Question to Pyare Bibeki Gursikhs of this forum:

Is pure natural hemp oil/powder acceptable to consume?

At the moment I think it is ok for a bibeki as any food consumed must at least pass the following two gurmat requirements:

single ingredient requirement - this would definitely fall under single ingredient

not a kurehit i.e. a nasha requirement - there is a big difference between hemp and weed/marijuana. Hemp is definitely not a nasha, whilst weed/marijuana most definitely is.This can be easily confirmed with online research or other forms of research.

After good research it is clear that hemp is a very good health superfood which also contains all the amino acids (building blocks of protein)


To be on the safe side I wanted to confirm this with senior bibeki gursikhs on this forum.

I think hemp seeds are acceptable. Not sure what Hemp oil or powder are but if they are natural and do not have any nasha then I think it is okay to consume.

Agreed Hemp and Marijuana are very different things.

Preetam Singh

There is a difference between hemp and marijuana even though they are both from the same species of Cannabis sativa. Hemp strains of Cannabis sativa (Canabis sativa sativa) are grown for their seeds and fibres used in clothing, ropes, oils, creams, paper, and other products. The marijuana strains (Canabis sativa indica) are grown for their glands, leaves, and buds which are cultivated for their intoxicating properties.

The level of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol—the main intoxicating ingredient of cannabis) in modern Westernized hemp seed products (raw hemp seed, hemp seed powder made from dried and ground hemp seeds, or hemp seed oil from pressed hemp seeds) is not enough to cause any intoxicating effects if ingested, but it does contain it. Many natural health food enthusiasts are promoting hemp seed products these days, due it containing all the amino acids (as mentioned above) as well as omega-3, 6, 9 and many minerals. If there is such a thing a ‘superfood’ (just a marketing term) then hemp seeds would qualify.

[www.alternet.org]
[www.quora.com]

The above notwithstanding, personally I would not eat them. The reason for this is because hemp grows commonly and wildly in Panjab (many farm and roadsides are covered in it) and it is known as bhang or sukha. Varieties of cannabis from Asia (sometimes referred to in the past as Indian hemp) are considerably more intoxicating than the industrialized western varieties of hemp grown in the 20th and 21st century. Cannabis in India has historically been the intoxicating indica type (the name indica itself is from these cannabis plant specimens that were first collected in India) and I don’t think there would be any difference known to the general public before the 20th century. [Now there is some campaigning to grow the non-intoxicating industrialized hemp varieties: [hempfoodsindia.com] [www.hempindia.com] ] So in other words, I think that olden Singhs would have not considered or known a difference between hemp and marijuana and thus would not have eaten either. I appreciate the modern scientific differentiation between the two but we cannot ignore the social, cultural, and religious associations and historical context. It’s just too close for comfort, why take a risk?

As an excellent and 100% bibeki alternative, I recommend almonds: almonds, almond powder, and almond oil. Pumpkin seeds are also outstanding.

Social or cultural reasons are not good enough reason to make a decision in my opinion.
Either something is acceptable or not. It seemed clear that the seeds would be ok (difference betwwen poppy seeds and opium).
Wine is made from grapes etc.There are many such examples of an acceptable food being turned into or grown into something unacceptable.

However, since a doubt has now been raised, further research is obviously required before a firm decision can be made.

Thanks for input..

Hemp Seeds are ok to consume. There is no nasha in them and are used by many Singhs for protein.

Anokh Kaur

I feel the social and cultural norms (of Singhs obviously) are worth considering. Not everything is black and white; there is a grey area on some things. For example, 50–100 years ago Singhs ate gurh from the marketplace but now for hygiene and bibek reasons many only have bibeki gurh. Some Singhs do not eat store misari, others do. Homemade bibeki ghio is ideal but sometimes store bought is also used. Nowadays, due to widespread water pollution in Panjab, many bibeki Singhs are drinking filtered and bottled water. Previously this was unacceptable. Outside of Panjab, most of us drink abibeki milk, ideally this is not acceptable but we make do.

The industrialized hemp in the Northern hemisphere (Cannabis sativa) is completely different to the agricultural hemp (Crotalaria juncea) that has historically grown wildly in India (ਸਣ or ਸਣਕੁਕੜਾ). To my knowledge, there is no separate word for the western “hemp” (Cannabis sativa) in Panjabi, if we had to explain to a traditional bibeki Singh what it is, we would have to say “ਇਕ ਕਿਸਮ ਦਾ ਭੰਗ ਹੈ, ਜਿਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਬਹੁਤ ਥੋੜਾ ਨਸ਼ਾ ਹੈ”. I doubt the response would be positive.

Globally, there is also a debate between hemp and marijuana because they are virtually indistinguishable by appearance and the only way to tell the difference on dozens of varieties of cannabis is to do a chemical analysis of the THC content: [dev.purduehemp.org]



ਕਬੀਰ ਭਾਂਗ ਮਾਛੁਲੀ ਸੁਰਾ ਪਾਨਿ ਜੋ ਜੋ ਪ੍ਰਾਨੀ ਖਾਂਹਿ ॥
ਤੀਰਥ ਬਰਤ ਨੇਮ ਕੀਏ ਤੇ ਸਭੈ ਰਸਾਤਲਿ ਜਾਂਹਿ ॥੨੩੩॥

If we all agree that bhang (cannabis) is forbidden and unacceptable to consume, then industrialized hemp (Cannabis sativa) is undeniably a type of cannabis and therefore is forbidden. Whether it is intoxicating, or not, is irrelevant because it is still a type of bhang. It is better for us to assume that both the product (bhang) and the effects of its consumption (intoxication) are prohibited, rather than just one or the other. Furthermore, industrial hemp does contain trace THC (typically around 0.3%). If food products contain trace alcohol or traces of meat, fish, or egg, Singhs avoid such products. I feel the same applies here.

In the case of poppy seeds, it is not the seeds that are used to make opium but rather the whole unripe poppy bud (before it even fully grows the seeds inside) oozes opium latex in response to being cut. [I am not sure about eating poppy seeds because they do contain opiates and have an effect on the central nervous system; but that is a separate topic]. With wine, it is the wine, derived from the grapes that we are forbidden from and not the raw product of grapes. Wine and opium are both derived forbidden products. Bhang is a forbidden raw product, fish is also a forbidden raw product. Comparing industrialized hemp (Cannabis sativa) with non-alcoholic wine would be more just, because that is essentially what it is: the same forbidden product without intoxicating effect. Here, with cannabis, it is not a case of an acceptable food (grapes) being processed into a forbidden product (wine) but it is the raw product itself (cannabis/bhang) that is forbidden hence all derivatives (seeds, oil, or powder) and varieties (hemp or marijuana) also are, whether or not they have intoxicating effect.

Thanks for your very detailed and diligent response "Trust Singh" jeeo. Bibekis should seriously consider points raised in his post.

Kulbir Singh

These are valid points. I would now only consider consuming hemp seeds if Elder, Respectable, Strong Abhiyaasi, Rehitwaan Singhs in India passed a resolution that it is OK.

So perhaps if Gursikhs on this forum could talk to their contacts in India. If Elder India Singhs believe it is a kurehit then those that have consumed Hemp should be advised if they need to do peshi.

Good thing I asked here before trying them.



What are your thoughts on vinegar? At the moment it seems OK in my mind.


A point about forbidden foods:

Even small amounts of a forbidden item in a meal is unacceptable for e.g. tiny amount of alcohol added during cooking.
However a single ingredient naturally containing something otherwise considered forbidden, doesn't necessarily make the ingredient unacceptable. For e.g. fruit naturally contains very small amounts of alcohol. The more the fruit goes off, the more the natural alcohol levels increase. So this shows we can't have black and white rules, otherwise many things could be forbidden. Each grey area case needs to be evaluated.


What advice is there for calcium and protein foods for those Gursikhs outside of India considering avoiding milk, until bibeki milk becomes available?

Spirulina is excellent for protein and health, however be aware that there are a lot of fakes or low quality versions available in the 'superfood' market.

ਸਾਬਤ ਦਾਲਾਂ ਚ ਬਹੁਤ protein hunda.ਵੈਸੇ ਜੇ ਤੁਸੀਂ hypertrophy achieve ਨਹੀਂ ਕਰਨੀ ਤਾਂ ਆਮ ਖੁਰਾਕ ਬਥੇਰੀ ਐ , ਨਾਲ ਬਦਾਮ ਤੇ ਹੋਰ nuts ਲੈ ਲਵੋ