CBD has been rediscovered in recent times due to the ton of functional properties that it brings to the table. The compound is one of the by-products derived from the cannabis plant. The therapeutic functions of the CBD oil have emerged as one of its strongest virtues, but the effect will depend on the many different concentrations of the main compound cannabinoid. These concentrations are very much dependent on the method of extraction of the CBD oil and the variations in the steps of the process. However, here is a look at the basic structure of the way CBD oil is made to give you a brief idea about the methodology that has the maximum impact on the product.
Harvesting the proper plant variety to extract CBD oil
While cannabis can be cultivated or curated from the wild, you have to be able to curate the right variety if you want the final extracted product to be of any value for therapies. The perfect Cannabis variety for CBD oil extraction would have a high concentration of the compound cannabinoid. However, that is not all, in proportion, the plant should also contain a lower concentration of the compound THC or tetrahydrocannabinol. In most cases, hemp is the preferred choice of plant for the extraction as opposed to other more varieties because of this one major fact that hemp packs the highest concentrations of cannabinoid. Although, that can further be segmented into the many varieties within hemp itself which will have a direct effect on the CBD oil extraction because the cannabinoid content is different even within these categories even though all of them belong to the hemp family.
The method of extraction
The method of extraction will also have an effect on the concentration of the cannabinoid compound within the CBD oil derived from each of the hemp varieties. click here to find more about the extraction methods that would best suit your purposes. Here is a brief overview of the most popular of the extraction methods.
CO2 Extraction
Many different solvents can be used as the basis of your extraction method depending on your preference. The stalks and the seeds of the hemp plant are typically used for the process. The most common extraction process is the CO2 method which is also known as the superficial carbon dioxide method. The main solvent, in this case, is the non-toxic variant of liquid CO2 which is an enlisted GRAS (i.e. generally regarded as safe) FDA solvent. The solvent is mostly used when companies are extracting CBD oil commercially as the base costs might be a bit higher for a small scale extraction using this.
The process involves grinding up the hemp seeds and stalks and then the solvent is forcefully taken through the ground-up material for the extraction of the base compounds. The solvent is then separated from the base compounds to yield the CBD oil in its natural state containing the varying amounts of cannabinoid.
Liquid solvent extraction
Sometimes liquid solvents are used to take the hemp compound through the same variety of extractions to get the final product in different concentrations. These solvents are usually a bit cheaper and can be used for small scale extraction processes. The most common solvents in this category include liquid butane, ethanol, hexane or even isopropyl alcohol. While these solvents might be cheaper, but they carry a greater risk of allowing smaller impurities to escape into the oil. These solvents might not be the best choice if you are looking for a higher purity grade product for direct consumption or topical application.
Extraction with oil infusion
This is probably one of the oldest methods of CBD oil extractions and often many home-based producers still use this method as the safest and most economical way of extracting CBD oil. The plant compound needs to decarboxylase before you can start the oil infusion, so heat the ground-up seeds and stalks to a certain fixed temperature where the compounds in the paste get activated. After this, you can introduce a carrier oil such as olive or groundnut oil slowly into the mixture while keeping the temperature steady at 100 Celsius for a couple of hours. The oil, in this case, will be diluted in concentration so you will need to use more of the product to get the ideal results.
The reliability of the product is hugely based on the exhaustiveness of the product, the CBD concentrations and the purity of the product post the solvent separation from the base compounds. Ideally, you should only have experienced technicians or testing centres test your product before you can determine whether the final oil is free of any contamination or is safe for therapeutic uses.
