ABSORANT HEMP DIAPERS & OMEGA 3-6-9

By

Ruth Shamai, Ruth’s Hemp Foods

As published in New Directions, April/May 2004

Although it escaped the notice of the major media in Canada, February 6 was a giant day for the hemp industry. In the US, a court in San Francisco ruled unanimously in favour of the hemp industry against the US Drug Enforcement agency, and declared once and for all that hemp is legal for ingestion.

We are lucky to be in Canada – all this time we’re ingesting and enjoying, and they’re slugging it out in court.

But I digress – with the largest trade show in the US coming up, and so many activists and entrepreneurs from the hemp industry attending, one of our members threw a victory party. And a fabulous party it was, complete with everything that one might at a hemp party!

My old friend Larry Serbin was in attendance. Larry is President of Hemp Traders, the largest importer of hemp fabric (for re-sale) on the continent. And it was Larry who told me that the hottest thing in hemp these days was diapers.

You can imagine my surprise. We were in LA, after all, home of the throw-away everything, and his fastest growing market was hemp for diapers. “It’s the wahms”, he said, then noticing my bafflement explained: work-at-home-moms – wahms, you know.” Larry went on to explain that he first started importing hemp / cotton terry for sweatshirts. It’s flat on one side and terry on the other, a blend of 55% hemp and 45% cotton. But the wahms caught wind of it, and started using it for re-usable diapers. While the babies were busy doing baby things, the wahms were sewing and chatting on-line. Soon Larry’s sales of fleece were doubling every few months, and this has not let up.

Why? Larry directed me to Mona, one of his salespeople specializing in the home market. She explained that hemp is environmental – grown with few, if any, pesticides, therefore moms were more comfortable using it for their babies than cotton, which uses 52% of the world’s pesticides. Sure I said, but they could use organic cotton. Ah… that’s where hemp’s special qualities come in.

Hemp is much more absorbent than cotton, as it is more porous. So you don’t have to change the diaper as often, and without wanting to get too graphic, it just holds more. But wait, I said, that sounds like good news for the mom, but what about the baby’s bum? Quality number two, Mona told me: hemp is anti-bacterial. A warm wet diaper is a beautiful breeding ground for bacteria, and yet the diapers of hemp babies didn’t smell, at least not in the same length of time as other diapered babies. Mona told me that they also were not as prone to diaper rash, again due to hemp’s anti-bacterial qualities, and Larry told me he had seen studies out of China that backed this up.

And lastly, the hemp diapers lasted much longer, because the fabric is so much stronger than cotton. Although sewn together with cotton thread, the diapers don’t wear out at the seams, or tear at the snaps. And, as any one who has worn hemp clothing will attest, the more you wash it, the softer hemp gets. Yes, hemp wears in, cotton wear out.

And that’s not all: these days, the hippest babies are not only swathed in hemp, but drinking from breasts comforted in off-times by hemp nursing pads and massaged with EFA-rich hemp creams. The EFAs in hemp oil are fabulous for penetrating the many layers of skin, and hemp body creams have undoubtedly saved many moms from stretch marks. Several hemp moisturizers are scented with aromatherapy oils, which serve an emotional purpose and also help you feel more beautiful – something needed on occasion during pregnancy.

Hopefully, the moms have been taking hemp oil and eating hemp seed during pregnancy, to keep their own levels of Essential Fatty Acids up. Hemp has more Essential Fatty Acids than any other single oil, including all Omega 3, 6 and 9, and the much rarer gamma-linolenic acid, a lifesaver when it comes to mood balancing.

I have read that the brain develops 70% of its cells while in gestation. Studies done with other EFA oils show link premature birth with EFA deficiency. So taking an EFA-rich oil during pregnancy is doubly beneficial to the unborn child. And since most of the brain is made of Essential Fatty Acids, let’s hope that the mom has a good supply of them to set her unborn child on an intelligent path. This continues to be true while breast-feeding. Essential fatty acids are natural constituents of breast milk, and keeping their levels high ensures healthy development of your child’s body and brain. (Of course, hemp is much more than a food – it’s an excellent supplement oil, and you should always consult a physician before starting to take any supplement during pregnancy.)

Hemp is truly a wonder plant. From the seed to the stalk, it’s uses start before you are born, and will carry you straight through life.