are experiencing today. The passage of the 2014 Farm Bill allowed universities and state departments of agriculture to grow hemp for research. This allowed for the legalization of hemp to be grown by farmers across the country. This has lead to a proliferation of hemp-based products and research on the market.

Hemp And Axis Labs

One of the most valuable hemp products is the naturally occurring chemicals within the plant. This large spectrum of properties found in hemp are known to help the lives of many. Manufacturers and companies, including Axis Labs, have realized the health-enhancing benefits that hemp may have for individuals, and have started using hemp-based products as a way to try and help people. Components of hemp are now used in tinctures, oils, creams, capsules, salves, and many other products. Regular users of hemp-based products report feeling calmer, more focused after taking a hemp product like a tincture, and others have championed its pain relieving properties.

That’s why Axis Labs has carefully crafted a line of high-quality Hemp products that you can use to enhance your healthy lifestyle. We offer products like our Hemp+Relief Cream, which can be used as a topical to target aches. We also offer our Hemp 500 Oil with peppermint flavoring, our Hemp Liquid Capsules, allowing you to integrate hemp into your existing health regimen. Order your Hemp products from Axis Labs today and see why hemp has been a part of the human experience for centuries.