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Essntls of skincare - Episode 4.
by Herb Essntls
4 years ago
Cannabis and humans have been best buds forever
For as long as we can tell, the cannabis plant has been a steadfast companion to humans. Sort of like the plant version of dogs, humans' best plant friend. Over the last 50-60 years or so that relationship has been under severe distress, but we’re slowly finding our way back into each other's arms.
The earliest reporting of the plant goes as far back as 6000 BC in China. As faith has it, China is in fact the biggest cannabis grower in the world today. About 70% of all farmed cannabis is farmed in China. They farm it for clothes, paper, bags and more. Just like we used to do in the west for hundreds of years. More on that later.
Alternative thinking
So let’s start with the psychoactive effects, as that is always a hot topic. It seems like the plant has the ability to allow us to think in different ways. Psychologists have found that cannabis-derived THC helps the brain connect dots that it couldn’t before. They call it divergent thinking, but most people just say creativity. There's no surprise that some of the world's leading cultural creators have been close buddies with the buds of the plant. Some have loudly advocated their love for weed, like Bob Marley and Willie Nelson, while there are some that seem to have been keeping their habits out of common knowledge.
Nothing remains hidden forever though and what we know today is that the most famous storyteller in history unlocked his creativity with cannabis. It has long been common knowledge that William Shakespeare liked to smoke pipes. Not known, however, until a recent discovery of cannabis resin was found in said pipes, was what he was smoking.
We may never know how much our culture is indebted to this plant
The psychoactive properties of the plant are believed to have played an integral part in the creation of several of the world’s leading religions for example.
And for the cosmos believers, their main man Carl Sagan is a vocal advocate for the plant:
“The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.”
Stoners aside - the plant has loads more to bring to the table
The seeds of the plant can be used for a wide variety of things. The seeds are technically categorized as nuts, and so is what they can actually do.
Our bodies need certain amino acids to work and Cannabis Sativa seeds contain every single one of them. In fact, Cannabis Sativa seed oil has been dubbed "nature's most perfectly balanced oil", because its ratio of essential fatty acids match the optimum requirement for long-term healthy human nutrition. The fact that the oil also doesn’t clog pores makes it a fantastic skincare agent, which we utilize in all of our products.
Times have changed, and are changing again
Cannabis has been outlawed almost globally during the last 70 years or so, but there was a time, when it was as precious to man as oil is today. A time when people weren’t compelled by law to avoid it, but to grow it. King Henry VIII punished farmers who did not cultivate cannabis.
Settlers in British colonies were required to grow it. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington grew it. The first drafts of the constitution were most likely written on paper made from it. Maybe the very foundation of America is made from cannabis.
People enjoyed it for recreational and medicinal use back then too, but it was the fibers that really made the heads of the world’s leaders spin.
For the fibers of hemp are strong, about three times those of cotton. And fibers that strong do well in ropes and sails. Without cannabis, we wouldn’t have been able to cross the Atlantic and find the new world.
So now what?
For various reasons, we don’t use cannabis as much any more. But maybe we should. With the legalization of Marijuana, the cannabis industry is slowly growing into new and more diverse fields as people find that it’s a better way to make everything from paper, textiles and skincare to more surprising things like house insulation and even fuel.
However, the North American cannabis industry is budding. It’s slowly regaining its position as a cornerstone industry. Networks of farmers that practice sustainable farming are being formed. Tons of money is being invested in infrastructure and new products. Women are emerging as the leaders, especially on the brand and product side of things. Fashion, beauty and wellness are the new frontiers for this amazing plant and the legalization process for the psychoactive side of things is rushing forward rapidly. This industry is just starting to find its footing again. The future is bright as blaze.
