There are various ways in which CBD is extracted from the cannabis plant to create CBD oils.
Unfortunately, not all these methods are created equal when it comes to the purity and quality of the final product. Some companies choose to produce cheap CBD products and may use harmful solvents such as propane or butane to render their extracts.
Here are some of the most common methods of extracting and preparing CBD oil:
Whole Plant Extraction vs. Isolates Extraction
In the whole plant extraction process, the entire cannabis plant will be used, just as the name suggests. This a commonly used method for the medical industry, in which many medical professionals believe that a better variety of cannabinoid products can be produced using whole plant extraction.
During isolates extraction, pure and isolated CBD is produced, making it effective at producing CBD products, but ineffective if you wanted to produce THC-infused cannabis oil as well.
Alcohol Extraction
This is an old method of extraction that is widely believed to be the first extraction method ever used. You begin the process by soaking the hemp plant in a solvent (alcohol was typical in early use—now, ethanol is most popular in industrial settings). Once the hemp is completely soaked, the liquid that remains will contain CBD (along with other cannabinoids).
The next step is to evaporate the solvent so that all that remains is the hemp oil.
C02 Extraction
C02 extraction is a newer, more expensive but very effective method of extraction. This method involves forcing CO2 (carbon dioxide) throughout the hemp plant in order to extract the oil. It is a more complex and expensive process and requires significant skill and state-of-the-art tools. However, the high-quality product produced is worth the extra challenges, which is why our CBD products were all produced through a CO2 extract method.
For effective extraction, you will need to be able to control pressure and temperature that can keep cannabinoids separate. For this reason, CBD extraction is not an easy process in the same way that THC cannabis oil can be. If you want the absolute highest quality product, it is best to choose a brand that uses this method.
Dangers of Synthetic Cannabinoids
You may have heard on the news about some cases where people are becoming seriously ill as a result of using CBD products which contained synthetic CBD — that is CBD produced in a lab instead of in a hemp plant. On can’t stress enough how dangerous these products are. Stay away from them at all costs.
CBD Oil Health Claims
This is worth touching on. Many companies will put CBD products on the market and make health claims about their product. Because health claims are not allowed until a product is thoroughly tested and approved, these claims are a sure sign that a company does not know what it is doing. Avoid them.
Finding a Trusted Manufacturer
Another way to narrow down your list of CBD oil makers is simply to do some internet research on CBD companies themselves. You’ll notice that some brand names will consistently be portrayed in a good light, while others might have an overabundance of bad reviews.
There are some smaller, not very well known companies which produce very high-quality CBD but may not have much in the way of reviews. Don’t necessarily rule them out.