Hemp oil is becoming increasingly popular across the world for a variety of reasons, mainly due to the said health benefits of consuming this oil. But is it all hype? Is hemp oil a scam… Just another overhyped fad?
With all the new hemp oil products coming out onto market, many of which are extremely overpriced, these questions are perfectly logical to ask.
That said, hemp oil is definitely not a scam. There are many scientifically proven benefits to consuming hemp oil, some of which I will discuss. Sure, there may be somewhat “scammy” products out there that are capitalizing on all the popularity of these products and charging much more than they should be, but hemp oil itself is in no way a scam.
What Is Hemp Oil Exactly?
Hemp oil is exactly what it sounds like… Oil that comes from the hemp plant, which is the same species as cannabis sativa, a.k.a. marijuana.
There is a lot of misinformation out there but based on what I have found after digging around, hemp and marijuana plants are the same except for the difference in levels of THC, which is the psychoactive drug of marijuana. Hemp plans have low in significant levels that if consumed, would be completely unnoticeable.
It is also important to distinguish between the different types of hemp oil. There is regular old hemp oil and then there is hemp seed oil. These oils are coldpressed out of the plant, the hemp seed oil coming from cold pressing the seeds and the hemp oil coming from cold pressing the stalks.
Hemp seed oil and hemp oil are terms that are used interchangeably. For example you may see a product that says hemp oil, but it may really be hemp seed oil. It can be difficult knowing what you are really getting at times.
What Is In Hemp Oil That Is So Special?
Okay… So what is all the hype about? Why is hemp oil becoming so popular? Is it really that good for your health?
Well, yes it is… It’s pretty good for your health. Hemp oil’s contents contain a lot, including essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, phytochemicals, and more.
If you look up the health benefits of hemp oil on Google you will likely find a lot of information about the essential fatty acids (EFA’s) that it contains, which include omega 6 and omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are considered “essential” because your body cannot synthesize them on its own and they need to be included in your diet.
There is a long list of different health benefits that EFA’s have, but here are just a few…
- A healthier heart – EFA’s have shown to improve blood pressure as well as cholesterol levels. Taking adequate doses is assosiated with decreases in hypertension, heart disease, and other cardiovascular problems.
- Better skin, hair & nails – EFA’s are important for the cell membrane of your skin and other cells. They also help produce the oil barrier of the skin. This is important for skin hydration and gives your skin that “plump” healthy look according to WebMD.
- Less inflammation – A 2006 study compared the anti-inflammatory effects of the omega 3 fatty acid to that of common NSAIDs, like ibuprofen for example, and found that its effects are comparable, making it a healthier and safer alternative for reducing inflammation. It has even been shown to help treat severe cases of inflammation such as those associated with arthritis.
But why hemp oil? After all, there are many other sources that you can get your EFA’s from. Well… Not all sources or equally as good. Take flaxseed oil for example. This is commonly consumed for essential fatty acids by health enthusiasts, but may not be the best choice. Why? Because flaxseed oil can lead to an imbalance in essential fatty acids whereas hemp oil can be taken continuously without any such imbalance occurring.
Other Benefits:
Everything discussed above is a benefit of consuming the essential fatty acids that hemp oil provides. But besides this, there are also many benefits from its other contents, which include…
- Vitamin B1 – Vitamin B1, a.k.a. thiamine, has been shown to have a number of benefits including boosting energy production, slowing the aging process due to its antioxidant effect, helping with digestion, and even improving memory.
- Vitamin B2 – Aka riboflavin, also aids in digestion and is known to help improve energy levels by playing a role in producing ATP from carbohydrates.
- Vitamin B6 – Aka pyridoxine, supports healthy skin, also helps improve memory, plays a role in detoxification, supports healthy eyes, and has anti-inflammatory properties among many others.
- Vitamin D – This is very important if you want strong healthy bones. Vitamin D is involved in the regulation of calcium, which we all know is needed for strong bones.
- Vitamin E – Among the many health benefits that vitamin E has, its antioxidant properties are some of the most notable. As an antioxidant it helps fight off free radicals that damage cells and speed up the aging process.
- Iron – Iron has a broad range of benefits including boosting the immune system, helping oxygen circulation in the blood, treating anemia, improving brain function, etc.
- Zinc – Zinc it is important for normal growth, can help speed up the healing of wounds, boost the immune system, and is important for hair health.
- Calcium – Going along with vitamin D, we all know that calcium is very important for the health of our skeletal structure.
- Magnesium – Magnesium actually improves calcium absorption, which means it is good for bone health, and also has been shown to help with diabetes as well as to relieve anxiety.
- Chlorophyll – Chlorophyll is a phytochemical that is responsible for absorbing light during the photosynthesis of plants. It has tons of different health benefits including skin healing benefits, reducing inflammation, detoxification, weight loss, and has even been shown to help prevent diseases as extreme as cancer. Moringa, which I talk about a lot on this site, is another good source of this.
Scam?? Definitely Not
So as I said, hemp oil is definitely no scam. The oil itself has a lot of benefits, many of which there has been extensive scientific research on as proof.
The only scammy part about hemp oil is how it is marketed. It is often overhyped and its health benefits are often exaggerated to make it seem better than it really is.
So if you are going to buy hemp oil just make sure you are getting a good price for it. On the flipside however, you don’t want to buy the cheapest stuff out there because it likely isn’t as good as the better quality more expensive oil. Everything affects the quality of the hemp oil, from how the hemp plants are grown to how the hemp oil is extracted, and how it is packaged up and sold. So what you want to do is try to find a happy medium between price and quality. You want to pay the lowest price for the best quality of course.
Please leave any questions, comments, or concerns below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can 🙂 I hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it helpful.
i sincerely hope this is not a scam a lot of us suffer severe clinical depression ,take all the dr prescribes to no avail . my sister poured 2 gallons of petrol over herself and is now with god. if i find this is a scam they will be next .