Process of making CBD oil from Cannabis
Cannabis is one of the oldest medicinal plants known. At present, there is significant interest in cannabis and its medicinal uses. Cannabis contains more than 400 different ingredients, including 66 cannabinoids. The poor availability of the various cannabinoids as pure compounds is an obstacle for the development of cannabinoid based drugs and for pharmacological and toxicological studies.
Among various cannabinoids are cannabidiol (CBD), it is one of the naturally occurring cannabinoids found in cannabis plants. It is a 21-carbon terpenophenolic compound which is formed following decarboxylation from a cannabidiolic acid precursor, although it can also be produced synthetically.
CBD often gets mixed up with THC, which is another cannabinoid found in cannabis. CBD and THC are the two most abundant compounds found in cannabis. Yet, they have fundamentally different properties and benefits.
THC, an intoxicating and illegal substance, is responsible for causing marijuana users to get “high.” Unlike THC, CBD does not cause a high. CBD is non-psychoactive because it does not act on the same pathways as THC. A 2011 review published in Current Drug Safetyconcludes that CBD “does not interfere with several psychomotor and psychological functions.”
CBD has been demonstrated as an effective treatment of epilepsy in several clinical trials.There is also preliminary evidence that CBD may be a useful treatment for a number of other medical conditions such as anxiety, depression and arthritis.
CBD is able to balance the constant overstimulation of the CB1 receptor. It does this in three ways:
CBD acts as an antagonist to the CB1 receptor, It can gently stimulate CB2 and CBD is able to stimulate receptors outside of endocannabinoid system which help to modulate pain, inflammation and decrease anxiety. Cannabidiolor CBD helps balance the system that keeps you balanced!
There is unsanctioned medical use of CBD based products with oils, supplements, gums, and high concentration extracts available online for the treatment of many ailments.
CBD is generally well tolerated with a good safety profile. Reported adverse effects may be as a result of drug-drug interactions between CBD and patients’ existing medications.
CBD oil extraction
Carbon dioxide is a supercritical fluid, meaning it converts into a liquid form when pressurized. At the same time, it is a pure chemical substance that occurs naturally and leaves behind no residues.
Accordingly, the Supercritical CO2 extraction method (aka CO2 extraction) can help ensure cannabis concentrates are pure, making it a good option for patients in search of a natural form of cannabis oil.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) extraction of cannabis is becoming more prevalent as the extract market grows with the spread of medical and recreational legalization. However, due to the historically underground nature of working with the substance, little true scientific experimentation and process development has occurred; even less has been published. Those new to the field have limited guidance.
Extraction parameters will determine not only the type, quality and yield of cannabis extract, but also the ease and cost of the extraction process. Different parties on the internet have listed conditions ranging from sub-critical to super-critical with temperatures from 15-100 degrees C and pressures ranging from 600 to 10,000 psi.
The temperature level and pressure in the chambers trigger the CO2 in the cannabinoids to respond and separate. As the cannabinoids vary, they are gathered in different chambers. This technique permits an extractor to separate the cannabinoids and eventually introduce just those preferred to their dish.
Alcohol extraction
Two types of alcohol are mainly used to perform these extractions: isopropyl alcohol or ethanol. ethanol is much safer for our health. Butane is a popular choice as well, especially for home extraction setups. That’s because butane does a great job “selecting” for the active cannabinoids and terpenes that make concentrates so potent and flavorful
Whole plant CBD oils can be made in a variety of methods. The “initial” CBD oil was developed by Rick Simpson. With this approach you soak the plant material in a solvent, such as grain alcohol. Once the product soaks, the remaining liquid is full of CBD (and other cannabinoids), you evaporate the solvent and the staying oil is ready for usage. The Rick Simpson approach influenced bigger operations to scale their extraction for commercial demand. Today, ethanol is commonly used to extract CBD for oils. This method requires you to soak the plant product in ethanol and after that the resulting alcohol service is executed via “Roto-Vap”.
The Roto-Vap warms the alcohol, causing it to vaporize. Instead of vaporizing into the air, the Roto-Vap reclaims the ethanol for later use. In a separate chamber, the CBD oil is left, free of the solvent and ready for intake.
These are not the only techniques for drawing out CBD from cannabis, but they are certainly the most popular today. But drawing out CBD is only part of making CBD oil.