Happy National Hemp Day! Our Top 3 Reasons To Love The Plant
Today (February 4) is apparently National Hemp Day and this is one faux holiday we can get behind. After all, hemp oil extracts contain all the relaxing, mood-steadying plant compounds of marijuana—but without the high levels of THC, making them non-psychoactive and safe for everyday use.*
At mbg, we see so much potential in this calming plant that we created a whole product around it. Here are some of hemp's top perks to celebrate today and every day:
It's legal!
One reason we love hemp is because it's legal in all 50 U.S. states—as opposed to marijuana or marijuana-derived CBD oil, which can contain higher concentrations of THC and is only legal in certain states. It won't give you the munchies, and it's easier to know exactly where it comes from and how it was extracted (if you're purchasing a trustworthy brand, of course).
It's a whole-plant extract, with a whole lot of health benefits.
Hemp oil is a whole-plant extract, whereas something like a CBD oil is an isolated extract.
This means CBD includes only one cannabinoid, called cannabidiol. On the flipside, hemp oil contains all the cannabinoids (including CBD!). When these cannabinoids are taken together, they have what's known as the "entourage effect," where all the antioxidants in hemp work together to provide an array of health benefits.*
Here's the highlight reel of hemp's healthy accolades: It helps manage stress, support healthy immune function, and it can even calm acne flare-ups.* With this impressive résumé, it's no secret why hemp extract has become a star in the mbg HQ and why we've developed a hemp supplement of our own.*
It comes in many forms.
Whether you purchase an oil, capsule, or topical product, there are many ways to use hemp oil—bot not all of them are created equal.
If you buy hemp in the form of gummies or treats, for example, functional medicine doctor Robert Rountree, M.D., warns that you should go easy. It's more difficult to know exactly what ingredients these have. "When you're buying a gummy, you just don't know what's in it. You've got to be really careful," he shares on the mindbodygreen podcast.
The hemp plant can also be used for culinary purposes. But the hemp you'll find in a milk or cooking oil is pressed from hemp's omega-3 and protein-rich hemp seeds, so it won't contain any of those healthy cannabinoids.
That's why you can catch us with hemp multi+ supplements, our pick for celebrating today in the best way.
Jamie Schneider is the Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and more. In her role at mbg, she reports on everything from the top beauty industry trends, to the gut-skin connection and the microbiome, to the latest expert makeup hacks. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.