Understanding the CBD Extraction Method
Do you ever wonder how CBD is extracted from cannabis? The process is actually vital to the quality of CBD.
More and more people are seeking the benefits of CBD. CBD industry could grow by 700 percent this year. CBD is produced and manufactured into many products including oils, topical creams, and edibles.
Let’s examine the CBD extraction method to see how these products are made.
Why Extract CBD?
You have to extract CBD to separate the cannabinoid (CBD) to make it consumable. Raw cannabis is not pleasant, and it does not have the same effects of the concentrated extract.
To make this effective, the cannabinoids need to be decarboxylated (or heated). Drying cannabis causes only partial decarboxylation, but when you smoke or vape, the process decarboxylates the cannabinoids with the heat.
When you ingest the CBD, there is no heat involved, so you need to decarboxylate so your body can digest properly. Raw cannabis can have microbes that pose a health risk if they are not purified and extracted. The CBD extraction process eliminates these compounds like lipids and waxes.
CBD Extraction Methods
There are multiple ways to extract CBD. Here are a few of the more common methods.
1. CO2 Extraction
The CO2 method is one of the most advanced ways to extract CBD method. It can be expensive for companies and is an investment with its complexity. If done properly, this method produces some of the safest, potent, and chlorophyll-free CBD extraction.
Because this method is expensive, only premium CBD producers can afford this method.
The CO2 process uses a “closed-loop extractor.” The machine has three chambers.
The first chamber contains pressurized and solid CO2 (or dry ice). The second chamber contains the dried hemp plant. The third chamber separates the resulting product.
CO2 is pumped into the second chamber from the first chamber. The CO2 takes on a stage between liquid and gas, and then it runs through the materials to extract CBD.
The product is then pumped into the third chamber. The CO2 rises and evaporates at the top, and the extracted product is at the bottom and separated from CO2.
The result is the highest concentration of CBD oil, which can be up to 92 percent.
2. Solvent Method
This method uses butane, propane, ethanol, hexane, isopropyl, or alcohol to extract the CBD. It is a less expensive option and is easy and fast. It can be dangerous because the contents are highly flammable.
This method dissolves the plant waxes, which brings out CBD and also chlorophyll. The chlorophyll can cause a bitter taste.
Solvent extraction begins with adding the plant and flowers into a container. One of the solvents listed above soaks or runs through this container to strip the plants of CBD. The gases evaporate and leave concentrated CBD in oil form.
This method can be dangerous. Because of the flammability, only experienced professionals should use this method. If it is not done properly, the solvents can contaminate the CBD oil, which is dangerous to the user.
Solvent extraction is less expensive, so the product is cheaper. However, the product may be dark, bitter, and lower quality because the creator cannot control what gets into the CBD oil.
3. Olive Oil
This extraction process is the oldest method. It is safe, inexpensive, and easy.
To start this process, the raw plant materials are heated to the desired temperature for a specific amount of time to activate the plant chemicals. The plant material and olive oil are then combined and heated together, resulting in the extraction of CBD.
The olive oil does not evaporate, so the CBD oil is not as concentrated as other methods. The recommended dosage for these products may be higher because of this.
The biggest downfall of this method is that it is perishable. The CBD product has to be kept in a dark and cool area in order to be effective.
4. Extraction by Hand
There is a way to extract CBD without solvents. Simply, apply heat, pressure, and friction. The combination of friction and water extracts the CBD.
You need to freeze and shake off the glands of the help flower with CBD and use these for extraction. You will then apply heat and pressure to the flower to extract the oil.
This is an impractical method because the yields are often low, so you do a lot of work for very little product.
What Is the Best CBD Extraction Method?
There are pros and cons to each method. If you are looking for the highest quality product, then the CO2 method is the best choice.
It is more expensive, but you get a higher quality and concentrated oil. It is also the safest and leaves a purer product with less toxic residue.
After Extraction
After the CBD oil is extracted, this oil is refined further through winterization. This oil is full-spectrum and still contains the other oils such as THC, CBDA, CBDV, and others.
The winterization process removes these other oils along with chlorophyll, wax, lipids, and solvents. The CBD oil is then added to other substances to create various CBD products such as gummies, capsules, vape oils, creams and other topicals, and edibles such as chocolates and baked goods.
To be legal, the THC needs to be 0.3 percent or less. Broad-spectrum products remove the THC traces but leave in other oils that may have additional benefits.
For the highest doses of CBD, the CBD isolate is ideal. The extract is cooled and purified into a white powder for the highest concentration.
The end result is turned into various products to give people choices. There are plenty of options to get CBD for women or men.
Purchasing CBD Oil
Now that you understand the CBD extraction method, you may have questions on which products are best.
Keep looking at our site for articles to help you decide why CBD is beneficial and how to choose the right oil.