FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Hemp with Heart represents the love we put into crafting our line of organic CBD and Hemp Food products, and the hearts of those we are helping around the world. From the seed of the hemp plant, to the sale of the product, we inject our love into the health of the environment and local communities at each step of the process. We want our customers to know that we pour our hearts into every batch we craft, hoping the care we put into our products translates into care put into the world. It’s what we call Hemp with Heart.

CBD stands for Cannabidiol, an organic phytocannabinoid that is naturally produced in hemp plants. Contrary to popular belief, CBD does not cause the intoxication or euphoria that comes from cannabis. It is THC in marijuana, not CBD in hemp, that is the primary psychoactive component of cannabis plants. CBD is responsible for the therapeutic and medicinal benefits that are associated with hemp. Among many other benefits, it is commonly used for stress, anxiety, sleep, and pain relief.

The therapeutic effects commonly associated with CBD are largely due to its unique chemical structure allowing it to interact with the human endocannabinoid system (ECS) in an interesting way. The ECS plays a crucial role in the ways our brains and bodies regulate certain functions and processes. CBD interacts with the ECS in a unique way that promotes balance. Rather than binding to our receptors, it interacts with the binding sites on the receptor surfaces and briefly interferes with receptor functionality. The balancing effect that occurs in the ECS is one of the main reasons why CBD produces therapeutic benefits.

It is important to keep in mind that people have different experiences when using CBD products. Each body is unique, which means that everyone will have a slightly unique experience. Your ECS is what’s at play here, and CBD edibles may benefit and interact with you differently than your friend or family member. However, many who use CBD report feelings of relaxation, focus, and a sense of calm. That’s why so many people who deal with anxiety or stress-related issues use CBD as a part of their wellness routine. CBD can also be a great way to manage pain and ease yourself to bed, especially if you’re one of those people who get jittery or your mind races at night.

No. In Cannabis plant biology, it is generally accepted that there are two main cultivars of Cannabis plants; hemp and marijuana. Hemp refers to Cannabis varieties that contain less than .3% THC by dry weight. Any variety that produces more than .3% THC is legally viewed as marijuana. Hemp is cultivated for its seed, oil, fiber, and high CBD content while marijuana is grown for its psychoactive properties.

No, Minny Grown is not marijuana. Minny Grown is a licenced hemp cultivator and processor that specializes in hemp products. However, scientifically speaking, both hemp and marijuana are classified under the plant species Cannabis sativa L. This means that whether the plant is grown for fiber, oil, or recreational consumption, it will be formally identified as Cannabis sativa L. by any trained plant biologist.

As defined in the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp is the plant Cannabis sativa L., and any part of the plant, whether growing or not, including the plant's seeds, and all the plant's derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, containing a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. In contrast, any Cannabis plant containing more than 0.3 percent THC concentration by dry weight is legally considered marijuana and is subject to restrictions and prohibitions. Although governing bodies in the past have included hemp cultivars in Marijuana Prohibition laws, hemp has now been removed from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and is now legally distinct from marijuana and recognized as an agricultural crop by the US federal government.

All of Minny Grown’s award-winning products are derived from organically grown hemp plants. Minny Grown’s elite team of cultivators and formulaters work together to produce high quality hemp CBD products that are rich in phytocannabinoids, but always compliant with Minnesota’s .3% THC threshold.

The term cannabinoid broadly refers to a diverse class of chemical compounds that have the ability to interact with cannabinoid receptors. There are three main types of cannabinoids that are named according to their place of origin. Cannabinoids that are found in plants (CBD, THC, etc.), are referred to as “Phytocannabinoids” and are the most well known group due to their association with Cannabis. Cannabinoids produced inside mammals (Anandamide, 2-Arachidonoyl Glycerol) are named “Endocannabinoids” since they are endogenously generated within an organism (including humans). The final class of cannabinoids are the “Synthetic Cannabinoids,” which are cannabinoids that are made artificially mainly for medicinal use.

As native Minnesotans, we embrace our midwestern roots and take pride in supplying our consumers with the highest quality hemp CBD products that are produced from seed to sale in Minnesota by our Minny Grown team. Cultivated in Cannon Falls Minnesota, our hemp plants are farmed organically with no added fertilizers/pesticides. Here at Minny Grown, we strongly believe in letting the land provide the foundation from which our products can stand. By prioritizing the health of the environment and working towards sustainable farming practices, we aim to cultivate, extract, and formulate the best hemp CBD products that the midwest has to offer.

If you are familiar with the healing potential of Cannabis, you have probably heard of the main chemical components that are responsible for these effects such as cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). These compounds are unique to Cannabis plants and are formally recognized as “phytocannabinoids.” Although CBD and THC are the primary phytocannabinoids produced in Cannabis, over 100 others have been identified in lower concentrations.These chemicals get their power from their unique chemical structure that have the ability to interact with cannabinoid receptors distributed throughout the body. These phytocannabinoids include cannabinol (CBN), cannabigerol (CBG), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), and many others. As more research investigates the biochemical mechanisms of Cannabis plants, it is likely that more phytocannabinoids will be discovered.

Endocannabinoids are cannabinoids that are naturally produced by the body in response to a wide variety of internal and external cues. Endocannabinoids have been found in most vertebrates including humans, which serve a regulatory role that work to maintain homeostasis. Since their discovery in the early 1990’s, endocannabinoids have changed the way scientists view human physiology and the medicinal approach to chronic disorders.

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complicated and unique cell-signaling system that plays a crucial role in the ways our brains and bodies regulate certain functions and processes. This system was only recently discovered in the 1990s by scientists studying the effects of cannabis. Since its discovery, the endocannabinoid system has been heavily researched for its effect on bodily homeostasis. What’s bodily homeostasis? Well, think of it as your body’s ability to respond to various changes in your environment — and as research and studies continued to develop — more and more information about this vast cell-signal network has emerged. The initial scientific inquiry identified that the endocannabinoid system was only present in the brain and nerves. However, over time researchers have discovered that the endocannabinoid system may be one of the most prevalent and widespread signaling molecules known to humankind. So, what do these signaling molecules do? Well, here are just a few of the key functions the ECS affects: Mood, Appetite, Sleep, Memory, Fertility.

Although phytocannabinoids are now gaining popularity through their interaction with the human endocannabinoid system, Cannabis plants have been producing these compounds long before humans first came into contact with them. So if human utilization isn’t the reason Cannabis plants produce phytocannabinoids, what is?Unfortunately, there is no direct answer to that question, but modern-day botanists hypothesize that phytocannabinoid production evolved as a response to many different factors that affect Cannabis plant growth and survivability. These factors include environmental stressors, herbivory, competition among neighboring plants, and pathological threats. Although the predominant driver of phytocannabinoid production is currently being debated, evidence is available to support all of these ideas. When Humulus and Cannabis diverged from their common ancestor 27.8 million years ago (McPartland, 2018), different environmental factors influenced selection for the synthesis of secondary metabolites that provided resistance for those stressors. Now referred to as “phytocannabinoids,” these secondary metabolites are unique to the Cannabis genus and are what give hemp plants the resilience that they are so well known for. Cannabis plants regulate the production of phytocannabinoids as a way to withstand a multitude of stressors such as damaging light, nutrient depleted soil, and low water availability. Phytocannabinoids also provide a defense against insects and other plants, acting as a physical and chemical barrier that works to prevent predation and competition.To cite specific examples, phytocannabinoid production has been found to be positively correlated with the increase of UV-B radiation, suggesting it has the ability to decrease photo damage when growing in areas of high sunlight exposure (Lydon et al., 1987) . Major phytocannabinoid production such as THCA and CBDA are also increased in response to different soil chemistries (Coffman and Gentner, 1975) and low water availability (Caplan, 2018). These studies shed light on the remarkable versatility of phytocannabinoids, and how they have been evolutionarily valuable in providing Cannabis plants with the adaptability and resiliency that have made them so successful in colonizing a wide range of geographical regions.

CITATIONS

Coffman, C. B., and W. A. Gentner. 1975. Cannabinoid Profile and Elemental Uptake of Cannabis sativa L. as Influenced by Soil Characteristics1. Agron. J. 67:491-497. doi:10.2134/agronj1975.00021962006700040010x

Lydon, John, et al. 1987. “UV-B RADIATION EFFECTS ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS, GROWTH and CANNABINOID PRODUCTION OF TWO Cannabis Sativa CHEMOTYPES.” Photochemistry and Photobiology, vol. 46, no. 2, 1987, pp. 201–06. Wiley Online Library, doi:10.1111/j.1751-1097.1987.tb04757.x.

McPartland, John. 2018. Cannabis Systematics at the Levels of Family, Genus, and Species | Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/can.2018.0039. Accessed 20 Oct. 2019.

Small, Ernest. 2015. “Evolution and Classification of Cannabis Sativa (Marijuana, Hemp) in Relation to Human Utilization.” The Botanical Review, vol. 81, no. 3, Sept. 2015, pp. 189–294. Springer Link, doi:10.1007/s12229-015-9157-3.

Weiblen, George D., et al. 2015. “Gene Duplication and Divergence Affecting Drug Content in Cannabis Sativa.” New Phytologist, vol. 208, no. 4, 2015, pp. 1241–50. Wiley Online Library, doi:10.1111/nph.13562.