ABSTRACT
The fruit of hemp is not a true seed, but an “ achene,” a tiny nut covered by a hard shell (Small, 1979; Paris and Nahas, 1984). These are consumed whole, used in food and folk medicinal preparations (Jones, 1995), or employed as a feed for birds and fishes. W hole hemp seed contains approxim ately 20 to 25 percent protein, 20 to 30 p er cent carbohydrates and 10 to 15 percent insoluble fiber (Theim er and M olleken, 1995; Theimer, 1996), as well as a rich array o f m inerals, particularly phosphorous, potassium , m agnesium , sulfur, and cal cium, along with modest amounts o f iron and zinc (Jones, 1995; Wirtschafter, 1995), the latter o f which is an important enzyme cofac tor for human fatty acid metabolism (Erasmus, 1993). It is also a fair source of carotene, a “ Vitamin A” precursor, and is a potentially important contributor of dietary fiber. Most hemp seed also contains approximately 25 to 35 percent oil, although one variety grown in Russia, known as “ olifera,” reportedly contains 40 percent (Small,
1979; Mathieu, 1980) and a Chinese variety was claimed to slightly exceed this figure (Jones, 1995).
