ABSTRACT

Until recently, most of the discussion about the potential therapeutic benefits from Cannabis sativa has focused on cannabinoids. Largely unknown, yet increasingly popular, are other cannabis products which provide nutritional and possibly therapeutic benefits, i.e., hemp seeds and hemp oil-the oil pressed from hemp seeds. Historical accounts name hemp seeds as a cure for numerous diseases: as an analgesic; for sores and skin diseases; and for coughs, jaundice, and colic. However, these accounts did often not distinguish between effects from the seeds and the cannabinoids contained in the flowers, respectively. Hemp seeds, the by-product of hemp grown for fiber, were primarily used for food. Their oil also was processed into paints, varnishes, and soap. Along with the demise of hemp fiber during the last century, hemp seeds also lost their significance.