Traditionally used for food and body care, but somewhat buried in a false stigma, hemp is rapidly regaining its popularity as its multiple health benefits are revealed. Hemp is botanically known as Cannabis Sativa L., but it’s not marijuana. It’s just one variety of the numerous cannabis strains.

Hemp seeds are pressed to form hemp oil, a green or golden-coloured oil with a mild, nutty flavour. This oil can supplyyour body with a variety of vital nutrients. What really stands out, however, is the incredibly high content of essential fatty acids (EFAs) in CBD oil, which makes it more advantageous than other vegetable oils.

Effects of Insufficient EFAs in Our Diet

The two EFAs are linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). They are referred to as ‘essential” because our bodies can’t produce them naturally, and we have to get them from the foods we eat.

EFAs are necessary for the development of a healthy cell structure, body growth, a strong immune system, efficient liver function, proper immune response, a healthy heart, healthy reproductive function, and much more. Unfortunately, most of the food products we buy from the supermarket contain insufficient EFAs.

In fact, EFAs have been sacrificed together with B vitamins and other naturally occurring enzymes to allow for the extended shelf life of processed foods. Without proper EFAs in your diet, you’ll be exposing yourself to various health issues including:

• Liver degeneration
• Eczema-like skin eruptions
• Increased risk of infections
• Infertility in males
• Drying up of glands
• Kidney degeneration
• Miscarriage in females
• Wounds taking longer to heal
• Excessive loss of body water
• Cardiovascular problems
• Retarded growth
• High blood pressure
• Mental problems
• Vision impairment
• Inflammation of tissues
• Dehydrated skin
• Oedema
• Sticky Platelets

So, to minimise your risk of these detrimental health conditions, you need to ensure that your diet is rich in EFAs. You can’t get that from the supermarket foods, and that’s where hemp oil comes in.

Hemp Oil as an Ideal EFA Supplement

Composed of about 85 per cent essential fatty acids, hemp seed oil is considered the richest and most balanced natural source of EFAs. In order to provide your body with the right amount of EFAs, your diet should contain EFAs in a ratio of about 3:2 (linoleic acid: alpha-linolenic acid).

The ratio of EFAs in hemp oil ranges from 2:1 to 3:1, which is close to your diet’s recommended ratio. Considering this, if hemp oil is your sole source of fatty acids, about two to four teaspoons per day will be enough to meet your EFA needs.

While flaxseed oil boasts a higher total EFA content, it has a much lower favourableEFA ratio of no more than 1:2. So, it’s only ideal for use as an ALA supplement and not as an everyday food oil. It’s also worth noting that hemp oil is lower in saturated fatty acid when compared to other vegetable oils, and this makes it easily digestible.

In Conclusion

Nothing beats hemp oil as a single source of EFAs. While you have to mix other vegetable oils to get a favourableEFA ratio, hemp oil delivers a natural balance and protects you from a wide range of health complications in the process.