Q.) Is there any unsafe side effects to drinking hemp milk? What about allergies to nuts or seeds?

A.) Hemp milk is made from the seeds of the edible part of the same plant (Cannabis sativa L) used to make marijuana. The seeds or “nuts” are used for making oil, protein powder and now, milk. The seeds, and products made from them, don’t contain any THC delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive component of marijuana.

Hemp milk also contains 10 essential amino acids, making it a good vegetarian source of protein (although I’ve read that the quality of protein in hemp may not measure up to soy protein). However, according to the manufacturer of one brand of the milk, hemp protein does not contain phytates, enzyme inhibitors found in some soy protein that can interfere with the assimilation of essential minerals. The same manufacturer maintains that hemp protein is more digestible than soy protein because unlike soy, it contains no oligosaccharides, complex sugars that can cause flatulence if not properly broken down during digestion.

As far as allergies are concerned, hemp seeds and nuts do not pose the threat that tree nuts do. Similarly, anyone allergic to soy or dairy should be able to safely consume hemp milk.

Referenced: Dr. Andrew Weil