Cannabis, in some people it might invoke an image of someone at Woodstock, to others a misspent youth and to yet others a good source of fibre for textiles. But in most it would probably not invoke the image of a food source.
Well that could be changing, a paper published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has thoroughly analysed the oil from non drug varieties of cannabis (or hemp as it is known) and show that it makes a very good vegetable oil for human consumption.
The oil contains the fatty acids linoleic (omega 6), α-linolenic(omega 3), and oleic acid (omega 9), with a “good” ratio of omega 3 to omega 6. It also contains sterols that have been shown to lower cholesterol, ß-carotene and is rich in minerals.
It is already available in health food shops as an alternative vegetable oil, maybe it will make its way into supermarkets soon.
Click here to go to the paper on the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry website.