What Is CBD Oil and How Can We Extract It?

Just what is CBD oil, and what’s it got to do with cannabis? Hemp, marijuana, CBD, weed – they seem like terms that you’d expect to hear from a drug dealer, right? Well, that’s not exactly the case. After all, CBD and hemp are both legal products (see below for details.) And hemp is the variety of the Cannabis Sativa plant from which legal manufacturers extract the ingredients for CBD oil. (The topic of today’s blog, tied to many potential health benefits!)

Now, many people ask what type of CBD product is best to use. Today, you have tinctures, gummies, salves, oil, and vapes to choose from. It’s easy to be spoiled for choice, especially if you plan to take CBD for the first time. And, one of the most common starting points is with CBD oil. But what is CBD oil, and how could it benefit your body? Let’s find out.

What is CBD oil?

As mentioned earlier, CBD is an extract from hemp. It goes through various extraction methods before finally being used to create oil. Remember, manufacturers extract CBD from the Cannabis Sativa plant, not the Cannabis Indica. But they can’t pull product from any part of the cannabis plant. Most importantly, cannabinoids like CBD (cannabidiol) comes from the plant’s flowers, not the stalk and stem.

So, when people ask what is CBD oil, they can enjoy this answer: it’s a natural product, whose main ingredient, CBD, is extracted directly from plants. Afterwards, that CBD may mix with other cannabinoids, terpenes, and essential or carrier oils. Ultimately, that blend will create a full spectrum CBD oil.

Sourcing for legal CBD oil

The primary source of legal CBD is hemp. Hemp is the legal definition for a Cannabis Sativa plant that contains a significantly high percentage of CBD. On the other hand, it hardly contains THC. And, since THC is the psychoactive cannabinoid that gives you a high feeling, legal CBD won’t get you high.

How can you tell if you’re on the right side of the law? The only way to source legal CBD oil is to check your product’s certificate of analysis. If it contains 0.3% THC or less, the product is legal according to the U.S. federal government. (But laws vary by state.)

As we mentioned earlier, full-spectrum CBD oil includes a blend of cannabinoids and terpenes. And that means that the CBD extract used in the oil will contain some THC. So, it’s important to source your full-spectrum CBD from hemp plants. Otherwise, the end product may contain higher than legal THC concentrations.

The extraction process

Manufacturers usually use three types of extraction methods to derive CBD from hemp:

• Ethanol extraction
• Cold ethanol extraction
• Warm ethanol extraction

Let’s take a closer look at each of these extraction methods.

1. Ethanol extraction

Ethyl alcohol, commonly known as ethanol, is a flammable, volatile, and colorless liquid used in food additives, beauty products, gasoline, solvents, and paints. In addition to serving as an ingredient in these items, CBD manufacturers also use ethanol to extract CBD.

This is a popular technique among CBD oil manufacturers who require CBD in bulk quantities. They start by heating the hemp. This method is called decarboxylation. It produces active cannabis components by transforming cannabinoid acids into cannabinoids.

Next, manufacturers soak hemp leaves in ethyl alcohol. The soaked hemp then goes through a filtration process that separates the full-spectrum CBD. In the next step, the manufacturers leave the extracted liquid to cool down. This allows the ethanol to evaporate, thus leaving the full-spectrum CBD behind. The CBD extract is then used to make CBD oil.

2. Cold ethanol extraction

Some manufacturers may use a cold extraction technique that delivers highly potent CBD quickly compared to other extraction methods. However, it is an expensive extraction method as it requires advanced filtration machines and tools.

The process starts with the manufacturers keeping the ethanol at a low temperature. This helps to yield CBD extracts with minimal impurities. Another reason why this method is popular is it produces the maximum quantity of full-spectrum CBD. Some manufacturers take the cold extraction method to a higher level by implementing a multi-step purification process.

This purification process starts with a method called winterization. Winterization means removing waxes and lipids from the extracted CBD. The cold ethanol increases the winterization speed. It leaves the manufacturers with a full-spectrum extract that contains CBD and terpenes, both of which go into making CBD oil.

3. Warm ethanol extraction

Many manufacturers like to call this method the Soxhlet technique. Unlike the above method, manufacturers use warm ethanol in this extraction process. They first boil the ethanol in a flask or pot and then cool it down. The boiled ethanol then goes on a flower material setup where the alcohol drips slowly, thus separating the CBD from the terpenes.

There are a couple of downsides to this extraction method: first of all, it takes a long time compared to the two methods mentioned above. The extraction process may finish fairly early, but the purification process takes hours. Cold ethanol does a much better and faster job. Secondly, it has a low solvent-to-feed ratio, meaning the manufacturers don’t enjoy the benefits of terpenes and other cannabinoid compounds from the CBD extracted in this method.

Another drawback is the extracted quantity per batch. Manufacturers can’t make bulk CBD using the warm ethanol method. The primary requisite for this method is you need to make them in small batches. Therefore, it ends up using more resources without providing a high yield.

The full spectrum of CBD Oil ingredients

When you want to know what is CBD oil, you may have another question in mind regarding its ingredients. Here are some of the ingredients contained in most CBD oils:

• Full-spectrum CBD extract
• Other cannabinoids, including CBG
• Terpenes
• Essential oils

Full-spectrum CBD oil also contains 0.3% THC or less. That is the maximum limit for THC in any CBD product. Don’t buy CBD oil containing more than 0.3% of THC or which does not specify the THC amount, unless you live in a state or country with legalized marijuana.

Research-based effects of CBD oil

Why do people what to know what is CBD oil? Well, that all has to do with its potential health benefits? Here’s everything you need to know, based on the currently available research.

1. Impacts joint pain

Chronic back pain or arthritis pain are tough to fight, even if you take painkillers. And, even if they offer temporary relief,  prescription painkillers can trigger long-term side effects, including addiction. Instead, many people are One exploring CBD oil for pain relief. Often, the best way to explore this possible benefit is to apply CBD oil topically on your problem areas. Since CBD has anti-inflammatory properties, it may relieve your pain and help keep it from returning.

2. Manages anxiety symptoms

Full-spectrum CBD oil may help you prevent anxiety attacks by calming your mind down. Particularly, you could find relief with CBD oil if you worry about public speaking. If you’re feeling anxious, and hope to see if CBD oil can help you, your best choice may be taking CBD oil sublingually. Since this option enters your system quickly, you may experience a rapid calming through your body. If taken at the first sign of a problem, you may be able to prevent an anxiety attack with the help of CBD oil.

3. Lets you sleep peacefully

Insomnia can drive you crazy. Like painkillers, sleeping pills come with a lot of side effects. But studies suggest that CBD oil may help you fall asleep faster, and stay asleep longer. While we need further research, this seems to happen because CBD may reduce your anxiety.

Now that you’ve learned a bit more about CBD oil, you invite you to explore Tanasi, your home for buying full-spectrum CBD products online. From topical CBD oil to tinctures and capsules, we’ve got many forms of CBD to meet your needs. And, since each of our products comes with a full ingredients list and a certificate of analysis, you never have to wonder or worry about what’s in your CBD oil!